Andricus catalinensis Melika, Nicholls & Stone, 2021

Melika, George, Nicholls, James A., Abrahamson, Warren G., Buss, Eileen A. & Stone, Graham N., 2021, New species of Nearctic oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini), Zootaxa 5084 (1), pp. 1-131 : 14-17

Andricus catalinensis Melika, Nicholls & Stone , sp. nov.

Figs. 31–45

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:832EF71D-FEF8-44D8-A99B-9AA312E1E0DF

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ USA, Arizona, Molino Basin campground, Santa Catalina Mnts. , leg. J. Nicholls, 2008.04.09. Code AZ1872, spAZl19; ex Quercus oblongifolia ” . PARATYPES: 2 females and 4 males with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype and 1 male are deposited at the USNM , 2 females and 3 males at the PHDNRL .

Etymology. Named after the Santa Catalina Mountains (Arizona) where this species was first found.

Diagnosis. The head of A. catalinensis most closely resembles that of Neuroterus , rather than the head of an Andricus ; it is alutaceous to smooth, with large eyes, large ovate ocelli and an unusually short malar space. However, the transscutal articulation is present, a character absent in Neuroterus .

Description. Sexual female ( Figs. 31–33, 36 , 38–43 ). Head, mandibles, maxillary and labial palpi, antennae, mesosoma and metasoma uniformly brown; legs light brown, with coxae slightly darker at the base.

Head alutaceous to smooth, with long white setae, denser on lower face, frons, postgena; 1.3× as broad as long and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 1.9× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena smooth, not broadened behind eye, shorter than transverse diameter of eye. Malar space smooth, glabrous, without striae, malar sulcus absent; eye 2.8× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 1.9× as long as OOL; OOL equal in length to diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.2× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.2× as long as height of eye; diameter of antennal torulus 1.6× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye nearly equal to diameter of torulus; lower face smooth, glabrous, without striae, with dense white setae, slightly elevated median area smooth, glabrous. Clypeus smooth, glabrous; ventrally rounded, not emarginate and without median incision; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, epistomal sulcus distinct, deep; clypeopleurostomal line slightly impressed. Frons smooth, glabrous with dense setae and without striae; interocellar area alutaceous, elevated. Vertex and postgena alutaceous, with white setae, occiput and postocciput smooth, glabrous, without setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; occipital foramen 2.0× as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into united postgenal sulci. Antenna slightly longer than mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres (suture between F12–F11 indistinct); pedicel slightly longer than broad; F1 broadening towards apex, 2.7× as long as pedicel and 1.3× as long as F2; subsequent flagellomeres nearly equal in length, F12 longer than F11; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12.

Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high. Pronotum smooth, with dense setae along anterolateral rim, without striae laterally; propleuron uniformly smooth, glabrous. Mesoscutum uniformly alutaceous, except smooth, glabrous area between notauli in posterior half, with a few white setae; slightly longer than broad (largest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, deep, distinctly impressed along full length, posteriorly broader and converging; anterior parallel line smooth, extends to 1/3 of mesoscutum length; parapsidal line indistinct; median mesoscutal line absent. Mesoscutellum quadrangular, uniformly rugose, posteriorly rounded, with net of irregular rugae, slightly longer than broad, overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae separated by a narrow central carina, only slightly broader than high, with smooth, glabrous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum uniformly smooth, glabrous, with some setae; mesopleural triangle coriaceous, with dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas alutaceous, with some white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, with parallel sides, as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron in lower half, upper part of sulcus indistinct. Metascutellum coriaceous, higher than smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area, metanotal trough glabrous, with coriaceous bottom, without setae; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, without rugae; lateral propodeal carinae distinct, bent slightly outward at their mid height; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with dense long, white setae. Nucha with delicate short sulci dorsally. Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, hyaline, margin with distinct long, dense cilia, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 3.0× as long as broad; R1 reaching wing margin, Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, closed, distinct. Rs+M distinct at 2/3 of distance to basalis, its projection reaching basalis in upper half.

Metasoma slightly shorter than head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergite extends to more than 2/3 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with white setae anterolaterally; all tergites and hypopygium smooth, glabrous, without micropunctures; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 3.3× as long as broad in ventral view, with two rows of white setae ventrally. Body length 2.6–2.8 mm (n = 2).

Male ( Figs. 34–35, 37 , 44 ). Similar to female, body dark brown to black, metasoma with row of a few white setae anterolaterally; eyes bigger, ratio of malar space length to height of eye larger than in female; ocelli bigger; POL 2.8× as long as OOL, LOL equal in length to diameter of lateral ocellus; antenna longer than body length, with 13 flagellomeres; F1 slightly curved, slightly swollen apically, 1.3× as long as F2, subsequent flagellomeres shorter, placodeal sensilla on F3–F13. Body length 2.2–2.5 mm (n = 3).

Gall ( Fig. 45 ). A spherical succulent unilocular gall on leaves or catkins, usually at the base of either structure, sometimes with small point at end of gall, pale green sometimes with a pinkish tinge.

Biology. Only a sexual generation is known, which induces galls on Q. oblongifolia ; adults emerge in April. The conspecific status of the described males and females was confirmed with cytb sequences (0.23% different; OK346257 for a female, OK346258 for a male).

Distribution. USA, Arizona, Santa Catalina Mountains.

Figures

FIGURE 45. Andricus catalinensis Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., gall.

FIGURES 31–37. Andricus catalinensis Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., sexual generation. 31–33, head, female: 31, frontal view, 32, posterior view, 33, dorsal view. 34–35, head, male: 34, frontal view, 35, dorsal view. 36–37, antenna: 36, female, 37, male.

FIGURES 38–44. Andricus catalinensis Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., sexual generation. 38–43, female: 38, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view, 39, mesosoma, lateral view, 40, mesosoma, dorsal view, 41, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 42, forewing, part, 43, metasoma, lateral view. 44, metasoma, lateral view, male.