Cycloneuroterus formosanus Tang & Melika

Tang, Chang-Ti, Melika, George, Nicholls, James A., Yang, Man-Miao & Stone, Graham N, 2011, A new genus of oak gallwasps, Cycloneuroterus Melika & Tang, with the description of five new species from Taiwan (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Zootaxa 3008, pp. 33-62 : 53-57

Cycloneuroterus formosanus Tang & Melika , new species

Figs 72–93

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Lienhuachih, Yuchih, N 23°55'55.64", E 120°53'38.51", ex Lithocarpus konishii , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 04.IV.2009. adult em. 10.IV.2009. PARATYPES: 21 females and 28 males: 1 female and 2 male paratypes with the same labels as the holotype; 9 female and 5 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Taichung County, Tangmadan Mountain, Heping Township, N 24° 9'45.18", E 120°57'35.17", ex L. konishii , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 10.IV.2009. adult em. 12.IV.2009; 3 male paratypes: Taichung County, Tangmadan Mountain, Heping Township, N 24° 9'45.18", E 120°57'35.17", ex L. konishii , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 10.IV.2009. adult em. 13.IV.2009; 7 female and 16 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Taichung City, Hiking Path V- 1, Dakeng, N 24°11'34.69", E 120°47'58.89", ex L. konishii , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 12.IV.2009. adult em. 12.IV.2009; 4 female and 2 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Taichung City, Hiking Path V-1, Dakeng, N 24°11'34.69", E 120°47'58.89", ex L. konishii , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 12.IV.2009. adult em. 13.IV.2009. The female holotype, 7 female and 11 male paratypes are deposited in NMNS; 2 female and 2 male paratypes in USNM; 5 female and 5 male paratypes in PDL; 7 female and 10 male paratypes are deposited in NCHU.

Etymology. The species is named after Formosa, a previous name for the island of Taiwan.

Diagnosis. In both female and male C. fortuitusus the inner margins of compound eyes are parallel, the lower face, frons, vertex, and occiput are coriaceous, matt, never shiny; however, in C. lilungi and C. formosanus , in both females and males the inner margins of compound eyes converge ventrally; the lower face is alutaceous, with only the median elevated area delicately coriaceous, the frons, vertex, and occiput are smooth or very delicately alutaceous, always shiny. Most closely resembles C. lilungi (see also the key for diagnosis). Cycloneuroterus formosanus , together with two other new species described herein, C. fortuitusus and C. lilungi , has the head, mesosoma and metasoma dark brown to black.

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Head dark brown to black, with lighter clypeus; antennae, mandibles, mouthparts, palpi labialis and maxillaris light brown; mesosoma and metasoma dark brown to black; legs uniformly dirty yellowish.

Head 1.9 times as broad as long from above, 1.2 times as broad as high and as broad as mesosoma in anterior view. Gena delicately alutaceous, not broadened behind eye, 1.7 times as narrow as cross diameter of eye; malar area delicately coriaceous, without striae, 0.3 times as long as height of eye. Compound eyes slightly converging ventrally. POL 0.9 times as broad as OOL; OOL 2.5 times as long as length of lateral ocellus and 3.2 times as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, elongated, of same size and shape. Transfacial distance 1.5 times as broad as height of eye; diameter of antennal torulus slightly larger than distance between them, distance between torulus and inner margin of eye 1.2 times as long as diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, with scattered white setae; median elevated area coriaceous. Clypeus elevated above lower face, 1.5 times as broad as high, flat, broadly emarginate, with elevated central area, with median incision ventrally, glabrous; anterior tentorial pit distinct, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons smooth, shiny, with few white setae; interocellar area very delicately uniformly coriaceous. Vertex and occiput smooth. Postocciput and postgena smooth, shiny, without setae, with numerous delicate parallel and longitudinal striae, extending from occipital foramen and reaching upper level of hypostoma; area below posterior tentorial pit not impressed. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; slightly longer than mesosoma+head; pedicel 1.5 times as long as broad; F1 1.7 times as long as pedicel, slightly longer than F2 and scape; F3=F5; F6–F11 nearly equal in length, F12 1.5 times as long as F11; placodeal sensilla distinct on F3–F12, absent on F1–F2.

