Ficomila comptoni 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 : 45-49

Ficomila comptoni Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.

( Figs 24–26)

Type material examined. Holotype ♀: Cameroon, Nkolbisson, ex syconia of Ficus sansibarica ssp. macrosperma , 5.viii.1993, Gibernau M. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 2♀ & 3♂. Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto, 6.222197° -5.024070°, ex syconia of Ficus thonningii , 30.vi.1989, Rasplus J.-Y. leg., 2♀ & 1♂. Guinea, Bakoré, ex syconia of Ficus glumosa , 2.v.1993, Rasplus J.-Y. leg., 20♀. Monts Nimba, Mifergui, ex syconia of Ficus elasticoides , 24.iv.1993, Rasplus J.-Y. leg., 3♂.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of our colleague and friend Stephen G. Compton for his outstanding contribution to our knowledge of biology and ecology of fig wasps.

Diagnosis. Female body yellowish, mesosoma dorsally almost brown or dark brown and sometimes yellowish ( Fig. 24A). All funiculars longer than broad ( Fig. 24B). Mesosoma distinctly and conspicuously arched ( Figs 24A, 25C). Head partly visible in dorsal view. Mesoscutum densely coriaceous with sparse umbilicate punctures ( Fig. 25A). Gaster of female compressed laterally, dorsally angulate ( Fig. 25D).

Male body mostly yellowish, partly dark, robust, femora enlarged ( Fig. 26A). Antenna uniformly coloured, fu2–4 long, longer than wide, clava not darkened ( Fig. 26B). Fore wing and mv extremely setose ( Fig. 26D).

Description of holotype ♀ ( Figs 24–25). Length 4.00 mm. Body yellowish ( Fig. 24A), except gaster dark brown dorsally; antenna yellowish or yellowish-brown; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot, dark brown spot reaching base of mv ( Fig. 25F); gaster uniformly coloured ( Fig. 25C); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.33× as broad as high [HW 192 & HL 144] ( Fig. 24C); in dorsal view stout, 1.79× as broad as long [HW 192 & HL 107] ( Fig. 24D); face and vertex coriaceous with sparse punctures; malar space 0.57× length of eye [ms 40 & EH 70]; malar sulcus distinct, straight ( Fig. 24E); genal margin regularly curved, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli narrowly separated, interantennal space not raised, carinate laterally; scrobal depression smooth, reaching the median ocellus, not carinate on margin; POL 1.84× as long as OOL [POL 46 & OOL 25] ( Fig. 24D); temple rounded, 0.35× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 30 & EL 85]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape not reaching median ocellus, 3.33× as long as broad [SL 110 & SW 33]; fu1 2.17× as long as broad [fu1L 65 & fu1W 30], distinctly longer than pedicel, bulging dorsally; funicular (fu2–fu4) with two rows of mps and several whorls of adpressed setae; fu2–fu5 slightly longer than broad ( Fig. 24B).

Mesosoma distinctly and strongly arched dorsally, 1.55× as long as wide (170:110), with obliterate punctures ( Fig. 25A); pronotum with sparse umbilicate punctures; mesodiscrimen with a ring-like process, adjacent to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.6× as long as wide (70:110), 0.7× longer than length of pronotal collar (70:95), sparsely umbilicate, finely coriaceous anteriorly; notauli impressed; prepectus bare, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum sparsely umbilicate laterally and coriaceous medially; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 25B) with shallow median depression and a smooth median band, with two short submedian carinae; lateral rows of areolae long and extending at least over posterior half of propodeum, inverted U-shaped basal carina; lateral branches of basal carina relatively straight, width of basal carinae less than 0.5× width of nucha.

Fore wing with short marginal fringe, apically subtruncate ( Fig. 25E); 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 ( Fig. 25F); ventral side of costal cell bare, dorsally bare; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent.

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (40:17) and hind femora (47:18); hind tibia dorsally with less than 10 setae, setae as long as hind tibia width basally.

Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.5× as long as wide (165:110) ( Fig. 25C), longer than mesosoma, slightly compressed laterally ( Fig. 25D); ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present; petiole in dorsal view not longer than wide, shorter than half length of hind coxa; tergites smooth; Gt4 (in lateral view) slightly as long as Gt3, sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 partly covering Gt6, sinuous posteriorly; Gt6 with few setae ventrally; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 25C).

Male ( Fig. 26). Length 1.77 mm. Similar to female ( Fig. 26A), except the following characters: Antennal formula 11143, each funicular with 1–2 rows of mps and several whorls of adpressed setae ( Fig. 26B). Petiole longer-than hind coxa ( Fig. 26A). Fore wing strongly hairy in basal part, unlike in female, mv moderately to very strongly thickened, marginal fringe much longer ( Fig. 26D).

Variation. Length 2.25–4.00 mm. body entirely dark or dark brown. Pronotum laterally yellowish.

Host plants. Ficus elasticoides , F. glumosa , F. sansibarica subsp. macrosperma and F. thonningii .

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