Sycophila (Sycophila) longiflagellata Lotfalizadeh & Delvare & Cruaud & Rasplus 2024, sp. n.
Creators: name: Lotfalizadeh, Hossein
name: Delvare, Gérard
name: Cruaud, Astrid
name: Rasplus, Jean-Yves
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eurytomidae
Sycophila
Sycophila longiflagellata

description: Sycophila (Sycophila) longiflagellata Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.   
(Figs 71–73)  
 Type material examined.  Holotype ♀ : Benin, road of N’dali-Ina, 10.xi.1993, ex syconia of Ficus sp., Delvare G. leg. Deposited in CBGP.  Paratypes:  same data as holotype, 26♀ & 8♂. Benin, Karaka, 14.v.2005, ex syconia of Ficus sp., Delvare G. leg., 2♀ & 1♂.   
 Etymology. The specific name refers to the long flagellomeres observed in this species.   
 Diagnosis. In female funiculars (fu2–fu4) distinctly long, much longer than wide (Fig. 71B). Smooth median band of propodeum interrupted; lateral rows of areolae not complete, posterior areola of propodeum include a large cell (Fig. 72B). Fore wing with mv long, longer than pmv and stv (Fig. 72F). Metanotum smooth; petiole short and with ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 (Fig. 72C).   
In male funiculars at least 2× as long as broad (Fig. 73C). Speculum relatively narrow, costal cell with two rows of setae dorsally and sparse setae ventrally (Fig. 72D).  
 Description of holotype ♀ (Figs 71–72). Length 2.85 mm. Body yellowish (Fig. 71A), except gaster dorsally and propodeum medially dark; antenna mostly yellowish, Funiculars yellowish-brown; pronotum uniformly yellowish; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, not reaching base of mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot (Fig. 72E); gaster bicoloured with dorsal edge dark brown (Fig. 72C); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.   
 Head 1.29× as broad as high [HW 168 & HH 130] (Fig. 71C); in dorsal view stout, 1.81× as broad as long [HW 168 & HL 92] (Fig. 71D); face and vertex coriaceous with sparse punctures; malar space 0.43× length of eye [ms 40 & EH 92]; malar sulcus distinct, straight (Fig. 71E); 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, not carinate on margin; POL 1.91× as long as OOL [POL 44 & OOL 23]; temple rounded, 0.25× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 20 & EL 80] (Fig. 71D); setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.   
 Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 3.56× as long as broad [SL 82 & SW 23]; fu1 2.2× as long as broad [fu1L 55 & fu1W 25], distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with two rows of mps and 2 whorls of adpressed setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad (Fig. 71B).   
 Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.6× as long as wide (180:115), superficially sculptured (Fig. 72A); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum raised medially, with piliferous sculpture on epicnemium, being closer to anteroventral margin of mesepisternum than to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.55× as long as wide (65:115), 0.7× longer than length of pronotal collar (65:95), with dense umbilicate punctures, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture;prepectus bare, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum sparsely umbilicate, coriaceous laterally and with dense coriaceous sculpture on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum (Fig. 72B) with deep median depression, a smooth median band, without any median carina, lateral rows of areolae short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); basal carina inverted V, truncate mesally, lateral branches slightly convex; width of basal carinae less than 0.5× width of nucha.   
 Fore wing with short marginal fringe, apically subtruncate (pointed anteriorly); dark brown spot only behind mv; basal cell bare or nearly so; mv distinctly enlarged, rounded, lower margin convex, longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell sparsely setose, dorsally bare; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent (Figs 72E, F).   
 Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (25:9) and hind femora (30:10); hind tibia dorsally with more than 15 setae, setae shorter than hind tibia width.   
 Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.6× as long as wide (165:105) (Fig. 72C), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate (Fig. 72D); 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; Gt5 and Gt6 with sparsely setose posteriorly; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned (Fig. 72C).   
 Male (Fig. 73). Length 1.88–2.51mm. Similar to female with longer petiole (Fig. 73A); exhibiting same colouration, antenna entirely dark, propodeum with a dark T-shaped spot basally; antennal formula 11143, with much longer segments, at least 2× as long as broad; each funicular with 2–3 rows of mps and several whorls of short erected setae (Fig. 73C); fore wing more setose than in female, speculum relatively narrow, costal cell with two rows of setae dorsally and sparse setae ventrally (Fig. 72D).   
 Variation. Length 2.00– 3.15 mm. In some specimens antennal funicle yellowish; gaster and propodeum darkbrown or fourth basal segments of gaster with dark brown spot.   
 Host plant. Ficus sp.   
 Geographical distribution. Benin.
description: Published as part of 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), pp. 1-190 in Zootaxa 5401 (1) on pages 105-108, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5401.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10524258