Sycophaga diutius Liu & Huang

Liu, Yang, Li, Zi, Jia, Lingyi & Huang, Dawei, 2016, Description of two new species from China in a new species group of the fig wasp genus Sycophaga Westwood (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Agaonidae: Sycophaginae), Zootaxa 4196 (4), pp. 569-578 : 573-576

Sycophaga diutius Liu & Huang n. sp.

( Figs 13–24 )

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, China: Yun Nan : Xi Chou, 2.V.2004, Wen-Quan Zen, ex Ficus orthoneura ( IZCAS) . Paratypes. 2♀, 2♂, same data as holotype ( IZCAS) ; 4♀, same data as holotype, ethanol-preserved ( IZCAS) .

Diagnosis. Female. Pronotum about 2.9× as wide as long medially ( Fig. 16 ); pronotum medially about 1/2 as long as mesoscutum ( Fig. 16 ); ovipositor about 2.4× as long as body ( Fig. 13 ). Male. Similar to S. brevis except spiracular process shorter, about 4× as long as basal width, and pronotum inconspicuously striate-strigose ( Fig. 24 ).

Description. Female. Head capsule, mesosoma and gaster with metallic tinge, predominantly green ( Figs 13– 16 ) with gaster dark green ( Fig. 18 ) and lower face blue ( Fig. 14 ). Eyes red and legs yellow. Ovipositor valves yellow and sheaths black.

Head capsule uniformly micropunctate-reticulate ( Fig. 14 ); in anterior view ( Fig. 14 ) about 1.5× as wide as high medially; in lateral view ( Fig. 15 ) about 1.5× as high as long; malar space about 0.43× eye height and 0.54× eye width. Antenna ( Fig. 15 ) with scape and pedicel alutaceous; scape about 2.5× as long as wide, pedicel about 1.8× as long as apical width and about 1.2× as long as fu1; an1 about 2.5×and an2 about 2.6× as wide as long, and an2 about 1.2× as long as an1; flagellum with dense longitudinal sensilla a little longer than respective segment; funicle with fu1 as long as wide, fu1 about 1.4× as wide as an2, and all funiculars of nearly same size; clava about 2.4× as long as wide ( Fig. 15 ). Clypeus and supraclypeal area not defined.

Mesosoma uniformly micropunctate-reticulate except propodeum with anterior half smooth and shiny and posterior half alutaceous ( Figs 14, 16 ). Mesosoma ( Fig. 16 ) with pronotum about 2.9× as wide as long medially and about 0.5× as long as mesoscutum medially; mesoscutum about 1.9× as wide as long medially with posterior margin of mid lobe as wide as anterior margin of scutellum; scutellum trapezoidal, with anterior width, posterior width and length in ratio of 18:21:18. Fore wing with marginal vein, postmarginal vein and stigmal vein in length ratio of 15:12:12 ( Fig. 17 ).

Gaster ( Fig. 18 ) about 1.5× as long as wide medially; tergites smooth and shiny with irregular micropunctures in anterior half, except GT6 and anterior half of GT5 alutaceous. Ovipositor about 2.4× as long as body.

Male. Brown. Head capsule in dorsal view ( Fig. 20 ) longitudinally striate-strigose and striate-punctate with sparse setae; about 1.5× as long as wide with anterior margin incurved medially; in lateral view, about 2.3× as long as high ( Fig. 21 ). Antenna with scape strongly shortened and broad, about 1.1× as long as wide; pedicel triangular, below lamella of scape; fl1 flat, about 1.9× as long as wide; fl2 triangular with apex dull, about 1.5× as long as wide.

Pronotum ( Fig. 22 ) as long as wide medially, inconspicuously striate-strigose, with setae originating from shallow depressions; mesonotum ( Figs 22, 23 ) micropunctate, about 1.5× as wide as long medially; metanotopropodeum ( Fig. 23 ) about 1.2× as wide as long medially, longitudinally alutaceous-coriaceous except for anterior margin oblique, with setae originating from shallow depressions. All tibiae, except for inner surfaces, with dense, stout, rounded spines, with maximal spine about 1.1× as long as spiracular diameter on metanoto-propodeum.

Gaster longitudinally striate-strigose; spiracular process about 4× as long as basal width ( Fig. 24 ).

Etymology. The Latin word “ diutius ”, meaning “long”, in reference to the fact that females of S. diutius have a longer ovipositor than S. brevis .

Biology. Reared from the monoecious fig species, F. orthoneura .

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Sycophaga diutius Liu & Huang n. sp. ♀. 13, habitus, dorsal view; 14, head, anterior view; 15, head, lateral view, 16, mesosoma, dorsal view, 17, fore wing; 18, gaster, dorsal view.

FIGURES 19 – 24. Sycophaga diutius Liu & Huang n. sp. Ƌ. 19, habitus, lateral view; 20, head, dorsal view; 21, head, lateral view 22, pronotum and mesonotum; 23, metanoto-propodeum; 24, spiracle and spiracular process.