Sycophilodes uluberiaensis Pramanik & Dey, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pramanik, Achintya
name: Dey, Debjani
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Agaonidae
Sycophilodes
Sycophilodes uluberiaensis

description: Sycophilodes uluberiaensis sp. nov.
(Figs 21–40)
Material examined. Holotype ♀: INDIA, West Bengal, Uluberia, 22°25'19.9452"N 088°02'35.6352"E, 21.IV.2012, ex Ficus benghalensis L., collector A. Pramanik. Paratypes 15 ♀, 9♂ card mounted; series ♀, ♂ preserved in 70% ethanol, same data as holotype. All type specimens have been deposited in National Pusa Collection, IARI, New Delhi.
Diagnosis. Female. Postmarginal vein half length of stigmal vein (Fig. 30); marginal vein 1.8× length of stigmal vein; stigmal vein arched with relatively thick basal stalk and rounded knob. Axilla with one long seta on upper part of posterior half and a row of 5 setae on lower half; Scape 2× as long as pedicel; clava 3× length of preceding funicular segment (Fig. 24). POL 2.6× median ocellus diameter. Anterior margin of middle lobe of mesoscutum 4.3× width of posterior margin. Propodeal spiracles separated from each other by 2.3× distance between posterior margin of spiracles and posterior margin of propodeum.
Male. Stigmal vein ‘J’ shaped with short and relatively thick basal stalk, about 0.6× length of stigma and a thickened knob (Fig. 40). Torular-ocular distance 3× intertorular distance. Propodeum 2.2× wider than long; interspiracular distance 3× distance between hind edge of spiracle and posterior propodeal margin. Fore femur 1.6× longer than fore coxa.
Description. FEMALE (Figs 21–30). Body 2.7 mm, length of head 0.3 mm, mesosoma 1.1 mm, metasoma 1.3 mm (holotype).
Colour. Body generally honey coloured; antenna yellowish brown; eyes red, ocelli translucent, interocellar area little darker than face; vertex almost honey coloured; apical tooth of mandible dark brown; mesosoma dorsally yellowish brown, wings hyaline, veins dark brown; legs pale brown, claws dark brown; first two gastral terga with median darker 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; upper face finely carinated, pilosity relatively short and sparse (Figs 23, 27); 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 (Fig. 21), with a transverse row of widely placed short setae arising from dark pits.
Head. Head in dorsal view 2.6× wider than long; in frontal view 1.4× wider than high across compound eyes (Fig. 22); face relatively broad. Mandible (Fig. 25) with 9 or 10 conspicuous setae. Clypeus not lying on same plane, 1.8× as broad as high (Fig. 22); clypeus with 4 or 5 pairs of relatively long setae. Tentorial index 1.7. Supraclypeal area subrectangular, 2× wider than torular diameter, well delineated by only distally distinct, slightly convergent subantennal grooves. Parascrobal area relatively flat. Distance between upper torular margin to median ocellus 1.6× distance from torulus to lower clypeal margin; intertorular distance 1.3× torular diameter; distance between torulus and inner eye margin 1.8× intertorular distance. Interantennal ridge blunt, exceeding torulus by about 0.5× torular diameter. Antennal formula 11173 (Fig. 24), scape 3.3× times as long as wide; pedicel 1.7× as long as its maximum width; funicular segments with single row of 16–18 plate sensilla projecting very slightly beyond apical edge; first funicular segment 0.7× as long as wide and 0.4× as long as pedicel; clava 1.5× as long as wide. Eye 1.3× as long as wide. Temple convex, 0.2× eye width. POL 1.3× OOL.
Mesosoma. Pronotum bell-shaped, 0.3× as long as wide, 0.5× as long as mesoscutum, with few scattered, long setae. Mesothorax at tegulae 0.9× as wide as head. Notauli very finely cross-crenulated (Fig. 27), complete and slightly convergent to each other. Scapula 1.3× wider than long, posterior-lateral quarter with 4 prominent setae. Axilla transverse, 0.8× as long as wide, 0.5× as long as scapula; axillar grooves distinct and complete but very shallow, finely cross crenulated, converging at transscutellar line. Mesoscutellum 1.2× as long as mesoscutum (Fig. 27). Propodeum 2.6× wider than long and 0.4× as long as mesoscutellum.
Wings. Fore wing 2.5× longer than wide; relative measurements of submarginal, marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins approximately in a ratio of 41:11:3:6 (Fig. 29). Submarginal vein with 8 setae; marginal vein with 4 setae; postmarginal vein distinct, half length of stigmal vein and with 3 setae; stigmal vein with 5 discrete sensilla and 4 setae. Hind wing 3.8× as long as wide, with single vein and 3 hamuli.
