Scelio aurantium 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 : 110-112

Scelio aurantium Yoder sp. n. Figures 251-256; Morphbank 57

Description.

Female body length: 5.12-5.72 mm (n=9). Male body length: 5.32-5.50 mm (n=2). Color of scape in female: brown. Surface of dorsal head in female: covered throughout with very fine sculpture. Occipital carina in female: broadly obliterated medially. Profile of posterior margin of head in lateral view: produced posteriorly, head appearing wedge-shaped. Width of genal setae: narrow to moderately wide. Shape of medial anteclypeus in female: strongly projected, trapezoidal, bilobed apically. Surface of mandible base in female: smooth. Form of mesosoma in female: typically formed, with propodeal shelf moderately elongate and clearly visible in dorsal view. Surface of pronotal nucha in female: sculptured throughout. Transverse pronotal carina in female: developed laterally, absent medially, not percurrent. Shape of mesoscutellum: semicircular to weakly transverse, evenly rounded posteriorly. Surface of propodeal nucha in female: with medial furrow, otherwise smooth. Surface of propodeal shelf in female: sculptured throughout. Color of metasoma in female: orange throughout. Sculpture of T6: finely longitudinally striae.

Diagnosis.

This species is most similar to Scelio ipomeae and Scelio impostor which share the medially interrupted transverse pronotal carina. It is easily distinguished from both these species by the prominently bilobed anteclypeus (truncate to slightly concave in both others), the broadly obliterated occipital carina (percurrent in both others), and the completely orange metasoma (apically brown in Scelio ipomeae and brown throughout in Scelio impostor , but see Comments for these species). Scelio aurantium is further recognizable by its relatively large size and slightly elongate habitus.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for orange, the fruit.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244752

Material examined.

Holotype, female: SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo Prov., 15km NE Klaserie, woodland, Guernsey Farm, 19.XII-31.XII.1985, malaise trap/flight intercept trap, S. Peck & J. Peck, OSUC 212992 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: 9 females, 2 males, OSUC 211286, 211393, 212308, 212672, 212985 (CNCI); OSUC 234720 (OSUC); OSUC 213354, 213370, 213395-213396, 213423 (SANC).

Comments.

The posterior propodeal margin in Scelio aurantium approaches the angular to dentate state seen in species of Afrotropical ernstii-group, although it does not reach that extreme. The dense fine pilosity of T1, characteristic of the ipomeae-group, is well developed. The humeral sulcus is relatively well-developed as a short broad channel along the posterolateral mesoscutum. Scelio aurantium is one of the few Afrotropical species in which the occipital carina is broadly obliterated medially. No variation of metasomal color was observed: it is orange throughout in all individuals. In most specimens the mesoscutum at a position roughly corresponding to the location of the parapsidal lines is irregularly flattened and slightly polished in a short strip. Two males are associated and well match the females.