Sycophila (Sycophila) ficophila 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 ficophila

description: Sycophila (Sycophila) ficophila Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. n.   
(Figs 61–63)  
  Type material examined. Holotype  ♀: United Republic of Tanzania, Mazumbai, ex syconia of Ficus chirindensis, 16.iii.1996, Rasplus, J.Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg. Deposited in CBGP. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 13♀. United Republic of Tanzania, Mazumbai, Mt Usambara West, ex syconia of Ficus chirindensis, 20.ii.1995, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 11♀. Mialo, Mt Usambara West, ex syconia of Ficus natalensis, 20-21.ii.1995, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 3♀. Hedaru, -4.501436° 37.908976°, 27.iii.1996, ex syconia of Ficus bussei, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 3♀ & 2♂. Mgwashi, -4.767051° 38.487671°, ex syconia of Ficus thonningii, 21.iii.1996, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 3♀. Marangu, -3.280994° 37.520889°, ex syconia of Ficus lutea, 3.iv.1996, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 5♀.   
 Etymology. The specific name refers to multiple Ficus species in syconia of which we sampled the species.   
 Diagnosis. Female with funiculars distinctly long, 2× as long as wide (Fig. 61B). Basal cell setose, costal cell with several dorsal setae (Fig. 62E). Propodeum with long smooth median band and a row of areolae in each side reaching close to nucha (Fig. 62B). Gaster entirely reticulate with petiole as long as broad dorsally; ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present (Figs 62C, D).   
Body of male mainly yellowish, scape entirely brown and propodeum entirely dark (Fig. 63A). Flagellum with fu1–fu4 much longer than wide, clava short, not longer than funiculars together (Fig. 63B). Fore wing entirely setose, without speculum (Fig. 63D).  
 Description of holotype ♀ (Figs 61–62). Length 3.79 mm. Body yellowish (Fig. 61A), except head dorsally and posteriorly, frons, scape distally, mesosoma dorsomedially, propodeum medially and gaster dorsally dark brown; antennal flagellum, pedicel and scape distally dark brown; pronotum yellowish and black dorsomedially; 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. 62E); gaster bicoloured with dorsal edge dark brown (Fig. 62C); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.   
 Head 1.38× as broad as high [HW 180 & HH 130] (Fig. 61C); in dorsal view stout, 1.79× as broad as long [HW 250 & HL 140] (Fig. 61D); face coriaceous with sparse punctures, vertex mostly coriaceous; malar space 0.61× length of eye [ms 43 & EH 70]; malar sulcus distinct, straight (Fig. 61E); 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 1.93× as long as OOL [POL 58 & OOL 30] (Fig. 61D); temple rounded, 0.37× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 35 & EL 95]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.   
 Antenna. Scape reaching above the lower margin of median ocellus, 3.86× as long as broad [SL 85 & SW 22]; fu1 2.2× as long as broad, [fu1L 55 & fu1W 25], distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funicular (fu2–fu4) with two rows of mps, and 2–3 whorls of adpressed long setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad (Fig. 61B).   
 Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.5× as long as wide (160:105), with deep sculpture (Fig. 62A); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum raised medially, with piliferous sculpture on epicnemium, being closer to anteroventral margin of mesepisternum than to mesocoxa; mesoscutum 0.5× as long as wide (55:95), 0.7× longer than length of pronotal collar (55:75), with dense umbilicate punctures, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, slightly sculptured; mesoscutellum umbilicate laterally and coriaceous on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum (Fig. 62B) with deep median depression, with a smooth median band, and two short submedian carinae; lateral rows of areolae long and extending at least over posterior half 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 more setose, mv distinctly enlarged, rounded, lower margin convex, longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell densely setose, dorsally with row of setae; speculum present; parastigmal bristles absent (Figs 62E, F).   
 Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (23:8) and hind femora (30:10); hind tibia dorsally with more than 10 setae, setae shorter than hind tibia width.   
 Metasoma. Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.7× as long as wide (170:110) (Fig. 62C), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate (Fig. 62D); ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present; petiole in dorsal view not longer than wide, shorter than half-length of hind coxa; tergites finely sculptured;Gt4 (in lateral view) slightly as long as Gt3, sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 partly covering Gt6, sinuous posteriorly; Gt4– Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 ventrally sparse setose; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned (Fig. 62C).   
 Male (Fig. 63). Length 2.66–3.05 mm. Similar to female with longer petiole (Fig. 63A); exhibiting same colouration, with some dark brown spots or band on different parts such as gaster and propodeum; antennal formula 11143; each funicular with 3–4 rows of mps and several whorls of relatively short and erected setae (Fig. 63B); fore wing more setose than in female, speculum relatively narrow, costal cell dorsally with two rows of setae, ventrally sparsely setose (Fig. 63D).   
 Variation. Length 3.50–5.13 mm. In some specimens, body entirely or partly brown.   
 Host plants. Ficus bussei, F. chirindensis, F. lutea, F. natalensis and F. thonningii.   
 Geographical distribution. United Republic of Tanzania.
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 92-96, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5401.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10524258