Sycophila (Sycophila) kestraneura ( Masi, 1917 )

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), Zootaxa 5401 (1), pp. 1-190 : 99-102

Sycophila (Sycophila) kestraneura ( Masi, 1917)

( Figs 66–68 )

Decatoma kestraneura Masi, 1917: 138–139 . Holotype ♀, BMNH, examined. Type data: Seychelles, Silhouette , Mare aux Cochons plateau.

Sycophila kestraneura ; Bouček et al., 1981: 214.

Sycophila kestraneura ; van Noort, 2004: 227.

Sycophila kestraneura ; Lotfalizadeh et al., 2007: 481.

Material examined. Gabon, La Lopé, -0.527451° & 11.540916°, Ficus recurvata , 5.ii.2008, Cruaud A. & Zahab R. leg. 9♀ & 1♂ . United Republic of Tanzania, Amani , Mt Usambara East, ex syconia of F. ottoniifolia subsp. ulugurensis , 28.ii.1995, Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 12♀ & 2♂ . Madagascar, Ambohimanga , 19.v.1996, ex syconia of Ficus polita , Rasplus J.-Y. & Kerdelhué C. leg., 6♀ . Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto , 6.222197° & -5.024070°, ex syconia of Ficus ovata , 22.iv.1994, Kerdelhué C. leg., 4♀ .

Diagnosis. Female body mainly yellowish with dark dorsal band ( Fig. 66A ). Funiculars distinctly long (at least 2× as long as wide), longer than wide ( Fig. 66B ). Smooth median band of propodeum interrupted; lateral rows of areolae not complete, posterior areola of propodeum divided in two cells ( Fig. 67B ). mv short, as long as either pmv and stv ( Fig. 67F ). Metanotum smooth, petiole short, shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present ( Figs 67C, D ).

Body of male mainly dark, partly yellowish ( Fig. 68A ). Flagellum with fu1–fu4 much longer than wide ( Fig. 68B ).

Female ( Figs 66–67 ). Length 2.10–5.20 mm. Body yellowish ( Fig. 66A ), except head dorsally, antenna, mesosoma and gaster dorsally and petiole dark; pronotum yellowish and black dorsomedially; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv; lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot ( Fig. 67E ); gaster bicoloured with dorsal edge dark brown ( Fig. 67C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.38× as broad as high [HW 190 & HH 138] ( Fig. 66C ); in dorsal view stout, 1.78× as broad as long [HW 190 & HL 106] ( Fig. 66D ); face and vertex coriaceous with sparse punctures; malar space 0.47× length of eye [ms 35 & EH 75]; malar sulcus distinct, straight ( Fig. 66E ); genal margin regularly curved, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli narrowly separated, reaching the median ocellus; interantennal space not raised, not carinate laterally; scrobal depression smooth, not carinate on margin; POL 1.95× as long as OOL [POL 45 & OOL 23] ( Fig. 66D ); temple rounded, 0.31× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 20 & EL 64]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching lower margin of median ocellus, 3.54× as long as broad, SL 85 & SW 34; fu1 2.2× as long as broad, fu1L 55 & fu1W 25; distinctly longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with three rows of mps, with whorls of adpressed short setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad ( Fig. 66B ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.45× as long as wide (160:110), with deep sculpture ( Fig. 67A ); 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 (65:110), 0.75× longer than length of pronotal collar (65:85), with dense umbilicate punctures, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, with raised sculpture; mesoscutellum generally umbilicate and coriaceous anteriorly; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 67B ) with deep median depression, with a smooth median band, with two short submedian carinae; lateral rows of areolae short (extending at most to half-length of propodeum); basal carina inverted V, truncate mesally; lateral branches of basal carina slightly convex; distance between lateral 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 (28:9) and hind femora (30:12); hind tibia dorsally with 14 setae, setae shorter than hind tibia width ( Figs 67E, F ).

Metasoma Petiole shorter than broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.8× as long as wide (170:95) ( Fig. 67C ), longer than mesosoma, strongly compressed laterally and dorsally angulate ( Fig. 67D ); 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; Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 entirely but sparsely setose; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 67C ).

Male ( Fig. 68 ). Bouček et al. (1981) reported 1.5–3.4 mm but our studied specimens were much larger (4.70– 5.01 mm); each funicular distinctly long, with 3–5 rows of mps and whorls of relatively short adpressed setae (for details see Bouček et al. 1981).

Variation. Length 2.10–5.20 mm. Blackish median band of body extended in larger females but uniform in males. Dark brown spot of fore wing expanding slightly below mv in large darker specimens.

Host plants. Ficus burkei , F. laurifolia , F. petersii , Ficus ottoniifolia , F. polita and F. recurvata .

Geographical distribution. Gabon, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of South Africa, Uganda and Republic of Zimbabwe.

Figures

FIGURE 66. S. (Sycophila) kestraneura (♀). A, female in lateral view. B, antenna. C, head in frontal view. D, head in dorsal view. E, head in lateral view. F, mesosoma in lateral view.

FIGURE 67. S. (Sycophila) kestraneura (♀). A, mesosoma in dorsal view. B, propodeum. C, metasoma in lateral view. D, metasoma in dorsal view. E, fore wing. F, fore wing venation.

FIGURE 68. S. (Sycophila) kestraneura (♂). A, male in lateral view. B, antenna. C, fore wing. D, propodeum.