Mesosoma nearly as long as high from lateral view. Pronotum smooth, shiny, very short dorsally, with some delicate short parallel striae posterolaterally, with few white setae; foveolate along anterior rim (arrowed on Fig. 84 ); propleuron alutaceous, shiny, with smooth area centrally. Mesoscutum smooth, shiny, with few white setae; slightly longer than broad (largest width measured across mesoscutum on the level of the base of tegulae). Notauli, anterior parallel and parapsidal lines absent, even rows of setae do not indicate them; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina broad, extending to the point where notaulus usually reaches pronotum. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, with parallel sides, rounded posteriorly, smooth, shiny, with very few setae, slightly overhanging metanotum; emarginate and impressed along lateral and posterior margins. Scutellar foveae absent, only a semilunar transverse depression present anteriorly, with smooth glabrous bottom and foveolate line posteriorly (arrowed on Fig. 82 ). Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, shiny, without setae, impressed along acetabular carina, with some delicate wrinkles in dorsoposterior part and prolong anterior edge; dorsal axillar area smooth, shiny, with dense white setae; mesopleural triangle alutaceous; lateral axillar area smooth, with few setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shiny, in the most posterior part 2.0 times as narrow as height of metanotal trough; postalar process with parallel delicate striae; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half of its height. Metascutellum very narrow dorsally, delicately coriaceous, metanotal trough smooth, shiny, with few short white setae; ventral impressed area 2.0 times as high as height of metascutellum, smooth, without striae; central propodeal area broad, smooth, shiny, with few delicate, longitudinal and mainly parallel wrinkles, lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, strongly curved outwards in their middle section; lateral propodeal area smooth, shiny with dense setae. Nucha without irregular rugae.

Radial cell 4.5 times as long as broad; Rs+M distinct on 3/4 of distance to basalis and its projection reaching basalis in the lower half of its height.

Metasoma slightly shorter than head + mesosoma, shorter than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite occupying 1/2 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with very few white setae laterally, all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, shiny. Ventral spine of hypopygium short, prominent part nearly 3.0 times as long as broad in ventral view, with sparse, white subapical setae, extending beyond apex of spine. Body length 1.5–1.8 mm (n=5).

MALE. Body length 1.3–1.5 mm (n=5), similar to female but ocelli and compound eyes slightly larger, malar area slightly shorter, antenna with 13 flagellomeres, slightly longer than body length, F1 curved and swollen apically, slightly longer than F2, 2.6 times as long as pedicel; F13 shorter than F12; placodeal sensilla on all flagellomeres. Lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, not strongly curved outwards but almost parallel to each other.

Gall ( Figs 91–93 ). The gall is an irregular stem-swelling that only appears on young spring growth. Each gall is multilocular and coloured red with a slight purple tinge. The gall can grow to a length of 25 mm. The gall causes a swelling, occuring both along shoots or in terminal buds, and young leaves remain on both swollen shoots or swollen terminal buds. The young gall is fleshy and juicy, remaining soft until adults emerge.

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known from galls on Lithocarpus konishii . Mature galls were collected in early to mid April and adults emerged immediately after gall collection under laboratory conditions.

Distribution. Taiwan: Taichung City (Dakeng Scenic Area), Taichung County, and Nantou county ( Fig. 108 ). It is possible that this species is also distributed in continental China where L. konishii occurs ( Govaerts & Frodin 1998), but further sampling is necessary to confirm the distribution of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 108. Collection sites of Cycloneuroterus species in Taiwan indicated by numbers (figure from http: // www. google. com / earth /,): C. formosanus (No. 1, N 24 ° 11 ' 34.69 ", E 120 ° 47 ' 58.89 "; No. 2, N 24 ° 9 ' 45.18 ", E 120 ° 57 ' 35.17 "; No 3, N 23 ° 55 ' 55.64 ", E 120 ° 53 ' 38.51 "), C. fortuitusus (No. 4; N 23 ° 3 ' 36.57 ", E 121 ° 18 ' 32.53 "), C. lirongchiuea (No. 5; N 22 ° 19 ' 31.22 ", E 120 ° 51 ' 57.15 "), C. longinuxus (No. 6; N 22 ° 15 ' 51.31 ", E 120 ° 49 ' 21.71 "), C. lilungi (No. 7; N 22 ° 9 ' 58.62 ", E 120 ° 43 ' 47.60 ").

FIGURES 72 – 80. Cycloneuroterus formosanus, new species: 72 – 74, head, female: 72, anterior view, 73, dorsal view, 74, posterior view. 75 – 77, head, male: 75, anterior view, 76, dorsal view, 77, posterior view. 78 – 79, antenna: 78, female, 79, male. 80, scape, pedicel and F 1 of male antenna.

FIGURES 81 – 86. Cycloneuroterus formosanus, new species, female: 81, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 82, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 83, pronotum and propleuron, anterior view, 84, mesosoma, lateral view, 85, mesosoma, ventral view, 86, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 87 – 93. Cycloneuroterus formosanus, new species, female: 87, forewing, 88, metasoma, female, lateral view, 89 – 90, ventral spine of hypopygium: 89, lateral view, 90, ventral view. 91 – 93, gall (photos by Chang-Ti Tang).