Sycophila (Ficorytoma) delvarei 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 delvarei

description: Sycophila (Ficorytoma) delvarei Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.   
(Figs 7C, D, 47–49)  
  Type material examined. Holotype  ♀: Cameroon, Mont Koupé, 4.824667° 9.701717°, ex syconia of Ficus artocarpoides, 15.v.2007, Kjellberg, F. & Djeto-Lordon, C. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 4♀ & 3♂. Cameroon, Ebogo, 10.i.1993, Ficus no 11, Gibernau M. leg., 1♀. Guinea, Monts Nimba, Mifergui, ex syconia of Ficus artocarpoides, 6.v.1993, Rasplus, J.Y. leg., 1♀ & 5♂. Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto, 6.222197° -5.024070°, ex syconia of Ficus ovata, vi.1989, Kerdelhué, C. leg., 1♂. Gabon, Makokou, ex syconia of F. artocarpoides, 24.ix.1988, Maldes, J.M. leg., 5♀.   
 Etymology. The species is dedicated to Gérard Delvare, our friend and colleague, eminent specialist of Chalcidoidea, with whom we collaborate since many years ago.   
 Diagnosis. In female body large, yellowish with a dorsal longitudinal band dark brown (Fig. 47A). Gena distinctly laminated. Antennal scrobe short, not reaching the median ocellus (Fig. 47C). Flagellum with fu1 at least 3× as long as pedicel (Fig. 47B). Funiculars distinctly longer than wide (Fig. 47B). Clava relatively short, shorter than the last two funiculars (Fig. 47B). Mesoscutum transversely strigose anteriorly (Fig. 48A). Petiole short (shorter than wide dorsally), not visible dorsally (Fig. 48D). Propodeum rugulose medially, with a median longitudinal carina (Fig. 48B). Gaster strongly compressed laterally (Fig. 48D).   
In male fore wing entirely setose mostly dark in basal half (Fig. 49B). Antenna with 4 funiculars, distinctly longer than wide (Fig. 49C). Femur enlarged (Fig. 49A).  
 Description of holotype ♀ (Figs 47–48). Length 6.03 mm. Body yellowish (Fig. 47A), except head, mesosoma and gaster dorsally, antenna, posterior margin of Gt3–Gt5 dark brown; pronotum anterolaterally testaceous; fore coxae with a longitudinal dark band externally; fore wing with a dark brown spot, behind mv; lower margin of mv not obscured by spot; dark brown spot reaching base of mv (Fig. 48E); gaster bicoloured (Fig. 48C); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.   
 Head 1.38× as broad as high [HW 152 & HH 110] (Fig. 47C); in dorsal view transverse, 2.21× as broad as long [HW 152 & HL 68] (Fig. 47D); face mostly coriaceous, vertex densely punctulate; antennal scrobe long, reaching median ocellus; malar space 0.44× length of eye, [ms 44 & EH 100]; malar sulcus distinct, sinuous (Fig. 47E); genal margin regularly curved; distinctly carinate; antennal toruli narrowly separated, interantennal space not raised, not carinate laterally; scrobal depression slightly sculptured ventrally, reaching the median ocellus, not carinate on margin; POL 1.5× as long as OOL [POL 45 & OOL 30] (Fig. 47D); temple margined, 0.27× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 24 & EL 90]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.   
 Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 3.25× as long as broad [SL 65 & SW 20]; fu1 2.29× as long as broad [fu1L 55 & fu1W 24], distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with several rows of mps and several whorls of short adpressed setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad (Fig. 47B).   
 Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.7× as long as wide (170:100), with deep sculpture (Fig.48A); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum with a semi-ring-like process on epicnemium, closer to anteroventral margin of mesepisternum than to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.8× as long as wide (80:100), 0.95× longer than length of pronotal collar (80:85), with dense umbilicate punctures, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli impressed; prepectus bare, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum deeply umbilicate laterally and coriaceous on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum (Fig. 48B) with deep median depression, with longitudinal carina on median band, with faint median carina, lateral rows of areolae absent; inverted V-shaped basal carina, lateral branches relatively straight, 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, 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 (40:10); hind tibia dorsally with more 10 setae, setae shorter than tibia width basally (Figs 48E, F).   
 Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.6× as long as wide (170:105) (Fig. 48C), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and angulate dorsally (Fig. 48D); 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; Gt4–Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 sparsely setose in ventral half; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned (Fig. 48C).   
 Male (Fig. 49). Length 3.80–6.00 mm. Similar to female with longer petiole (Fig. 49A), fore wing entirely setose mostly dark in basal half (Fig. 49B); antennal formula 11143, with funiculars much longer wide (Fig. 49C); femora enlarged (Fig. 49A).   
 Variation. Length 4.15–6.05 mm. Sometimes showing variation in colour: head dorsally, gena dark brown; mesosoma darker with prepectus, mesopleuron, propodeum and mesoscutellum brown; fore coxae dark brown and fore femora externally dark brown; dark brown band wider on posterior margin of tergites.   
 Host plant. Ficus artocarpoides.   
 Geographical distribution. Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea and Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
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 74-76, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5401.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10524258