Sycophila (Sycophila) macrospermae Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus, 2024

Lotfalizadeh, Hossein, Delvare, Gérard, Cruaud, Astrid & Rasplus, Jean-Yves, 2024, Morphological phylogeny and revision of Sycophila and Ficomila (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Eurytomidae) associated with Afrotropical fig trees (Moraceae, Ficus), Zootaxa 5401 (1), pp. 1-190 : 108-111

Sycophila (Sycophila) macrospermae Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

( Figs 74–76 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♀: Guinea, Ziéla, ex syconia of Ficus macrosperma , 6.v.1993, Rasplus J.-Y. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: Guinea, same data as holotype, 6♀ & 2♂. Cameroon, Nkolbisson, ex syconia of Ficus sansibarica ssp. macrosperma , 5.viii.1993, Gibernau M. leg., 7♀ & 2♂.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the host fig species, Ficus sansibarica subsp. macrosperma , a subspecies that clearly deserve a specific status.

Diagnosis. Female of this species looks like S. kestraneura but has the following diagnostic characters. Funiculars 2× as long as wide ( Fig. 74B ). Mesoscutum transversely strigose anteriorly and posteriorly umbilicate ( Fig. 75A ). Propodeum without median carina and with smooth median band, reaching close to nucha, with lateral rows of areolae reaching at most half-length of propodeum ( Fig. 75B ). Fore wing with pmv relatively short, shorter than mv ( Fig. 75F ). Petiole long as broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present ( Fig. 75C ).

Body of male mainly yellowish, with brown parts ( Fig. 76A ). Funiculars 2× as long as wide ( Fig. 76B ).

Description of holotype ♀ ( Figs 74–75 ). Length 6.34 mm. Body yellowish ( Fig. 74A ), except ocellar area, propodeum medially, petiole and gaster dorsally dark and flagellum brown, pronotum yellowish and slightly black dorsomedially; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot ( Fig. 75E ); gaster bicoloured with dorsal edge dark brown, posterior margin of tergites brownish laterally ( Fig. 75C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.48× as broad as high [HW 170 & HH 115] ( Fig. 74C ); in dorsal view transverse, 2× as broad as long [HW 270 & HL 135] ( Fig. 74D ); face and vertex mostly coriaceous; malar space 0.54× length of eye [ms 45 & EH 83]; malar sulcus distinct, straight ( Fig. 74E ); genal margin regularly curved, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli narrowly separated, interantennal space not raised, not carinate laterally; scrobal depression smooth, reaching the median ocellus, carinate on margin (at least dorsally); POL 1.9× as long as OOL [POL 42 & OOL 22]; temple rounded, 0.4× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 25 & EL 100]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 3.4× as long as broad, [SL 85 & SW 25]; fu1 2.27× as long as broad [fu1L 50 & fu1W 22], distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with three rows of mps and 3 whorls of adpressed short setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad ( Fig. 74A ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.65× as long as wide (175:105) ( Fig. 75A ), with obliterate punctures; pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum raised medially, with piliferous sculpture on epicnemium, being closer to anteroventral margin of mesepisternum than to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.65× as long as wide (70:105), 0.8× longer than length of pronotal collar (70:90), transversely strigose in anterior half, with dense umbilicate punctures in posterior half; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum umbilicate laterally and coriaceous sculpture on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 75B ) with deep median depression, with a smooth median band, with two short submedian carinae; lateral rows of areolae short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); basal carina inverted V, truncate mesally, lateral branches of propodeal basal carina slightly convex; distance between lateral carinae less than 0.5× width of nucha.

Fore wing with short marginal fringe, apically subtruncate (pointed anteriorly); dark brown spot below mv; basal cell bare or nearly so; mv distinctly enlarged, rounded, lower margin convex, not longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell densely setose, dorsally with row of setae; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent ( Figs 75E, F ).

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (25:12) and hind femora (35:13); hind tibia dorsally with more than 10 setae, setae shorter than hind tibia width.

Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.7× as long as wide (175:105) ( Fig. 75C ), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate ( Fig. 75D ); ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present; petiole in dorsal view not longer than wide, shorter than half length of hind coxa; tergites smooth; Gt4 (in lateral view) much as long as Gt3 (at least 1.5× longer); not sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 partly covering Gt6, sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 sparsely setose ventrally; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 75C ).

Male ( Fig. 76 ). Length 1.88–2.51 mm. Similar to female with longer petiole ( Fig. 76A ); gaster with a dorsal dark brown spot; antennal formula 11143, with much longer segments, at least 2× as long as broad; each funicular with 2 rows of mps and several whorls of relatively short erected setae ( Fig. 76B ); fore wing more setose than in female, speculum relatively narrow, costal cell with two rows of setae dorsally and dense setae ventrally ( Fig. 76D ).

Variation. Length 4.09–6.35 mm. In darker specimens head dorsally and laterally with dark brown spots; pronotum, mesoscutum, metapleuron and propodeum mostly brownish dark; dorsal dark band also extending laterally on tergites.

Host plant. Ficus macrosperma and F. sansibarica subsp. macrosperma .

Geographical distribution. Cameroon and Guinea.

Figures

FIGURE 74. S. (Sycophila) macrospermae sp. n. (♀). A, female in lateral view. B, antenna. C, head in frontal view. D, head in dorsal view. E, head in lateral view. F, mesosoma in lateral view.

FIGURE 75. S. (Sycophila) macrospermae sp. n. (♀). A, mesosoma in dorsal view. B, propodeum. C, metasoma in lateral view D, metasoma in dorsal view. E, fore wing. F, fore wing venation.

FIGURE 76. S. (Sycophila) macrospermae sp. n. (♂). A, male in lateral view. B, antenna. C, propodeum. D, fore wing.