Sycophila Walker, 1871

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 : 81-82

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5401.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:376CAB04-43BE-4C9A-950B-80DBD676CFB0
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16423476
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FD6B5E-7265-617F-5486-B191FA2FF9CC
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Sycophila Walker, 1871
status

Treatment

Subgenus Sycophila Walker, 1871 View in CoL

Diagnosis. Female. Length 1.76-6.35mm. Body colouration varies from yellowish to brown or dark brown; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, lower margin of mv obscured by dark brown spot or not.

Head in frontal and dorsal views mostly coriaceous, and sparsely punctulate; in frontal view broad than high; in dorsal view broad than long; malar space less than length of eye; genal margin regularly curved, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli narrowly or widely separated; POL distinctly longer than OOL; temple rounded, less than half the eye length (in dorsal view); scape reaching lower margin of median ocellus or not, much longer than broad; fu1 longer than broad, longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; fu2–fu5 as long as to distinctly longer than broad.

Mesosoma dorsally coriaceous and/or with umbilicate punctures from superficial to deep and coarse; mesodiscrimen raised medially, raised piliferous sculpture closer to the anterior end of the discrimen; prepectus smooth to slightly sculptured, bare; mesoscutellum coriaceous with sparse dense umbilicate punctures; propodeum with deep median depression, smooth or sculptured medially or with a median carina or two short submedian carinae; basal carina forming and inverted V or wedge-like or and truncate mesally.

Fore wing with short or long marginal fringe; dark brown spot small or expanded below whole length of mv; basal cell bare or nearly so or hairy; mv distinctly enlarged, with convex posterior margin; pmv distinct, longer than stv or not; costal cell dorsally and ventrally bare or setose; speculum present.

Metasoma longer than mesosoma (except in Sycophila bidentata sp. n.), strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate; ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present; petiole in dorsal view longer than wide or not; tergites smooth or slightly reticulate; in some species Gt 4 in lateral view much as long as Gt3 (at least 1.5× longer); ovipositor variably upturned.

Male. Males of Sycophila represent a strongly sexual dimorphism with longer petiole; antennal formula 11143, mostly much longer funiculars, with whorls of long hairs; fore wing more setose than in female; propodeum with raised areolate sculpture.

Relationships. This subgenus shares a few characters with Ficorytoma gen. n. including bulging mv, pmv distinctly longer than stv; fu1 long (at least 2× as long as pedicel) and arched, dorsally bulging (shared also with Ficomila ).

Key to Afrotropical species of Sycophila (Sycophila) associated with Ficus View in CoL

1 Antenna with 5 funiculars, funiculars with short and appressed hairs ( Figs 56F View FIGURE 56 , 58B View FIGURE 58 , 61B View FIGURE 61 ); metasoma longer than mesosoma, with petiole relatively short, at most as long as hind coxa ( Figs 56A View FIGURE 56 , 61A View FIGURE 61 )........................... go to female key

- Antenna with 4 funiculars, funiculars with relatively long and erect hairs ( Figs 60C View FIGURE 60 , 63B View FIGURE 63 ); metasoma shorter than mesosoma, petiole longer than hind coxa ( Figs 60A View FIGURE 60 , 63A View FIGURE 63 )................................................... go to male key

Female

1 Funiculars (fu2–fu5) short, at most as long as wide ( Figs 69B View FIGURE 69 , 77B View FIGURE 77 , 80B View FIGURE 80 )......................................... 2

- Funiculars (fu2–fu5) long, distinctly longer than wide ( Figs 64B View FIGURE 64 , 71B View FIGURE 71 )........................................... 5

2(1) Flagellum with fu5 transverse, wider than long ( Fig. 86B View FIGURE 86 ).................. S. (S.) suricola Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Flagellum with fu5 quadrate, as long as wide ( Fig. 80B View FIGURE 80 )...................................................... 3

3(2) Petiole longer than broad dorsally ( Figs 70C, D View FIGURE 70 ).......................... S. (S.) lasallei Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Petiole at most as long as broad dorsally................................................................... 4

4(3) Costal cell densely setose ventrally, with a row of setae dorsally ( Fig. 91E View FIGURE 91 )...... S. (S.) zebra Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Costal cell sparsely setose ventrally, dorsally bare ( Fig. 81E View FIGURE 81 ).................. S. (S.) nigra Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

5(1) Petiole longer than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 absent ( Figs 57C View FIGURE 57 , 59C, D View FIGURE 59 ); funiculars relatively short (at most 1.5× as long as wide) ( Figs 56F View FIGURE 56 , 58B View FIGURE 58 , 77B View FIGURE 77 ); propodeum with a median carina ( Figs 57B View FIGURE 57 , 59B View FIGURE 59 , 78B View FIGURE 78 ); Gt4 as long as Gt3 ( Figs 57C View FIGURE 57 , 59C View FIGURE 59 , 78C View FIGURE 78 )................................................................... 6

- Petiole at most as long as broad dorsally ( Figs 65D View FIGURE 65 , 67D View FIGURE 67 , 72D View FIGURE 72 ), ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present ( Figs 65C View FIGURE 65 , 67C View FIGURE 67 ); funiculars long, at least 2× as long as wide ( Figs 64B View FIGURE 64 , 66B View FIGURE 66 , 71B View FIGURE 71 ); propodeum with or without median carina... 8

6(5) Pronotal carina present anteriorly and laterally ( Fig. 57A View FIGURE 57 ), anterodorsally with two short teeth formed by the raised pronotal carina ( Fig. 56G View FIGURE 56 )................................................. S. (S.) bidentata Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Pronotal collar not carinate anteriorly and laterally, without any teeth............................................ 7

