Cycloneuroterus lirongchiuea Melika & Tang

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 : 45-49

Cycloneuroterus lirongchiuea Melika & Tang , new species

Figs 36–55

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN, Taitung County, Dawu Township, N 22°19'31.22", E 120°51'57.15", ex Quercus hypophaea , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 28.II.2010. adult em. 07.III.2010. PARATYPES: 26 females and 1 male: 4 female paratypes with the same labels as the holotype; 4 female paratypes: TAIWAN, Taitung County, Dawu Township, N 22°19'31.22", E 120°51'57.15", ex Q. hypophaea , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 28.II.2010. adult em. 05.III.2010; 4 female paratypes: Taitung County, Dawu Township, N 22°19'31.22", E 120°51'57.15", ex Q. hypophaea , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 02.IV.2009. adult em. 02.IV.2009; 4 female paratypes: TAI- WAN, Taitung County, Dawu Township, N 22°19'31.22", E 120°51'57.15", ex Q. hypophaea , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 02.IV.2009. adult em. 04.IV.2009; 7 female paratypes: TAIWAN, Taitung County, Dawu Township, N 22°19'31.22", E 120°51'57.15", ex Q. hypophaea , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 02.IV.2009. adult em. 05.IV.2009; 2 female paratypes: TAIWAN, Taitung County, Dawu Township, N 22°19'31.22", E 120°51'57.15", ex Q. hypophaea , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 02.IV.2009. adult em. 06.IV.2009. The female holotype and 9 female paratypes are deposited in NMNS, 6 female and 1 male paratypes in PDL, 2 female paratypes in USNM, 9 female paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. The species named in honour of Ms. Li-Rong Chiu, who helped with selection of suitable collecting sites containing different Fagaceae species.

Diagnosis. Most closely resembles C. longinuxus . In C. lirongchiuea the radial cell of the forewing is 3.8 times as long as broad; the mesoscutellum trapezoid, broadest in the posterior 1/4-1/5; in females head POL 1.3 times as long as OOL and OOL 1.7 times as long as LOL; the length of males F13 is variable, while in C. longinuxus the radial cell of the forewing 5.0 times as long as broad; the mesoscutellum with parallel sides; in females head POL 0.9 times as long as OOL and OOL 3.3 times as long as LOL; males F13 shorter than F12. Three new species described herein, C. formosanus , C. fortuitusus and C. lilungi , have the head, mesosoma and metasoma dark brown to black, while in C. lirongchiuea and C. longinuxus the head is dark brown to black, while the mesosoma and/or metasoma are light brown. In both female and male C. lirongchiuea the head is dark brown to black, the mesosoma and metasoma are light brown, with 3rd and subsequent metasomal tergites slightly darker than 2nd metasomal tergite, while in C. longinuxus the head and the metasoma are black or blackish brown and the mesosoma is light brown (see also Diagnosis to C. longinuxus ).

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Head dark brown to black, with lighter lower face and gena; antennae, mandibles, mouthparts, palpi labialis and maxillaris light brown; mesosoma light brown to yellowish brown, 2nd metasomal tergite light brown, subsequent tergites slightly darker.

Head 2.1 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, 2.0 times narrower than cross diameter of eye; malar area alutaceous, without striae, 0.2 times as long as height of eye. Compound eyes slightly converging ventrally. POL 1.6 times as broad as OOL; OOL 1.7 times as long as length of lateral ocellus and 1.2 times as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, elongated, of same size and shape. Transfacial distance 1.1 times as broad as height of eye; diameter of antennal torulus equal to distance between them, distance between torulus and inner margin equal to diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, with scattered white setae, without piliferous points; median area slightly elevated above lateral parts of lower face, smooth, shiny. Clypeus elevated above lower face, trapezoid, flat, emarginate, without median incision ventrally, glabrous; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, deep, distinct, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons and interocellar area very delicately uniformly alutaceous to smooth, with few white setae. Vertex and occiput smooth. Postocciput and postgena smooth, shiny, without setae and striae; area below posterior tentorial pit not impressed. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; slightly longer than mesosoma; pedicel 1.5 times as long as broad; F1 length nearly equal to length of F2 and F3, 1.3 times as long as pedicel and slightly longer than scape; F4 and subsequent flagellomeres nearly equal in length; F12 1.5 times as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F2–F12, absent on F1.

Mesosoma nearly as long as high from lateral view. Pronotum smooth, shiny, very short dorsally, without parallel striae laterally, with few white setae; foveolate along anterior rim; propleuron alutaceous, shiny, with smooth area centrally. 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 longer than broad, slightly broader in posterior 1/5, 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. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, shiny, with few setae, impressed along acetabular carina. Metascutellum alutaceous, shiny, metanotal trough smooth, shiny, with few short white setae; ventral impressed area as high as height of metascutellum, smooth, without striae; central propodeal area broad, smooth, shiny, without or 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 3.8 times as long as broad; Rs+M distinct prolong entire length, reaching basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma as long as head + mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite occupying nearly 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 3.0 times as long as broad in ventral view, with sparse, white subapical setae, not extending beyond apex of spine, with few long setae along hypopygium, directed ventrally. Body length 1.3–1.4 mm (n=6).

MALE. Body length 1.2 mm (n=1), similar to female but compound eyes slightly larger, with less convergence ventrally, antenna with 13 flagellomeres, slightly longer than body length, F1 curved and swollen apically, slightly longer than F2, 1.5 times as long as pedicel; F13 shorter than F12; placodeal sensilla on all flagellomeres.

Gall ( Figs 52–55 ). The galls are integral to leaf blades of young leaves with swelling on both sides of the leaf, brownish, 3-4 mm in diameter and extending up to 2.7 mm from the leaf surface (n = 10). Galls grow individually on a leaf rather than aggregated together. Gall tissue is succulent when young and the gall becomes hollow once the larva matures and pupates inside. The pupa can roll freely inside the gall.

Biology. Only the sexual generation of this species is known, inducing integral leaf galls on Q. hypophaea . Mature galls were collected from early March until early April; adults emerged under laboratory conditions over the same time period.

Distribution. Currently known only from Taiwan: Taitung County, Dawu Township ( Fig. 108 ). Quercus hypophaea is known only from Taiwan ( Govaerts & Frodin 1998), so it is possible that this species is endemic to Taiwan; however, further sampling throughout the Oriental region is necessary to establish 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 36 – 41. Cycloneuroterus lirongchiuea, new species, female: 36 – 39, head: 36, anterior view, 37, dorsal view, 38, posterior view, 39, clypeus and lower face, anterior view. 40, antenna, 41, forewing.

FIGURES 42 – 47. Cycloneuroterus lirongchiuea, new species, female: 42, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 43, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 44, pronotum and propleuron, anterior view, 45, mesosoma, lateral view, 46, mesosoma, ventral view, 47, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 48 – 55. Cycloneuroterus lirongchiuea, new species, female: 48, metasoma, female, lateral view. 49 – 50, ventral spine of the hypopygium: 49, lateral view, 50, ventral view. 51, habitus of female, lateral view (photo by Chang-Ti Tang). 52 – 55, gall (photos by Chang-Ti Tang).