Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus, 2018

Farache, Fernando Henrique Antoniolli, Pereira, Cecilia Bernardo, Cristiana Koschnitzke,, Barros, Levi Oliveira, Souza, Elmecelli Moraes de Castro, Felicio, Daniel Tirapeli, atti, Fabian, Cardona, William, Rasplus, Jean-Yves & Pereira, Rodrigo Augusto Santinelo, 2018, The unknown followers: Discovery of a new species of Sycobia Walker (Hymenoptera: Epichrysomallinae) associated with Ficus benjamina L. (Moraceae) in the Neotropical region, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 67, pp. 85-102 : 89-93

Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus sp. n.

Figs 4 , 5 , 6 , 7

Etymology.

The name is derived from the Greek “οδοιπόρος”, which means traveler/wayfarer.

Type material.

Holotype: ♀ BRAZIL, São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Jardim Recreio, -21.1754°-47.8579°, 560m elev., 23.viii.2016 ex Ficus benjamina , n° RASP00417, Pereira, RAS leg. USP_RPSP 00003485 (RPSP). Paratypes: BRAZIL, same information as holotype. (19 ♀♀, 1 winged ♂, 3 brachypterous ♂♂, RPSP; 7 ♀♀, 3 winged ♂♂, 6 brachypterous ♂♂, CBGP); Ribeirão Preto, Jardim Recreio, -21.1754° -47.8579°, 560m elev. 29.v.2017, n° RASP00434, Pereira, RAS leg. (12 ♀♀, 4 winged ♂♂, 8 brachypterous ♂♂, RPSP).

Non-type specimens.

BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Horto Botânico, Museu Nacional, -22.9083° -43.2247°, 15m elev., 23.vii.2016, ex Ficus benjamina , n° RASP00422, Pereira, Cecília B. leg. (2 ♀♀, 1 winged ♂, 5 brachypterous ♂♂, RPSP); Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, -27.5901° -48.5619°, 15m elev., 19.ii.2017, ex Ficus benjamina , n° RASP00431, Koschnitzke, C leg. (3 brachypterous ♂♂, RPSP); COLOMBIA, Valle del Cauca, Cali, La Leonera, 3.4519° -76.6558°, 1930 m elev, 12.x.2016 ex Ficus benjamina , Cardona W. leg (29 ♀♀, 2 winged ♂♂, 39 brachypterous ♂♂, MUSENUV).

Species description.

Diagnosis: Female body color mostly yellow. Anellus transverse, very short (less than 0.2 × the first flagellomere length). Clypeal margin sinuate, without distinct lobes. Propodeum with a median longitudinal crest reaching the posterior part of the sclerite and with two broad furrows, parallel to the anterior margin of propodeum. Male petiole short, inconspicuous.

Female (Figs 4 , 5 ). Body (head + mesosoma + metasoma) length 2.1 mm. Body color mostly yellow. Mandibles and oral margin darker, mostly brown. Mesosoma in dorsal view yellow to orange. Metasoma yellow to orange, dorsally brown to black.

Head. Transverse, 1.2-1.4 × as wide as high. Face and vertex sculpture mostly engraved, with sparse pilosity. Scrobal depression shallow, smooth. Supraclypeal area mostly smooth. Clypeal margin sinuate, without distinct lobes. Clypeus with two pairs of setae. Distance between toruli ca 0.6 × torulus diameter. Distance from torulus to oral margin 0.6 × distance from torulus to median ocellus; antennae inserted above the level of the ventral margins of the compound eyes and below the median region of compound eyes. POL 1.8 × OOL. Mandibles bidentate. Malar sulcus absent. Antennal formula 11163. Scape 2.5 × as long as pedicel. Anellus transverse, very short (less than 0.2 × the first flagellomere length). Funicular segments transverse, 0.6-0.8 × as long as wide, each of them bearing a single row of sensilla. First funicular segment with 6-7 longitudinal sensilla, the remaining funicular segments with 8-10 longitudinal sensilla in each. Claval segments fused, each one bearing a single row of sensilla

