Sycophila (Tineomyza) busseicola 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 : 171-174

Sycophila (Tineomyza) busseicola Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

( Figs 125–126 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♀: United Republic of Tanzania, Hedaru, -4.501436° 37.908976°, 2.iii.1996, ex syconia of Ficus bussei , Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 6♀ & 6♂. Mazumbai, ex syconia of Ficus chirindensis , 16.iii.1996, Rasplus J.-Y. leg., 1♀. Republic of South Africa, Nelspruit, -25.470950° 30.978929°, 12.iv.1995, ex syconia of Ficus thonningii, Gibernau M. leg., 1♀. Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto, 6.222197° -5.024070°, ex syconia of Ficus platyphylla , 30.iv.1994, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 4♀.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Ficus species to which holotype is associated with.

Diagnosis. Prepectus pilose ( Fig. 124F ). Dark brown spot of fore wing not reaching base of mv ( Fig. 125F ). Female with gaster compressed laterally, dorsally angulate; Gt3 covered partly Gt4, sinuous posteriorly ( Fig. 125D ). Lateral ocelli far from eyes, distinctly more than ocellus diameter (about 2 ×) ( Fig. 124D ). Propodeum with median longitudinal carina basally ( Fig. 125B ).

Male with all funiculars longer than wide, pedicel + funicle longer than head width ( Fig. 126C ). Dark brown spot of fore wing longer than wide, basal cell bare medially ( Fig. 126D ).

Description of holotype ♀ ( Figs 125–126 ). Length 3.67 mm. Body mostly dark brown ( Fig. 124A ), except head, antenna, pronotum anterolaterally, legs (including coxae), mesosoma dorsally beside notauli and axillae and Gt5–Gt7 pale brown; antennal colour yellowish-brown; pronotum anterolaterally testaceous; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot, not reaching base of mv ( Fig. 125E ); gaster bicoloured brownish with a darker large spot in the median area, in some specimens ( Fig. 125C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.37× as broad as high [HW 151 & HH 110] ( Fig. 12C ); in dorsal view transverse, 1.91× as broad as long [HW 151 & HL 79] ( Fig. 124D ); face and vertex mostly coriaceous; malar space 0.57× length of eye [ms 50 & EH 88]; malar sulcus distinct, sinuous ( Fig. 124E ); genal margin regularly curved, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli widely separated; interantennal space not raised, not carinate laterally; scrobal depression smooth, reaching the median ocellus, not carinate on margin; POL 3.13× as long as OOL [POL 50 & OOL 16] ( Fig. 125D ), temple rounded, 0.22× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 20 & EL 90]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 4.04× as long as broad [SL 105 & SW 26]; fu1 1.18× as long as broad [fu1L 33 & fu1W 28], not longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with two rows of mps and 3 whorls of short adpressed setae; fu2–fu4 slightly longer than broad; fu5 distinctly longer than broad ( Fig. 124B ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.7× as long as wide (185:110), with obliterate punctures ( Fig. 125A ); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum without any process or raised sculpture on epicnemium; mesoscutum 0.60× as long as wide (65:110), 0.7× longer than length of pronotal collar (65:95), with dense umbilicate punctures, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli impressed, conspicuous; prepectus setose, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum umbilicate laterally and coriaceous sculpture on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 125B ) with shallow median depression, with a smooth median band, without any median carina; areola rows short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); basal carina inverted V, truncate mesally, lateral branches slightly concave, 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 slightly enlarged, triangular broadened, in lower margin concave, longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, not longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell sparsely setose, dorsally bare; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent ( Figs 125E, F ).

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (30:10) and hind femora (40:15); hind tibia dorsally with more than 10 setae, setae shorter than tibia width.

Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.7× as long as wide (170:100) ( Fig. 125C ), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate ( Fig. 125D ); 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 sculptured; Gt4 (in lateral view) slightly as long as Gt3, sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 partly covering Gt6, sinuous posteriorly; Gt6 sparsely setose ventrally; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 125C ).

Male ( Fig. 126 ). Length 2.50–2.92 mm. Similar to female with longer petiole ( Fig. 126A ); antennal formula 11143, with much longer segments; each funicular with 3–4 rows of mps and several whorls of relatively short adpressed setae ( Fig. 126C ); fore wing more setose, with basal cell entirely setose ( Fig. 126D ).

Variation. Length 3.16–3.67 mm. In darker specimens, body entirely dark brown (except legs) or mesosoma dark brown laterally. Host plants. Ficus bussei , F. chirindensis , F. platyphylla and F. thonningii . Geographical distribution. Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of South Africa and United Republic of Tanzania.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Ficomila curtivena (♀ paratype). A, body 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 124. S. (Tineomyza) busseicola 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 125. S. (Tineomyza) busseicola 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 126. S. (Tineomyza) busseicola sp. n. (♂). A, male in lateral view. B, propodeum. C, antenna. D, fore wing.