1. Body massive (size range), body
black throughout, without metallic coloration; mesoscutum robustly
sculptured medially, with two smooth patches in humeral area; apical
fascia of fore wing absent (Mongolia) ... Scelio nisa Kozlov
- Body typically sized (size
range), body variously colored, if metasoma dark brown to black and
concolorous with mesosoma then with a distinct metallic sheen;
mesoscutum variously sculptured, with or without smooth patches; apical
fascia of fore wing absent or (more commonly) present ... 2
2. Mesoscutum with three, sometimes
paired, straight longitudinal carinae that correspond roughly to the
notauli and the medial mesoscutal line, length of medial pair reduced in
some; sculpture of lateral mesoscutum more or less absent; body without
metallic coloration (Sri Lanka, India) ... 3
- Mesoscutum variously sculptured,
sometimes with notauli indicated, but never with three carinae as above,
scutellum variously sculptured or smooth; lateral mesoscutum with or
without sculpture; body with or without metallic coloration ... 4
3. Scutellum sculptured with more
or less parallel carinae throughout; notauli typically indicated as a
pair of carinae at posterior margin of mesoscutum (India) ... Scelio tria Yoder
- Scutellum with sculpture
obliterated medially, otherwise rugulose with very slight longitudinal
trend; notauli indicated by single irregular carina with many short
transverse extensions (Sri Lanka) ... Scelio ememeye Yoder
4. Head and mesosoma black with
green metallic sheen; posterodorsal head with well defined transverse
striae; base of upper frons with band of ventrally oriented setae; fore
wing with fuscate patches reduced in size, without a clearly defined
apical fascia, margin with more or less transparent band throughout;
pilosity of anterior metapleuron very sparse (Sri Lanka) ... Scelio clarkei Yoder
- Head and mesosoma variously
colored, if head metallic then without transverse striae, smooth or
densely reticulate; setae of upper frons typically oriented laterally or
dorsally; fore wing with well developed fuscate patches that meet wing
margins; pilosity of anterior metapleuron moderate to very dense
(Africa, Arabian-Plate) ... 5
5. Mesonotum smooth and shining
except for setose punctures and in some longitudinal carinae along
posterior margin adjacent scutellum ... 6
- Mesonotum predominately
sculptured, at most with some smooth obliterated patches along humeral
area, between notauli, or on anterior mesoscutum ... 8
6. Head and mesoscutum metallic
green to blue; posterior margin of mesoscutum and anterior margin of
scutellum smooth (South Africa to Kenya) ... 7
- Head black, mesoscutum orange,
sometimes brown to dark brown medially, without any trace of metallic
coloration; posterior margin of mesoscutum and anterior margin of
scutellum with slight grooves (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia)... Scelio poecilopterus Risbec
7. Fore wing with apical fascia
absent (not to be confused with presence of lighter colored radial
cell); pilosity of hind tibia strongly appressed, not distinctly
elongate ... Scelio nitens Brues
- Fore wing with apical fascia
present; pilosity of of hind tibia nearly completely erect, distinctly
elongate, and somewhat sparse ... Scelio
paranitens Yoder
8. Mesosoma orange, with at most
some patches of brown to dark brown dorsomedially ... 9
- Mesosoma brown, near black, or
with a metallic sheen or coloration, if traces of orange (primarily
along sutures) then otherwise completely metallic ... 10
9. Head black, without any trace of
metallic coloration, with sculpture almost granular in appearance;
medial mesoscutum with parallel fine striae all but anteriorly, lateral
mesoscutum smooth; body moderately hairy, pilosity moderate length,
white to golden brown, appressed to semi-errect; posterodorsal metasoma
without metallic coloration ... Scelio
variegatus Kozlov
- Head completely metallic, green
or blue, with dense fine rugulae throughout; mesoscutum with fine
rugulae throughout; body extremely hairy, pilosity long, white and
erect; posterodorsal metasoma with metallic blue coloration (South
Africa, Botswana) ... Scelio miror Yoder
10. Head and mesosoma with metallic
sheen to strong metallic coloration, frequently sheen visible on dorsal
metasoma as well, degree of coloration variable, bright to almost gone,
but always present; metasoma in profile with terga arched, terga and
sterna somewhat asymmetrical ... 11
- Head, mesosoma (and metasoma)
without metallic sheen, brown to black; metasoma in profile with terga
more or less flat to slightly convex, not arched, terga and sterna more
or less symmetrical ... 12
11. Head and mesonotum uniformly
sculptured throughout with fine well developed rugulae ... ?Scelio marbis Nixon
- Head and mesonotum somewhat
irregularly sculptured, frequently with smooth patches, particularly on
vertex near lateral ocelli, rugulae somewhat coarse ... Scelio
antorides Nixon
12. Lateral mesoscutum with a
distinct smooth patch or completely smooth ...
13
- Lateral mesoscutum sculptured
throughout ... 15
13. Dorsal head sculptured
throughout, though minutely in some; transverse pronotal carina
complete, meeting mesoscutum or adjacent cell ...
14
- Dorsal head smooth or very nearly
so; transverse pronotal carina incomplete; mesoscutum with 4 smooth
patches, two medially and two in humeral area; pilosity of metasoma
semi-erect to erect, evenly distributed; apex of fore wing with minimal
infuscation (South Africa, 2 females, E. and W. Cape) ... Scelio
habilis Nixon
14. Lower frons with fine
transverse striae; medial mesoscutum sculptured throughout, sculpture
predominately longitudinal, parallel sided, with interstices
predominately smooth though some with few to moderate number of
transverse elements; hind femur narrow, dorsal surface weakly convex
view (Niger, Mali, Burkino Faso) ... Scelio
corion Nixon / ?Scelio baoli Risbec?
- Lower frons
rugulose; medial mesoscutum with two somewhat elongate obliterated
patches anteriorly, otherwise more or less reticulate with some
longitudinal elements; hind femur broad, dorsal surface distinctly
bulging (South Africa, Botswana) ... Scelio
turbidus Yoder
15. Apical fascia of fore wing
absent; transverse pronotal carina incomplete (Madagascar) ... Scelio leipo Yoder
- Apical fascia of fore wing
present (sometimes only slightly contrasting with lighter surroundings);
transverse pronotal carina complete or incomplete (Madagascar or
Continental Africa) ... 16
16. Sculpture of T3 finely
reticulate, with few prominent longitudinal elements; sculpture of
scutellum predominately fine parallel striae, in most with few
connecting interstices (widespread throughout Continental Africa) ... Scelio baoli Risbec
- Sculpture of T3 predominately
parallel longitudinal with evident gap between longitudinal elements;
scutellum sculpture somewhat rugulose, rugulae often somewhat flattened
in appearance, with only slight longitudinal trend ...17
17. Pronotum with transverse
pronotal carina incomplete, not meeting mesoscutum or adjacent cell;
apical fascia with a well developed posterior element ... Scelio
pulchripennis Brues
- Pronotum with
transverse pronotal carina complete, meeting mesoscutum or adjacent
cell; apical fascia present only along anterior margin, if area along
posterior margin appearing lighter then whole of apex weakly infuscated
and no clear division between fascia and apex delimited (Madagascar) ...
Scelio parapulchripennis Yoder
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