Sycophila (Tineomyza) sessilis Bouček, 1981

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 : 185-188

Sycophila (Tineomyza) sessilis Bouček, 1981

( Figs 136–137 )

Sycophila modesta Bouček et al., 1981: 218 . Holotype ♀, BMNH, not examined. Type data: Zimbabwe, Chishawasha nr. Harare (named Salisbury), ix.1974, A. Watsham leg. ex F. burkei .

Sycophila modesta ; Berg & Wiebes, 1981: 191; van Noort, 2004: 227.

Material examined. Paratype. Republic of Zimbabwe, Rhodesia , Chishawasha, nr. Salisbury, ex syconia of F. thonningii , ix.1974; Watsham A. leg., 1♀ ( BMNH) .

Republic of South Africa, Nelspruit , -25.470950° 30.978929°, 12.iv.1995, Ficus thonningii, Gibernau M. leg., 1♀ & 4♂ . Congo, Brazzaville , xi.1989, Ficus bubu, David leg., 1♀ & 1♂ .

Diagnosis. Female with all funiculars distinctly longer than wide, at least 2× as long as wide, fu1 as long as pedicel ( Fig. 136B ). Propodeum with inverted truncate mesally basal carina and two rows of large areoles medially ( Fig. 137B ). Dark brown spot of fore wing small and less extensive, not reaching base of mv ( Fig. 137F ). Petiole shorter than broad, shorter than hind coxa ( Fig. 137C ).

Description of paratype ♀ ( Figs 136–137 ). Length 2.75 mm. Body nearly entirely pale yellowish ( Fig. 136A ), flagellum slightly dark brown; fore wing with a dark brown spot below mv, reaching base of mv, lower margin of mv not obscured by dark brown spot ( Fig. 137E ); gaster frequently with a dorsal brown line ( Fig. 137C ); body setation whitish, setation of fore wing entirely dark.

Head 1.28× as broad as high [HW 168 & HH 130] ( Fig. 136C ); in dorsal view stout, 1.73× as broad as long [HW 225 & HL 130] ( Fig. 136D ); face mostly coriaceous, vertex coriaceous and sparsely punctulate; malar space 0.63× length of eye [ms 50 & EH 80]; malar sulcus distinct, sinuous ( Fig. 136E ); genal margin regularly curved, edged but not carinate; antennal toruli narrowly separated; interantennal space not raised, carinate laterally; scrobal depression smooth, reaching the median ocellus, not carinate on margin; POL 3.11× as long as OOL [POL 56 & OOL 18] ( Fig. 136D ); temple rounded, 0.31× the eye length (in dorsal view) [TL 30 & EL 96]; setation oriented downwards on face, outwards on the punctuate frons.

Antenna. Scape reaching lower margin of median ocellus, 4.14× as long as broad [SL 116 & SW 28]; fu1 1.56× as long as broad [fu1L 39 & fu1W 25], not longer than pedicel, not bulging dorsally; funiculars (fu2–fu4) with two rows of mps and 2–3 whorls of adpressed setae; fu2–fu5 distinctly longer than broad ( Fig. 136A ).

Mesosoma weakly arched dorsally, 1.6× as long as wide (170:105), with obliterate punctures ( Fig. 137A ); pronotum with coarse umbilicate punctures; mesepisternum flattened, without any process or raised sculpture on epicnemium; mesoscutum 0.6× as long as wide (60:105), 0.65× longer than length of pronotal collar (60:90), with dense umbilicate punctures, transversely strigose anteriorly; notauli conspicuous, slightly obliterated by mesoscutum sculpture; prepectus bare, smooth medially; mesoscutellum distinctly umbilicate laterally and coriaceous sculpture on mesoscutellar disc; mesepimeron transversally strigose; metepimeron subtriangular and areolate with long white hairs; propodeum ( Fig. 137B ) with shallow median depression, with a smooth median band, without any median carina; lateral rows of areolae long and extending at least over posterior half of propodeum; basal carina inverted V, truncate mesally, lateral branches of propodeal basal carina slightly convex; distance between lateral carinae less than 0.5× width of nucha.

Fore wing with long marginal fringe, distal margin round; dark brown spot below mv; basal cell bare or nearly so; mv slightly enlarged, normally broadened, in lower margin straight, longer than pmv; stv not curved; pmv distinct, longer than stv; ventral side of costal cell sparsely setose, dorsally bare; speculum present, parastigmal bristles absent ( Figs 137E, F ).

Legs. Fore coxa without depression on frontal surface, hind coxa bare basodorsally; fore (40:10) and hind femora (40:12); hind tibia dorsally with more 10 setae, setae shorter than basal tibial width.

Metasoma. Petiole as long as broad dorsally, ventral transverse carina between petiole and St1 present. Metasoma 1.45× as long as wide (160:110) ( Fig. 137C ), longer than mesosoma, slightly compressed laterally ( Fig. 137D ); 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, not sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 partly covering Gt6, not sinuous posteriorly; Gt5 with few setae dorsally, Gt6 sparsely setose ventrally; ovipositor oriented dorsad but not distinctly upturned ( Fig. 137C ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Length 2.00– 2.70 mm.

Host plants. Ficus burkei ( Bouček et al. 1981) , F. bubu and F. thonningii .

Geographical distribution. Congo, Republic of South Africa and Republic of Zimbabwe ( Bouček et al. 1981).

Figures

FIGURE 136. S. (Tineomyza) sessilis (♀). 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 137. S. (Tineomyza) sessilis (♀). A, mesosoma in dorsal view. B, propodeum. C, metasoma in lateral view. D, metasoma in dorsal view. E, fore wing. F, fore wing venation.