Sycophila (Tineomyza) modesta Bouček, 1981

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 : 135-138

Sycophila (Tineomyza) modesta Bouček, 1981

( Figs 95–96 )

Sycophila modesta Bouček et al., 1981: 218–220 . Holotype ♀, BMNH, not examined. Type data: Zimbabwe, Makumbi Mission nr. Harare (named Salisbury), xii.1976, A. Watsham leg. ex F. burkei .

Ficomila modesta ; Berg & Wiebes, 1992: 191.

Sycophila modesta ; van Noort, 2004: 227.

Material examined. Paratype. Republic of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, Chishawasha nr. Salisbury, ex galls on F. burkei , v.1975, Watsham, A., 1♀ .

Diagnosis. In female all funiculars long, fu1 as long as pedicel ( Fig. 95B ). Fore wing round apically, dark brown spot of fore wing small and less extensive, costal cell dorsally with a row of setae ( Fig. 96E ). Mesoscutum transversely strigose anteriorly ( Fig. 96B ); basal carina of propodeum inverted V-shaped ( Fig. 96A ).

Description of paratype ♀ ( Figs 95–96 ). Length 2.2–2.6 mm. Body predominantly yellowish ( Fig. 95A ), with tiny dark brown spots at ocelli and brown colour on flagellum, pedicel, median part of propodeum, petiole, broad bands at hind margin of first three tergites, sides of fourth tergite and apical half of hind tibia; antennal colour mostly dark brown; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv, lower margin of mv obscured by dark brown spot ( Fig. 96E ); gaster uniformly coloured ( Fig. 96C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.25× as broad as high [HW 160 & HH 128] ( Fig. 95C ); in dorsal view stout, 1.67× as broad as long [HW 225 & HL 135] ( Fig. 95D ); face and vertex mostly coriaceous; malar space 0.63× length of eye [ms 55 & EH 87]; malar sulcus distinct, straight ( Fig. 95E ); genal margin regularly curved, rounded; antennal toruli widely separated; interantennal space not raised, carinate laterally; scrobal depression smooth, reaching the median ocellus, not carinate on margin; POL 2.31× as long as OOL [POL 60 & OOL 26] ( Fig. 95D ); temple rounded, 0.37× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 35 & EL 94]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 7× as long as broad [SL 70 & SW 10]; fu1 1.75× as long as broad [fu1L 70 & fu1W 40], not longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with one row of mps and 2–3 whorls of adpressed setae; fu2–fu4 slightly longer than broad; fu5 slightly longer than broad ( Fig. 95B ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.7× as long as wide (180:105), with obliterate punctures ( Fig. 96B ); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum flattened, without any process or raised sculpture on epicnemium; mesoscutum 0.5× as long as wide (55:105), 0.6× longer than length of pronotal collar (55:90), sparsely umbilicate, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli impressed, conspicuous; prepectus bare, smooth medially; mesoscutellum umbilicate laterally and coriaceous on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 96A )with shallow median depression, with a smooth median band, without any median carina; lateral rows of areolae absent; inverted Vshaped basal carina, lateral branches of propodeal basal carina slightly convex; distance between lateral carinae reaching each other basally.

Fore wing with long marginal fringe, distal margin round; dark brown spot below mv; basal cell bare or nearly so; mv distinctly enlarged, triangularly broadened, in lower margin straight, longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, not longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell densely setose, dorsally with row of setae; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent ( Figs 96E, F ).

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (26:8) and hind femora (30:10); hind tibia dorsally with more 10 setae, setae shorter than basal tibial width.

Metasoma. Petiole longer than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 absent. Metasoma 1.7× as long as wide (170:100) ( Fig. 96C ), longer than mesosoma, slightly compressed laterally ( Fig. 96D ); ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 absent; petiole in dorsal view longer than wide, slightly longer 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 mostly covering Gt6, not sinuous posteriorly; Gt4–Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 sparsely setose ventrally; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 96C ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. None.

Host plant. Ficus burkei ( Bouček et al. 1981) .

Geographical distribution. Republic of Zimbabwe ( Bouček et al. 1981).

Figures

FIGURE 95. S. (Tineomyza) modesta (♀). A, female in lateral view. B, antenna. C, head in frontal view. D, head in lateral view. E, head in dorsal view. F, mesosoma in lateral view.

FIGURE 96. S. (Tineomyza) modesta (♀). A, propodeum. B, mesosoma in dorsal view. C, metasoma in lateral view. D, metasoma in dorsal view. E, fore wing. F, fore wing venation.