Sycophilodes moniliformis Joseph
Creators: name: Pramanik, Achintya
name: Dey, Debjani
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Agaonidae
Sycophilodes
Sycophilodes moniliformis

description: Sycophilodes moniliformis Joseph
(Figs 1–20)
Material examined. 14 ♀, 20 ♂ card mounted; series ♀, ♂ preserved in 70% ethanol: INDIA, New Delhi, IARI, Pusa campus, 28°38'28.9428"N 077°10'09.3936"E, 24.III.2012, ex Ficus benghalensis L., collector A. Pramanik, deposited in National Pusa Collection, IARI, New Delhi.
Diagnosis. Female. Postmarginal vein as long as stigmal vein (Fig. 10); marginal vein 2.4× length of stigmal vein (Fig. 9); stigmal vein arched with relatively narrow stalk and slightly swollen distal end (Fig. 10). Axilla with one long seta on upper part of posterior half and two small setae at lower corner. Scape 3× as long as pedicel; pedicel as long as its maximum width; clava 2.5× longer than preceding funicular segment. POL 2× median ocellus diameter. Anterior margin of middle lobe of mesoscutum 5.2× wider than posterior margin (Fig. 7). Propodeal spiracles separated from each other by 3.8× distance between posterior margin of spiracles and hind margin of propodeum.
Male. Stigmal vein arched with relatively narrow basal stalk 0.7× length of stigma and slightly swollen distal end (Fig. 20). Torular-ocular distance 2.3× intertorular distance. Propodeum 2.8× as wide as long (Fig. 18); interspiracular distance 4.3× distance between spiracle and posterior propodeal margin. Fore femur 2× as long as fore coxa (Joseph 1961, pl. II, fig. 10).
Description. FEMALE (Figs 1–10). Body 2.5 mm, length of head 0.2 mm, mesosoma 1.1 mm, metasoma 1.2 mm.
Colour. Body generally honey coloured; antenna pale brown; eyes red, ocelli translucent; interocellar area black; vertex darker than face; apical tooth of mandible dark brown; mesosoma dorsally brownish black, wings hyaline, veins dark brown; legs pale yellow, claws dark brown; first two gastral terga with median brownish black patches; ovipositor sheath brownish black.
General body sculpture and pilosity. Body moderately sclerotized, vertex finely carinated, sparsely setose with scattered setae but without median ridge (Fig. 3); upper face finely carinated, pilosity relatively short and sparse; lower face, parascrobal area and malar space sparsely setose with fine carination; pronotum finely carinated, sparsely setose with short setae on lateral side; mesoscutum almost smooth, scapula finely reticulate, axilla almost smooth; gastral tergites largely bare, very finely carinated, with a transverse row of distinct setae arising from dark pits.
Head. Head in dorsal view 2.7× wider than long; in frontal view 1.3× wider than high across compound eyes; face relatively broad. Mandible (Fig. 5) with 11 or 12 conspicuous setae. Clypeus not lying on same plane as supraclypeal area, 1.4× as broad as high (Fig. 2); clypeus with 3 or 4 pairs of relatively long setae. Tentorial index 1.4. Supraclypeal area almost rectangular, 2× wider than torular diameter, well delineated by distinct, parallel subantennal grooves. Parascrobal area relatively flat. Distance from upper torular margin to median ocellus 1.5× distance from torulus to lower clypeal margin; intertorular distance 1× torular diameter; distance between torulus and inner eye margin 2× intertorular distance. Interantennal ridge present, exceeding torulus by about 0.5× torular diameter (Fig. 2). Antennal formula 11173 (Fig. 4); scape 3× as long as wide; funicular segments with single row of 14–16 plate sensilla; first funicular segment 0.8× as long as wide and 0.7× as long as pedicel; clava 1.3× as long as wide. Eye 1.4× as long as wide. Temple convex, 0.3× eye width. POL 1.1× OOL.
Mesosoma. Pronotum bell shaped, 0.3× longer than wide, 0.4× as long as mesoscutum, with a few scattered long setae (Fig. 7). Mesothorax at tegulae 0.9× as wide as head. Notauli finely cross-crenulated, complete but posteriorly shallow, and slightly convergent to each other (Fig. 7). Scapula 1.5× wider than long, posterior-lateral quarter with 3 prominent setae. Axilla transverse, 0.8× as long as wide, 0.4× as long as scapula; axillar grooves distinct and complete but very shallow, finely cross-crenulated, converging at transscutellar line. Mesoscutellum 1.3× as long as mesoscutum (Fig. 7). Propodeum 2.4× as wide as long and 0.5× as long as mesoscutellum, (Fig. 8).
Wings. Fore wing 2.4× longer than wide; relative measurements of submarginal, marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins in a ratio of 38:12:5:5 (Fig. 9). Submarginal vein with 9 setae; marginal vein with 3 setae; postmarginal vein with 3 setae; stigmal vein (Fig. 10) with 4 discrete sensilla and 3 setae. Hind wing 3.5× as long as wide, with single vein and 3 hamuli.