Legs. Fore leg: coxa 1.3× longer than wide; femur 1.9× longer than wide; tibia 0.8× as long as femur, tibial armature consisting of 1 bifid subapical ventral spur and a row of 3 axial spines between spur and apex; five tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 2:2:2:2:5 (Fig. 21). Mid leg: tibia with 1 subapical ventral spur; tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 6:3:3:2:4 (Fig. 21). Hind leg: coxa 1.5× longer than wide; femur 2.4× longer than wide and 1.2× as long as coxa; tibia pilose, 4.2× longer than wide and as long as femur, tibia with 2 subapical ventral spurs in a ratio of 5:4, and a row of 6 axial spines between spur and apex plus 4 odontoid spines on posterior margin; tarsal segments in a ratio of 8:4:3:2:6 (Fig. 21), basitarsus 0.3× tibia, densely pilose.
Metasoma. Gaster 1.6× longer than wide. Hypopygium 1.2× as long as hind tibia, apical quarter with 4 or 5 pairs of median setae.
MALE (Figs 21–40). Males are similar to females except for the following characters. Body 2.2 mm, length of head 0.2 mm, mesosoma 1.1 mm, metasoma 0.9 mm.
Colour. Circum-ocellar area black; scutellum apically brownish black, first three gastral terga deep brown.
General body sculpture and pilosity. Pronotum rather setose.
Head. Head strongly transverse, in dorsal view 2.7× wider than long, in frontal view 1.3× wider than high across compound eyes (Fig. 32). Mouth opening 0.7× as broad as frons; mandible 2.3× longer than basal width, with 8 or 9 fine setae of variable length on outer side. Clypeus 1.5× as broad as high, with 3 or 4 pairs of relatively long setae. Epistomal groove shallow. Tentorial index 1.8. Supraclypeal area almost rectangular, 1.7× wider than torular diameter. Parascrobal area convex. Distance between upper torular margin to median ocellus 1.8× distance from torulus to lower clypeal margin; intertorular distance 0.7× torular diameter. Interantennal ridge present (Fig. 32), exceeding torulus by 1× torular diameter. Antennal formula 11163 (Fig. 3), scape 3× times as long as wide, 2.3× as long as pedicel; pedicel 1.3× as long as its maximum width; funicular segments with single row of 12–14 sensilla plate 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. Malar sulcus distinct but shallow (Fig. 36). Eye 1.4× as long as wide. Temple convex, 0.4× eye width. POL 1.4× OOL; POL 1.8× median ocellus diameter.
Mesosoma. Pronotum 0.5× as long as wide, 0.8× as long as mesoscutum. Anterior margin of middle lobe of mesoscutum 4.4× wider than posterior margin. Scapula 1.7× wider than long, posterior-lateral quarter with 3 prominent setae. Axilla transverse, 0.9× as long as wide, 0.5× longer than scapula, with one long seta on upper part of posterior half and 4 small setae at lower corner. Mesoscutellum 1.4× as long as mesoscutum.
Wings. Fore wing 2.3× longer than wide; relative measurements of submarginal, marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins approximately in a ratio of 34:10:4:5 (Fig. 39). Submarginal vein with 10 setae; marginal vein 2× longer than stigmal vein, with 14 or 15 setae; postmarginal vein with 10 or 12 setae; stigmal vein (Fig. 40) with 4 discrete sensilla and 12 or 14 setae. Hind wing 3.2× as long as wide.
Legs. Fore leg: coxa 1.8× longer than wide; femur 2.3× longer than wide; tibial armature consisting of one bifid subapical ventral spur and a row of 4 axial spines between spur and apex; five tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 4:2:2:1:4. Mid leg: tarsal segments approximately in a ratio of 5:3:2:2:5. Hind leg: coxa highly sclerotized, distinctly cross-carinated 1.7× longer than wide; femur inflated, 2.6× longer than wide and 1.2× as long as coxa; tibia 4.6× longer than wide and 1.1× as long as femur, tibia pilose with 2 subapical ventral spurs in a ratio of 5:3, and a row of 6 curved axial spines between spur and apex plus 4 odontoid spines; tarsal segments in a ratio of 8:3:3:2:5, basitarsus pilose, 0.3× tibia.
Metasoma: Gaster 1.4× longer than broad; 1st tergite 0.3× as long as gaster.
Variation. Body length: 2.3–2.7 mm for female, 2.1–2.3 mm for male. Mesosoma sometimes with relatively darker mid-dorsal patches.
Distribution. India (West Bengal).
Etymology. This species is named after the type locality.
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 316-320, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3838.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/251823