Sycophila (Sycophila) bidentata Lotfalizadeh, 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 : 86-89

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

( Figs 56–57 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♀: Cameroon, Route Bafang-Baha , 4.946767° 10.740467°, 17.v.2007 , ex syconia of Ficus thonningii, Kjellberg F. & Djeto-Lordon C. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype , 2♀. Republic of South Africa, Pretoria, Wonderboom Rese , ex syconia of Ficus abutilifolia , 18.iv.1995, Gibernau M. leg. , 1♀. Guinea, Lola , F. thonningii , 2.v.1993 , Rasplus J.-Y. leg., 1♀. Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto , 6.222197° & -5.024070°, ex syconia of Ficus lutea , 26.vi.1989 , Rasplus J.-Y. leg., 1♀. Kenya, Kakamega Forest, Kisere , ex syconia of Ficus thonningii , 3.ii.2006, Hiller Y. leg. , 1♀.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the presence of two dentiform processes on pronotum.

Diagnosis. Funiculars distinctly elongate, 1.5× as long as wide ( Fig. 56A ). Pronotum carinate anteriorly and laterally, with two with two slight teeth on shoulders ( Figs 56E, 56G , 57A ). Propodeum with a sinuous, wedge-like basal carina and a median longitudinal one ( Fig. 57B ). Petiole longer than broad dorsally, without ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1. Gt4 much as long as Gt3 ( Fig. 57C ).

Description of holotype ♀ ( Figs 56–57 ). Length 2.22 mm. Body mostly brown ( Fig. 56A ), except head in frontal view, orbital margin, scape, pronotum anterolaterally, tegula, legs, Gt5–Gt6 yellowish-brown; pronotum anterolaterally testaceous; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv; lower margin of mv not obscured that spot ( Fig. 57D ); gaster brownish, dorsal edge darker ( Fig. 57C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.23× as broad as high [HW 175 & HH 142] ( Fig. 56B ); in dorsal view stout, 1.89× as broad as long [HW 175 & HL 93] ( Fig. 56C ); face and vertex coriaceous with sparse punctures; malar space 0.54× length of eye [ms 44 & EH 82]; malar sulcus clearly visible, straight ( Fig. 56D ); 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, not carinate on margin; POL 1.89× as long as OOL [POL 53 & OOL 28] ( Fig. 56C ); temple rounded, 0.2× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 18 & EL 88]; setation of lower face oriented downwards, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching lower margin of median ocellus, 3.67× as long as broad [SL 55 & SW 15]; fu1 2× as long as broad [fu1L 40 & fu1W 20], distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with one row of mps and 2–3 whorls of adpressed long setae; fu2–fu5 slightly longer than broad ( Fig. 56F ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.7× as long as wide (170:110), with deep sculpture ( Fig. 57A ); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures, carinate on anterior margin with two submedian teeth; mesepisternum with a raised sculpture on epicnemium, being closer to anteroventral margin of mesepisternum than to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.5× as long as wide (60:105), 0.75× longer than length of pronotal collar (60:80), transversely strigose anteriorly, otherwise densely umbilicate punctured; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, smooth medially; mesoscutellum and axillae with dense umbilicate punctures; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 57B ) with deep median depression, without smooth median band, and distinct median carina; lateral rows of areolae short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); basal carina sinuous, not angulate medially, with lateral branches relatively straight; width of basal carina about 0.5× width of nucha.

Fore wing with long marginal fringe, rounded apically; dark brown spot only behind mv; basal cell bare or nearly so; mv distinctly enlarged, rounded, lower margin convex, longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell sparsely setose, dorsally bare; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent ( Fig. 57D ).

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (45:12) and hind femora (50:20); hind tibia dorsally with more than 5 setae, setae as long as hind tibia width.

Metasoma. Petiole longer than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.4× as long as wide (155:110) ( Fig. 57C ), shorter than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate; ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 absent; petiole in dorsal view 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, not sinuous posteriorly; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 57C ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Length 1.9–2.22 mm. In some specimens, body yellowish-brown.

Host plants. Ficus thonningi and F. lutea .

Geographical distribution. Cameroon, Guinea, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya.

Figures

FIGURE 56. S. (Sycophila) bidentata sp. n. (♀). A, female in lateral view. B, head in frontal view. C, head in dorsal view. D, head in lateral view. E, mesosoma in lateral view. F, antenna. G. pronotum with two dorsal teeth.

FIGURE 57. S. (Sycophila) bidentata sp. n. (♀). A, mesosoma in dorsal view. B, propodeum. C, metasoma in lateral view. D, fore wing.