Scelio masneri Yoder, 2009

Yoder, Matthew, Polaszek, Andrew, Masner, Lubomir, Johnson, Norman & Valerio, Alejandro, 2009, Revision of Scelio pulchripennis - group species (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 20 (20), pp. 53-118 : 86-88

Scelio masneri Yoder , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9CB8FEB6-2DAA-40AA-95EA-18492ACC7EA3 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:238056

Figs 61–66; Morphbank 20

Description. Female body length: 3.18–3.78 mm (n=2). Color of antenna in female: A1–2 yellow to light brown, remaining brown. Color of head in female: metallic green to dark teal. Color of mesosoma in female: yellow orange. Color of coxae in female: yellow to light brown. Color of leg past coxa in female: yellow to light brown. Color of metasoma in female: amber-orange at base (T1–T3), darkening to near black at apex, T4–T6 with metallic blue-green sheen.

Sculpture of lower frons in female: predominantly fine irregular rugulae. Sculpture of ventrolateral frons in female: dense fine rugulae. Form of malar sulcus in female: sulcus percurrent, slit, groove or carina extremely narrow but course well defined. Sculpture of upper frons of female: fine rugulae. Sculpture of dorsal head between and posterior to lateral ocelli in female: fine rugulae. Mandible of female: upper tooth slightly elongate, elongate-triangular, lower tooth absent to almost imperceptible, a slight extension of the inner-ventral margin.

Transverse pronotal carina in female: absent mesad, transition from dorsal shoulder to anterior pronotum not sharply delimited but rather slightly curved, if appearing slightly present then either obliterated medially or composed of adjacent subpolygonal sculpture. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: serpentine, sharply defined, rugulae relatively dense. Sculpture of notaular course in female: more or less undifferentiated to slightly more robust and coarse relative to medial sculpture. Sculpture of lateral mesoscutum in female: present. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: serpentine-rugulose, sculpture narrow, sharply defined. Sculpture of lateral pronotum in female (excluding interstitial sculpture): reticulate sculpture throughout (smooth patch below lateral epomial carina ab-

Figures 6Ι–66 .59 Scelio masneri sp. n. (OSUC 235076). 6Ι Habitus, dorsal view 62 Habitus, lateral view 63 Mesosoma, dorsal view 64 Mesosoma, lateral view 65 Head, anterior view 66 Metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.

sent). Pronotal verricule in female: small bump with 1–2 very short setae at cent- er. Pronotal setal patch posteroventral to end of lateral epomial carina in female: very sparse (around 1–3), long, erect setae. Sculpture of mesopleural depression in female: predominantly longitudinally striate. Pilosity of anteroventral metapleuron in female: dense patch of semi-decumbent to erect setae. Dorsal surface of hind tibia in female: sparse, elongate, erect and slightly curved. Shape of hind femur in female: narrow, dorsal and ventral surfaces relatively symmetrical. Basal pigmented spot of fore wing in female: percurrent from submarginal vein to posterior margin, striplike (a band), divided only by hyaline course of M+Cu. Basal fascia of fore wing in female: subrectangular, striplike, percurrent from anterior to posterior margin. Apical fascia of fore wing in female: broad, hyaline, percurrent from anterior to posterior fore wing margin, apex of fore wing past fascia concolorous with distal patch.

Sculpture of dorsal T 1 in female: longitudinally striate, with few to no transverse divisions or reticulations, interstices smooth or with very slight irregular microsculpture. Sculpture of dorsal T 2 in female: fine longitudinal striae with interstices smooth. Sculpture of anterior T2 through anterior depression in female: interrupted with by a smooth strip, majority of sculpture not contiguous with that of posterior T2. Sculpture of dorsal T 3 in female: fine parallel to irregular longitudinal striae, with reticulation absent to moderately present. Medial sculpture of T 4 in female: present. Medial sculpture of T 5 in female: present, obliterated to smooth. Sculpture of T2–T5 curved transition from dorsal to lateral terga in female: sculptured. Profile of female metasoma in lateral view: ventral surface more or less flat, dorsal surface weakly to strongly arched from T2–T6 highest point between T4–T5, evenly curved to T6. Sculpture of lateral T2–T 6 in female: T2 reticulate-rugulose, T3–T6 with dense striae throughout. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: present on T1–T4.

Diagnosis. Easily diagnosed from all other species by the metallic green head in combination with bright orange mesosoma that bears dense, erect, long white pilosity.

Etymology. In honor of Lubomír Masner as recognition of his contributions to Hymenoptera taxonomy.

Link to distribution map. [http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/maplarge.html?id=238056]

Material examined. Holotype female: SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa, Limpopo Prov., 30 km E Nylstroom , 15.XI–17.XII.1984, flight intercept trap, H. Howden & A. Howden, OSUC 235076 (deposited in CNCI) . Paratype: BOTSWANA: 1 female, OSUC 235079 ( CNCI).

Comments. Scelio masneri is the most aberrant member of the pulchripennis - group. Th e very long and dense white pilosity, highly domed metasoma, and metallic head and orange body are all potential apomorpohies. Th e upper lateral pronotum is notable for the complete absence of a smoother patch. It is hard to discern the setae on the laterotergite of T 1 in the two specimens observed: in both it appears that some setae have been lost. Additional specimens are required to confirm the coding of this state.