Scelio irwini Yoder

Yoder, Matthew J., Valerio, Alejandro A., Polaszek, Andrew, Noort, Simon van, Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2014, Monograph of the Afrotropical species of Scelio Latreille (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae), egg parasitoids of acridid grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Acrididae), ZooKeys 380, pp. 1-188 : 127-128

Scelio irwini Yoder sp. n. Figures 299-304; Morphbank 64

Description.

Female body length: 3.23-3.99 mm (n=19). Male body length: 3.74-4.32 mm (n=2). Sculpture of posterior vertex: transversely carinate. Sculpture of frons in female: linear throughout. Arcuate carinae of lower frons: “closed”, arcuate carinae terminating at ventrolateral corner of anteclypeus. Form of RSS on A5 in male: carinate. Sculpture of medial mesonotum: longitudinally striate in posterior half, otherwise reticulate. Surface of propodeal shelf in females: uniformly reticulate throughout. Surface of meso- and metapleural depressions: with prominent glabrous and smooth patch. Fore wing length: longer than apex of metasoma.

Diagnosis.

Scelio irwini is most similar to Scelio parkeri with which it shares the smooth patches on the meso- and metapleural depressions. It differs from this and all other irwini-group species by the dorsoventrally carinate to very slightly strigose sculpture of the frons, and unbroken transverse carinae on the posterior head (with at least some prominent reticulate areas outside the ocellar triangle in all others).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a genitive noun derived from the name of our colleague Mike Irwin, one of the three collectors who together amassed hundreds of specimens of the irwini-group.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244778

Material examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Auto. Prov., Montagne d’Ambre National Park, 12°30'52"S, 49°10'53"E, 960m, 21. I– 26.I.2001, malaise trap, M. E. Irwin, E. I. Schlinger & R. Harin’Hala, CASENT 2042009 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 35 females, 4 males, OSUC 211647 (AMNH); CASENT 2042003-2042004, 2042006, 2042011-2042015, 2042017-2042021, 2042023-2042026, 2042030, 2042032-2042033, 2042038-2042041, 2042056, 2042106, 2043318, 2043433, 2132030, 2134300, 2134572, 2135604, 2136585 (CASC); CASENT 2042008, 2042022, 2042027, 2042029, 2042031 (OSUC).

Comments.

The sculpture within the ocellar triangular can be irregularly reticulate in some individuals. The male RSS of A5 is intermediate in form between Scelio parkeri and Scelio obscuripennis , projecting slightly like the former, but retaining a bit more of a distinct carina like the latter. The medial mesonotal sculpture tends to be longitudinally striate strigose.