Ficomila vannoorti 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 : 68-72

Ficomila vannoorti Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

( Figs 44–46 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♀: Madagascar, Tsimbazaza, -18.932175° 47.526299°, ex syconia of Ficus lutea , 3.v.1996, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 13♀ & 5♂.

Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to our colleague and friend Simon van Noort for his work on Afrotropical fig wasps and his outstanding contribution to Afrotropical Hymenoptera .

Diagnosis. Female body mainly dark brown with some yellowish marks ( Fig. 44A ). POL at least 1.5× OOL ( Fig. 44D ). Flagellum with fu2–fu4 longer than broad, fu5 longer than broad ( Fig. 44B ). Mesoscutum densely coriaceous and with sparse umbilicate puncture ( Fig. 45A ). Propodeum without median carina, smooth median band short ( Fig. 45B ). Gaster compressed laterally, dorsally angulate ( Fig. 45D ).

Male body mostly yellowish, but partly dark brown, similar to F. bouceki sp. n. Body robust, femora enlarged ( Fig. 46A ). Flagellum with fu2–fu4 long, longer than wide, clava dark or dark brown ( Fig. 46B ). Fore wing and mv extremely setose, setae below submarginal vein and basal cell white ( Fig. 46C ). Propodeum with long median carina, exceeding half-length of propodeum ( Fig. 46D ).

Description of holotype ♀ ( Figs 44–45 ). Length 4.45 mm. Body generally dark and partly brown ( Fig. 44A ), except head in frontal view, orbital margin, antenna, pronotum anterolaterally, tegula, mesopleuron dorsally, legs and gaster ventrally yellowish; femora basally and hind tibia medially brown; scape, pedicel, funiculars ventrally and clava mostly yellowish or yellowish-brown; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot ( Fig. 45E ); gaster uniformly coloured ( Fig. 45C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.35× as broad as high [HW 192 & HH 142] ( Fig. 44C ); in dorsal view stout, 1.85× as broad as long [HW 192 & HL 104] ( Fig. 44D ); face and vertex coriaceous with sparse punctures; malar space 0.55× length of eye [ms 45 & EH 82]; malar sulcus distinct, straight ( Fig. 44E ); lower margin of gena sinuous, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli widely separated, interantennal space not raised, carinate laterally; scrobal depression slightly sculptured, reaching the median ocellus, not carinate on margin; POL 1.84× as long as OOL [POL 48 & OOL 26] ( Fig. 44D ); temple margined, 0.38× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 32 & EL 85]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape not reaching median ocellus, 3.68× as long as broad [SL 70 & SW 19]; fu1 1.67× as long as broad [fu1L 40 & fu1W 24], distinctly longer than pedicel, bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with two or three rows of mps and 3 whorls of adpressed short setae; fu2–fu5 slightly longer than broad ( Fig. 44B ).

Mesosoma not distinctly arched, 1.45× as long as wide (175:120), with obliterate punctures ( Fig. 45A ); pronotum with sparse umbilicate punctures; mesodiscrimen with a ring-like process, adjacent to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.6× as long as wide (70:120), 0.7× longer than length of pronotal collar (70:100), sparsely umbilicate, coriaceous anteriorly; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum generally coriaceous sparsely umbilicate laterally; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 45B ) with deep median depression, with a smooth median band, without any median carina, lateral rows of areolae short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); inverted U-shaped basal carina, lateral branches relatively straight, width of basal carinae about 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 slightly enlarged, normally broadened, in lower margin concave; stv curved up; pmv not distinct; ventral side of costal cell sparsely setose, dorsally bare; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent ( Figs 45E, F ).

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (30:12) and hind femora (37:14); hind tibia dorsally with more 10 setae, setae shorter than tibia width basally.

Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.35× as long as wide (155:115) ( Fig. 45C ), longer than mesosoma, slightly compressed laterally ( Fig. 45D ); ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present; petiole in dorsal view not longer than wide, shorter than half-length of hind coxa; tergites finely engraved; Gt4 (in lateral view) slightly as long as Gt3, sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 mostly covering Gt6, sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 sparsely setose ventrally; ovipositor upturned ( Fig. 45C ).

Male ( Fig. 46 ). Similar to male of S. tanzanica sp. n. but much larger, 3.90–4.73 mm (at most 2.75 mm at S. tanzanica sp. n.); fu1 with median dark band, fu4 yellowish ( Fig. 46B ); fu1–fu4 much longer than S. tanzanica sp. n.; each funicular with 3 rows of mps and several whorls of relatively short adpressed setae; propodeum with long median carina, exceeding half-length of propodeum ( Fig. 46D ).

Variation. Length 4.20–4.51 mm.

Host plant. Ficus lutea .

Geographical distribution. Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURE 44. Ficomila vannoorti 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 45. Ficomila vannoorti 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 46. Ficomila vannoorti sp. n. (♂). A, male in lateral view. B, antenna. C, fore wing. D, propodeum.