Mesosoma. Pronotum sculpture smooth to engraved. Prosternun transverse, nearly 1.5 × as wide as long, with smooth to engraved sculpture. Mesoscutum sculpture smooth to engraved, median region transversally engraved, strigose. Notauli becoming faint near transscutal articulation. Axilla transverse in dorsal view; both axillae almost touching near the median region of transscutal articulation; sculpture smooth to engraved. Mesoscutellum sculpture mostly smooth, sculpture smoother than in mesoscutum and axillae. Mesoscutellum with 2 pairs of long setae, inserted in the sublateral and postero-lateral margin of the sclerite. Mesepisternum and mesepimeron fused, with engraved sculpture. Metascutellum inconspicuous. Propodeum with a median longitudinal crest reaching the posterior part of the sclerite. Anterior portion of propodeum with two broad furrows, parallel to the anterior margin of propodeum. Propodeum sculpture engraved to coriaceous ( “scale-like”). Posterior region of propodeum with longitudinal striae. Propodeal spiracles 1 × its diameter distant from propodeal anterior margin; anterolateral margin of propodeal spiracles covered by a rounded expansion of propodeal tergite. Wings hyaline, with sparse pilosity; wing margin moderately pilose. Marginal vein virtually as long as stigmal vein. Postmarginal vein very short, nearly absent. Stigmal vein almost forming a right angle with marginal vein. Hind tibia 1.1 × as long as hind coxa. Metabasitarsus (MtT1) 3 times as long as MtT2.

Metasoma. With 6 apparent tergites; tergites 3 to 6 each showing a row of elongated setae. Ovipositor sheaths inconspicuous, not protruding from the metasoma. Ovipositor teeth of homogeneous height; ovipositor with scale-like projections located just before the ovipositor teeth.

Measurements (µm). Posterior ocellar distance 133; ocellocular distance 88; lateral ocellar line 67. Antennomeres length): scape 159; pedicel 63; anellus 10; F(unicle)1 52; F2 48; F3 54; F4 52; F5 53; F6 55; clava 146. Forecoxa length 233; forefemur 303; foretibia 303; foretarsomere (FoT): FoT1 75; FoT2 39; FoT3 40; FoT4 22; FoT5 43. Metacoxa length 366; metafemur 384; metatibia 412; metatarsomeres (MtT): MtT1 208; MtT2 63; MtT3 50; MtT4 34; MtT5 52.

Winged male (Fig. 6 ). Mostly similar to female. Body length 2 mm. Body color mostly pale yellow. Head. Mandibles and oral margin brown. Metasoma dorsally brown. Head square to transverse, 1.1 × as wide as high. Toruli contiguous. Mandibles elongated, larger than in females. Distance from torulus to oral margin 0.6 × distance from torulus to median ocellus. Ocelli well developed. POL 1.0-1.1 × OOL. Funicular segments transverse, less than 0.5 × as long as wide. Pronotum elongated, nearly 0.5 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Propodeum without a median longitudinal crest or furrows. Wings slightly infuscate.

Brachypterous male (Fig. 7 ). Showing two more or less discrete forms. Body length 1.5 mm (pale form) to 2.0 mm (yellow-orange form). Body color from pale yellow to yellow orange. Mesothorax slightly green. Head nearly square. Eyes and ocelli reduced compared to winged forms. Toruli contiguous. POL 0.6-1.0 × OOL. Mandibles and oral margin brown. Funicular segments transverse, less than 0.5 × as long as wide. Pronotum elongated, nearly 0.6-0.7 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Notauli incomplete. Propodeum without a median longitudinal crest or furrows, sometimes highly setose.

Comparative comments.

Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus sp. n. differs from other congeneric species by the following characters. Females: (1) antennae inserted above the level of the ventral margins of the compound eyes and below the median region of compound eyes - inserted at the level of the ventral margins of the compound eyes in S. mathewi ; (2) anelli transverse and inconspicuous in females - nearly square in S. mathewi ; (3) anterior portion of propodeum with two broad furrows, parallel to the anterior margin of propodeum - furrows absent in S. bethyloides and S. mathewi . Males: (4) mandibles short, not protruding from the head - mandibles long and scythe-like in S. bethyloides (5) funicular segments transverse, funicle near as long as scape - funicle segments nearly square (6) pronotum shorter than wide in dorsal view - much longer than wide in S. bethyloides and S. mathewi ; (7) petiole short, inconspicuous - longer than wide and conspicuous in S. bethyloides and S. mathewi .

Figures

Figure 4. Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus, sp. n. Female. A Habitus, lateral view B Head, frontal view C Mesosoma, lateral view D Mesosoma, dorsal view E Wings and detail of venation.

Figure 5. Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus, sp. n. Female, sem. A Antenna B Close-up of the pedicel, anellus and f 1 C Clava D Propodeum in dorsal view E Prosternum F Ovipositor.

Figure 6. Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus, sp. n. Winged male. A Habitus, lateral view B Head, frontal view C Mesosoma, dorsal view D Detail of wing venation E Forewing.

Figure 7. Sycobia hodites Farache & Rasplus, sp. n. Brachypterous males. A, C, E Small form B, D, F Large form A, B Habitus, lateral view C, D Head, frontal view E, F Mesosoma, dorsal view.