Legs. Fore leg: coxa 1.6× longer than wide; femur 2.1× longer than wide; tibia 0.8× as long as femur, tibial armature consisting of 1 bifid subapical ventral spur and a row of 2 axial spines between spur and apex; five tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 3:2:2:2:4. Mid leg: tibia with 1 subapical ventral spur; tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 5:4:3:2:4. Hind leg: coxa 1.7× longer than wide; femur 2.4× longer than wide and 1.2× as long as coxa; tibia pilose, 5× longer than wide and 1.1× as long as femur, tibia with 2 subapical ventral spurs in a ratio of 5:3, and a row of 5 axial spines between spur and apex plus 4 odontoid spines on posterior margin; tarsal segments in a ratio of 9:3:3:2:4 (Fig. 1), basitarsus 0.4× tibia, densely pilose.
Metasoma. Gaster 1.4× longer than wide. Hypopygium 1.1× as long as hind tibia, apical quarter with 4 or 5 pairs of median setae.
MALE (Figs 11–20). Males are similar to females except for the following characters. Body 2.1 mm, length of head 0.2 mm, mesosoma 1 mm, metasoma 0.9 mm.
Colour. Mesosoma mid-dorsally with brownish black patches; first three gastral terga deep brown.
General body sculpture and pilosity. Pronotum rather setose.
Head. Head in dorsal view 2.8× wider than long; in frontal view 1.3× wider than high across compound eyes. Mouth opening 0.7× broader than frons; mandible (Fig. 15; Joseph 1961, pl. II, fig. 8), 2.2× longer than basal width, with 11 or 12 fine setae of variable length on outer side. Clypeus 1.2× as broad as high (Fig. 12); clypeus with 3 or 4 pairs of relatively long setae. Tentorial index 1.8. Supraclypeal area well delineated by distinct, subparallel subantennal grooves (Fig. 12). Parascrobal area convex. Distance between upper torular margin to median ocellus 1.3× distance from torulus to lower clypeal margin. Interantennal ridge exceeding torulus by 1× torular diameter. Antennal formula 11163 (Fig. 14; Joseph 1961, pl. II, fig. 7); scape 3.3× times as long as wide, 2.5× as long as pedicel; pedicel 1.3× as long as its maximum width; funicular segments with single row of 14–16 plate sensilla hardly projecting beyond apical edge; first funicular segment 0.5× as long as wide and 0.5× as long as pedicel; clava 1.6× as long as wide and 4× longer than preceding funicular segment. Eye 1.5× as long as wide. Temple convex, 0.4× eye width. POL 1.4× OOL; POL 1.8× median ocellus diameter.
Mesosoma. Anterior margin of middle lobe of mesoscutum 4.6× wider than posterior margin. Axilla transverse, 0.9× as long as wide, 0.5× longer than scapula. Mesoscutellum 1.2× as long as mesoscutum (Fig. 17). Propodeum 0.4× as long as mesoscutellum.
Wings. Fore wing 2.3× longer than wide; relative measurements of submarginal, marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins approximately in a ratio of 38:12:6:7 (Fig. 19). Submarginal vein with 12 setae; marginal vein 1.7× longer than stigmal vein, with 18–23 setae; postmarginal vein with 11 or 12 setae; stigmal vein with 4 discrete sensilla and 4 or 5 setae. Hind wing 3.2× as long as wide.
Legs. Fore leg: coxa 1.7× as long as wide; femur 2.5× as long as wide; tibial armature consisting of one bifid subapical ventral spur and a row of 3 axial spines between spur and apex; five tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 3:2:2:1:4. Mid leg: tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 6:3:3:2:5 (Joseph 1961, pl. II, fig. 11). Hind leg (Joseph 1961, pl. II, fig. 12): coxa highly sclerotized, distinctly cross carinated, 1.7× longer than wide; femur inflated, 2.3× longer than wide and 1.2× as long as coxa; tibia 5× longer than wide and 1.2× as long as femur, tibia pilose with 2 subapical ventral spurs in a ratio of 5:3, and a row of 5 curved axial spines between spur and apex plus 4 odontoid spines; tarsal segments in a ratio of 9:4:3:2:5, basitarsus pilose, 0.4× tibia.
Metasoma. Gaster (Fig. 18), 1.3× longer than broad; 1st tergite 0.4× as long as gaster.
Variation. Body length: 2.4–2.7 mm for female, 2.0– 2.4 mm for male. Mid-dorsal black patch on mesosoma sometimes relatively pale and narrow.
Distribution. India (New Delhi).
description: Published as part of Pramanik, Achintya & Dey, Debjani, 2014, Redescription of the fig wasp genus Sycophilodes Joseph (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae: Epichrysomallinae) with description of a new species from India, pp. 310-322 in Zootaxa 3838 (3) on pages 313-316, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3838.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/251823