7(6) Body dorsally with a dark brown band ( Fig. 58A View FIGURE 58 ); Gt4 longer than Gt5 dorsally ( Fig. 59D View FIGURE 59 )......................................................................................... S. (S.) chirindensis Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Body without a distinct dark band dorsally, sometimes with a slight dark brown mark dorsally ( Fig. 77A View FIGURE 77 ); Gt5 as long as Gt4 dorsally ( Fig. 78D View FIGURE 78 )............................................. S. (S.) meridionalis Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

8(5) Smooth median band of propodeum almost reaching nucha ( Figs 54B View FIGURE 54 , 62B View FIGURE 62 , 75B View FIGURE 75 , 84B View FIGURE 84 ), sometimes with a row of areolae on each side; metanotum reticulate or smooth................................................................. 9

- Smooth median band of propodeum interrupted and not reaching to nucha ( Figs 65B View FIGURE 65 , 75B View FIGURE 75 ), lateral rows of areolae not complete; metanotum smooth................................................................................... 10

9(8) Row of areolae on propodeum short, reaching at most half-length of propodeum ( Figs 75B View FIGURE 75 , 84B View FIGURE 84 )..................... 12

- Row of areolae or reticulation on propodeum approaching or reaching nucha ( Figs 54B View FIGURE 54 , 62B View FIGURE 62 )........................ 13

10(8) Marginal vein short, as long as pmv and stv ( Fig. 67F View FIGURE 67 )............................... S. (S.) kestraneura ( Masi, 1917) View in CoL

- Marginal vein long, longer than pmv and stv ( Figs 65F View FIGURE 65 , 72F View FIGURE 72 ).................................................. 11

11(10) Body mainly yellow, with a dorsal longitudinal dark band on tergites ( Fig. 71A View FIGURE 71 ); costal cell relatively bare ventrally ( Fig. 72E View FIGURE 72 ); propodeum with one posterior areola ( Fig. 72B View FIGURE 72 )..................... S. (S.) longiflagellata Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Body mainly brownish-yellow, with dark bands/spots on different parts ( Fig. 64A View FIGURE 64 ); costal cell distinctly setose ventrally ( Fig. 65E View FIGURE 65 ); propodeum with two posterior areolae ( Fig. 65B View FIGURE 65 )...................... S. (S.) fusca Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

12(9) Front part of mesoscutum transversally strigose ( Fig. 75A View FIGURE 75 ); pmv shorter than mv ( Fig. 75F View FIGURE 75 )..................................................................................... S. (S.) macrospermae Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Entire median lobe of mesoscutum punctate ( Fig. 84A View FIGURE 84 ); pmv longer than mv ( Fig. 84F View FIGURE 84 )............................................................................................ S. (S.) nigriterga Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

13(9) Gaster reticulate; basal cell setose, costal cell with several dorsal setae ( Fig. 62E View FIGURE 62 ); propodeum sculptured except for a smooth median band ( Fig. 62B View FIGURE 62 )............................................ S. (S.) ficophila Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Gaster smooth; basal cell bare, costal cell bare ( Fig. 54E View FIGURE 54 ); propodeum with a smooth mesal depression, at most slightly sculptured there ( Fig. 54B View FIGURE 54 )............................................ S. (S.) annae Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

Male

1 Flagellum with fu2–fu4 elongate, conspicuously longer than wide ( Figs 68B View FIGURE 68 , 79B View FIGURE 79 , 85B View FIGURE 85 )............................. 5

- Flagellum with fu2–fu4 2× as long as wide or shorter ( Figs 82B View FIGURE 82 , 88B View FIGURE 88 , 92B View FIGURE 92 )....................................... 2

2(1) Body dark or dark brown ( Fig. 82A View FIGURE 82 )..................................... S. (S.) nigra Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Body mainly yellowish, with brown dark parts.............................................................. 3

3(2) Flagellum with fu5 wider than long ( Fig. 92B View FIGURE 92 )............................. S. (S.) zebra Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Flagellum with fu5 at least as long as wide ( Figs 88B View FIGURE 88 )..................... S. (S.) suricola Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

5(1) Body mostly dark brown, with yellowish parts, femora robust ( Figs 68A View FIGURE 68 , 85A View FIGURE 85 )..................................................................... S. (S.) nigriterga Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n. (partly) & S. (S.) kestraneura (Masi)

- Body mostly yellowish, partly dark brown................................................................. 6

6(5) Fore wing partly setose, with distinct speculum ( Figs 79C View FIGURE 79 , 85D View FIGURE 85 )................................................ 7

- Fore wing entirely setose, without speculum or a relatively narrow one ( Figs 55D View FIGURE 55 , 60B View FIGURE 60 , 63D View FIGURE 63 )......................... 9

7(6) Propodeum entirely dark brown ( Fig. 85C View FIGURE 85 )............................ S. (S.) nigriterga Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Propodeum at least partly yellow ( Figs 76C View FIGURE 76 , 79D View FIGURE 79 )........................................................... 8

8(7) Propodeum medially dark and laterally yellow ( Fig. 79D View FIGURE 79 ).............. S. (S.) meridionalis Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Propodeum entirely yellow ( Fig. 76C View FIGURE 76 )............................ S. (S.) macrospermae Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

9(6) Clava longer than all funiculars taken together ( Fig. 60C View FIGURE 60 )............... S. (S.) chirindensis Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Clava shorter than all funiculars taken together............................................................. 10

10(9) Propodeum entirely dark brown ( Fig. 63C View FIGURE 63 ); scape mainly brown ( Fig. 63B View FIGURE 63 )....................................................................................................... S. (S.) ficophila Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

- Propodeum yellowish with a T-shaped dark brown spot basally ( Fig. 55C View FIGURE 55 ); scape yellowish in basal half ( Fig. 55B View FIGURE 55 )......................................................................... S. (S.) annae Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.