Zapatella abrahamsoni Melika, 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 : 118-122

Zapatella abrahamsoni Melika , sp. nov.

Figs. 435–445

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:718E0718-850D-4CDA-8A4A-C5C57A289402

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ USA, FL., Highlands Co., Lake Placid , Archbold Biological Station, coll. G. Melika on 6-8 February 1995, dissected from galls 13–17 March 1995; ex Quercus inopina ” . PARATYPES: 11 female paratypes with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype female and 3 females are deposited at the USNM , 8 females at the PHDNRL .

Etymology. Named in recognition of the significant contribution of Prof. Warren G. Abrahamson (Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA) to studies of oak gall wasps.

Diagnosis. Most closely resembles Z. cryptica . In Z. abrahamsoni the head and mesosoma are light reddish brown, the median mesoscutal line extending to 1/3 of the mesoscutum length; lateral propodeal area entirely covered with dense felt-like white setae, while in Z. cryptica the head and mesosoma are darker, the median mesoscutal line extending at least to 2/3 of the mesoscutum length or even longer; the lateral propodeal area without dense felt-like white setae.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs. 435–444 ). Body, antennae and legs uniformly reddish brown, only tips of mandibles, postocciput, propleura and tarsal claws always darker.

Head uniformly delicately reticulate, with a few white, sparse, short and inconspicuous setae, denser on lower face and postgena; 1.2× as broad as high and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 1.8× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena broadened behind eye in frontal view, broader than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space with striae radiating from clypeus and nearly reaching eye, without sulcus. Eye 1.5× as high as length of malar space; lower face delicately coriaceous, without elevated area medially. Clypeus slightly impressed, setose, alutaceous; ventrally rounded, slightly emarginate, medially not incised; anterior tentorial pits small, indistinct, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct. POL 1.2× as long as OOL, OOL 2.5× as long as length of lateral ocellus and 1.75× as long as LOL, interocellar area reticulate, not elevated. Frons, vertex, occiput, postgenae reticulate; postocciput alutaceous. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 slightly shorter than F2 and equal to F3; F6–F11 shorter and broader than preceding flagellomeres; F12 longer than F11 (in some specimens the suture between F12 and F11 indistinct); placodeal sensilla on F5–F12, hardly discernable or invisible on F1–F4.

Mesosoma slightly longer than high, mesoscutum dorsally concave in lateral view. Pronotum along anterolateral side with dense white setae, laterally delicately reticulate, without carinae posterolaterally. Mesoscutum slightly broader than long in dorsal view, with sparse scattered setae, with uniform regular reticulate surface. Notaulus deep and uniformly broad, reaching pronotum, with smooth glabrous bottom; median mesoscutal line extending to 1/3 length of mesoscutum, parapsidal line distinct, impressed, extending to half the length of mesoscutum; anterior parallel line invisible. Mesopleuron uniformly reticulate. Mesoscutellum trapezoid, uniformly reticulate; scutellar foveae transversely ovate, with smooth and glabrous bottom, clearly separated by a narrow elevated reticulate area. Metascutellum smooth, higher than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, with dense white setae. Metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at upper 1/3 of its height. Propodeum laterally with dense white setae that hide the surface sculpture, with smooth, glabrous central propodeal area, delimited by distinct subparallel lateral carinae, which bend slightly outwards in posterior 1/3. Nucha with irregular rugae.

Forewing nearly as long as body, pubescent, margin without cilia; radial cell open, around 2.8× as long as broad; veins very light, hardly traceable; areolet indistinct, usually invisible; vein Rs+M points slightly below midway along basalis; R1 and Rs never reach wing margin, very inconspicuous, often invisible or absent. Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe, but with broad base.

Metasoma shorter than head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high and as long as high in lateral view; all metasomal tergites smooth, glabrous; base of second metasomal tergite with felt-like dense ring of white setae, interrupted dorsally, and with a few scattered setae on lateral surface of tergite. Narrow posterior band on second metasomal tergite and all subsequent tergites with very delicate, dense micropunctures. Prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium needle-like, tapering to apex, 9.0–10.0× as long as broad, with two parallel rows of short, white, scattered setae not reaching beyond apex of spine. Body length 2.5–2.7 mm (n = 10).

Gall. ( Fig. 445 ). The galls are rounded, irregular woody expansions of lateral buds, 5.0– 7.5 mm in diameter, 4–6 mm high. The tissue of the gall is hard, typically with 2–4 larval cells (very rarely only one) embedded in the surrounding woody tissues. The walls of the larval chambers are distinct, slightly paler than the surrounding woody tissue. The galls persist on the trees for years.

Biology. Only an asexual generation is known, which induces galls on Q. inopina , an oak species endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge. The galls become visible in late September and develop through November.The larvae (sometimes pupae) overwinter in the galls. Adult wasps were dissected from galls from the end of January through March; emerge in late April-May. One individual from the type series was sequenced for cytb (GenBank OK346326 ).

Distribution. USA, Florida, Highlands Co., Lake Placid, Archbold Biological Station. This species is likely endemic to south-central Florida and particularly to the Lake Wales Ridge.

Figures

FIGURE 445. Zapatella abrahamsoni Melika, sp. nov., asexual generation, galls.

FIGURES 435–440. Zapatella abrahamsoni Melika, sp. nov., asexual generation, female. 435–438, head: 435, frontal view, 436, posterior view, 437, lateral view, 438, dorsal view. 439, antenna. 440, mesosoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 441–444. Zapatella abrahamsoni Melika, sp. nov., asexual generation, female. 441–442, mesosoma, dorsal view. 443, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view. 444, metasoma, lateral view.