Scelio marbis Nixon, 1958

Scelio marbis Nixon View in CoL

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2DD44263-3800-4E7F-A774-ED4711F78647 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:5270

Figs 55–60; Morphbank 19

Scelio marbis Nixon, 1958: 306 View in CoL , 317 (original description. keyed); Masner, 1965a: 94 (type information).

Description. Female body length: 3.48–3.59 mm (n=3). Color of antenna in female: A1–A2 yellow to light brown, remaining brown, or A1–A5 or A6 yellow to light brown, remaining brown. Color of head in female: metallic green to dark teal. Color of mesosoma in female: brown to near black except for yellow to light brown anterior pronotum and propleuron, with metallic green to dark teal sheen throughout. 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 to brown at base, darkening to near black at apex, T2 or T3 onwards 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, or not percurrent, with some sections variously obliterated. 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 typically developed, lower tooth very short but clearly present, truncate to pointed.

Transverse pronotal carina in female: well developed, linear or with extremely slight deviations, contiguous with mesoscutum or interrupted by a single subpolygonal cell, anterior shoulder relatively abruptly transitioned to anterior pronotum. 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 absent). Pronotal verricule in female: small bump with 1–2 very short setae at center. 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, or predominantly irregularly reticulate. 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: broadly semi-circular, interrupted from posterior margin by extension of basal pigmented spot. 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 moderate to dense reticulation, intersticies rough throughout. Sculpture of dorsal T 2 in female: fine parallel to slightly reticulate striae with minutely colliculate to transverse sculpture within interstices. 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, obliterated to smooth. 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–T3.

Diagnosis. The strong metallic coloration of the head and mesoscutum in combination with the dense, fine, rugulose-reticulate sculpture is unique to S. marbis . A very similar pattern of sculpture and overall form of the body is seen in S. masneri . However, S. masneri has an orange mesosoma with no trace of metallic coloration and a distinctly different pattern of pilosity (very dense, white, erect, Fig. 62). See also diagnosis for S. antorides .

Link to distribution map. [http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/maplarge.html?id=5270]

Material examined. Holotype female: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Prov., Queenstown , 5500 ft [1676 m], 16.I–10.II.1923, R.E. Turner, OSUC 254438 View Materials (deposited in BMNH) . Other material: (3 females, 7 males) SOUTH AFRICA: 1 female, 7 males, OSUC 254439–254445 View Materials ( BMNH) ; OSUC 211459 View Materials ( CNCI). ZIMBABWE: 2 females, OSUC 211460 View Materials , 235078 View Materials ( CNCI) .