Sycophila (Sycophila) nigriterga 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 : 119-122

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

( Figs 83–85 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♀, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto, 6.222197° -5.024070°, ex syconia of Ficus recurvata , 20.vi.1989, Rasplus J.-Y. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 14♀ & 12♂. Same data but ex syconia of Ficus ovata , 8.vi.1994, 2♀.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the black colouration of the back of the gaster.

Diagnosis. Body colour of female similar to S. kestraneura with much wider dorsal dark band ( Fig. 83A ). Funiculars distinctly long, 2× as long as wide ( Fig. 83B ). Mesoscutum entirely punctured ( Fig. 84A ). Propodeum with smooth median band, reaching close to nucha, with a short row of areolae in each side, reach at most half of propodeum ( Fig. 84B ). Fore wing with pmv relatively long, longer than mv ( Fig. 84F ). Metanotum smooth, petiole short at most as long as broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present ( Figs 84C, D ).

Male body mainly dark, partly yellowish. Flagellum with fu1–fu4 much longer than wide.

Description of holotype ♀ ( Figs 83–84 ). Length 4.30 mm. Body yellowish ( Fig. 83A ), except head dorsally and posteriorly, frons, scape distally, pedicel basally, antennal flagellum, mesosoma dorsally, propodeum entirely, mesopleuron medially, prepectus ventrally and gaster dorsally dark brown; pronotum anterolaterally testaceous; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot ( Fig. 84E ); gaster not uniformly coloured ( Fig. 84C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.53× as broad as high [HW 165 & HH 108] ( Fig. 83C ); in dorsal view transverse, 2.18× as broad as long [HW 292 & HL 134] ( Fig. 83D ); face densely punctulate, vertex coriaceous and sparsely punctulate; malar space 0.48× length of eye [ms 35 & EH 73]; malar sulcus distinct, sinuous ( Fig. 83E ); 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, carinate on dorsal margin; POL 1.63× as long as OOL [POL 57 & OOL 35] ( Fig. 83D ); temple rounded, 0.21× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 23 & EL 110]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 4.42× as long as broad [SL 106 & SW 24]; fu1 2.56× as long as broad, [fu1L 64 & fu1W 25]; distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with three rows of mps and 2–3 whorls of adpressed short setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad ( Fig. 83B ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.65× as long as wide (165:100), with deep sculpture ( Fig. 84A ); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum raised medially, with piliferous sculpture on epicnemium, being closer to anteroventral margin of mesepisternum than to mesocoxa; mesoscutum anteriorly with coarse umbilicate punctures, posteriorly with dense umbilicate punctures; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, with raised sculpture; mesoscutum 0.55× as long as wide (55:100), 0.7× longer than length of pronotal collar (55:80), deeply umbilicate laterally and with coriaceous sculpture on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 84B ) with deep median depression, with a smooth median band, with two short submedian carinae; lateral rows of areolae short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); basal carina inverted V, truncate mesally, lateral branches relatively straight; 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 distinctly enlarged, rounded, lower margin convex, not longer than pmv; stv not curved, pmv distinct, longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell densely setose, dorsally bare; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent.

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (30:10) and hind femora (35:12); hind tibia dorsally with more than 10 setae, setae shorter than hind tibia width ( Figs 84E, F ).

Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.65× as long as wide (165:100) ( Fig. 84C ), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate ( Fig. 84D ); 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) much as long as Gt3 (at least 1.5× longer), not sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 partly covering Gt6, sinuous posteriorly; Gt6 sparsely setose ventrally; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 84C ).

Male ( Fig. 85 ). Length 4.22–5.95 mm. Similar to female with longer petiole ( Fig. 85A ); exhibiting entirely different colouration, body dark except antenna, mesosoma dorsally, fore and mid tibia and tarsomeres yellowish; antennal formula 11143; each funicular with 3–4 rows of mps and several whorls short appressed setae ( Fig. 85B ); fore wing more setose than in female, speculum absent, costal cell dorsally and ventrally setose, mv much wider than female, dark brown spot under mv widely distributed ( Fig. 85D ).

Variation. Length 3.18–6.00 mm.

Host plants. Ficus laurifolia and F. recurvata .

Geographical distribution. Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.

Figures

FIGURE 83. S. (Sycophila) nigriterga 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 84. S. (Sycophila) nigriterga 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 85. S. (Sycophila) nigriterga sp. n. (♂). A, male in lateral view. B, antenna. C, propodeum. D, fore wing.