Ceroptres nigricrus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, 2019

Lobato-Vila, Irene & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2019, Revision of world Ceroptresini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) with the description of a new genus and five new species, Zootaxa 4685 (1), pp. 1-67 : 42-44

Ceroptres nigricrus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar sp. nov.

( Figures 10h ; 15 a–i; 18s, v)

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Type material. HOLOTYPE (♀) deposited in UB with the following labels: ‘ MEX: P308, Zirahuén (Salvador Escalante, MICH), 19°27’15’’ N, 101°43’55’’ W (white label) / ‘Ex. unknown twig gall, 2090m, Quercus sp., (10. vii.2016) vii–viii.2016, A. Equihua leg.’ (white label) / ‘ Holotype ♀ Ceroptres nigricrus Lobato-Vila and Pujade- Villar, IL-V desig-2019’ (red label). PARATYPES (2♀) deposited in UB with the following labels: ‘ MEX (2B10), Rancho La Concepción (San Felipe del Progreso, EDO. MEX.), 19°41’35.5’’ N, 99°59’5.1’’ W’ (white label) / ‘Ex. unknown gall, 2903m, Q. acutifolia , (14.vii.2016) 07.ix.2016, N. Flores leg.’ (white label) / ‘ Paratype ♀ Ceroptres nigricrus Lobato-Vila and Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2019’ (red label).

Etymology. From the Latin terms ‘ nigra ’ for black and ‘ crus ’ for leg, as this species has hindlegs (basal half of coxae, femorae, tibiae, basal and distal tarsomeres) almost totally black.

Diagnosis. This species can be separated by the rest of Ceroptres by having legs almost entirely black with testaceous joints. Ceroptres nigricrus is morphologically very similar to C. mexicanus , from which can be distinguished by the length of the radial cell (2.7 in C. nigricrus , 2.4 in C. mexicanus ), the length of the last flagellar segment (2.7 as wide as long in C. nigricrus , about 4.0 in C. mexicanus ) and the shape of female antennae (subclavate in C. nigricrus , filiform in C. mexicanus ), among others (see the descriptions of both species and the key to valid species of Ceroptres ).

Description. Female. Length. Body length 1.8–2.0 mm (n=3).

Color ( Fig. 10h ). Mainly black. Head, mesosoma and metasoma black, tegulae brown. Hypopygium testaceous. Basal half of antennae testaceous, distal half dark brown; scape somewhat darker. Legs mainly black; all coxae, metafemorae, metatibiae and metatarsi dark brown to black, joints testaceous; femorae and tibiae of the first and second pair of legs infuscate, but lighter than the third pair. Wings hyaline, veins pale.

Head. In anterior view round-shaped ( Fig. 15a ), about 1.2 times as wide as high, genae not expanded behind compound eyes. Face with moderately long but not dense pubescence, lower face with short striae radiating from sides of clypeus and almost reaching ventral margin of compound eyes; medially without striae; vertical carinae incomplete and weak, short, running just a little from inner ventral margin of the toruli (1/3 at most) and delimiting a small depressed area, slightly bulged above the clypeus. Clypeus distinct, ventral margin not projected over mandibles. Malar space almost 0.5 times as long as height of compound eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal sulcus absent, epistomal sulcus slightly marked. Transfacial line about as long as height of compound eye. Toruli situated mid-height of compound eye; distance between torulus and compound eye about as long as the diameter of the toruli; distance between the toruli shorter than diameter of the toruli. Front finely coriaceous, shiny and with some small piliferous punctures. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 15b ) is about 2.4 times as wide as long. Vertex finely coriaceous, shiny and with some small piliferous punctures. POL:OOL:LOL = 13:6:6 and diameter of the lateral ocelli, 4.5. Occiput finely coriaceous, shiny and with some small piliferous punctures.

Antennae ( Fig. 15e ). 12-segmented (9: 5: 10: 9: 9: 9: 8: 7.5: 7: 6: 6: 12); subclavate, just slightly broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F3–F10. Pedicel about 1.4 times as long as wide; F1 1.1 times as long as F2, F2 and F3 subequal. Last flagellar segment about 2.7 times as long as wide and 2.0 times as long as F9.

Mesosoma. About 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 15c ), including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence. Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.33. Dorsal part of pronotal plate complete, with two distinct and closely spaced foveae. Lateral pronotum finely coriaceous to alutaceous, without lateral carina. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 15d ) 1.3 times as wide as long, alutaceous with some weak discontinuous transversal elements and with some small piliferous punctures; anterior grooves very shallow, extending at most 1/3 of the mesoscutal length. Notauli almost complete, but faint in the anterior 1/3, shallow, wider posteriorly. Parapsidal grooves very shallow, surpassing tegulae. Median groove absent or in a form of short incision. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 15d ) slightly wider than long, densely but weakly wrinkled, more strongly wrinkled laterally and posteriorly, interspaces strongly coriaceous; circumscutellar carina absent; scutellar foveae ovate, shallow, not well defined, sculptured and separated by a moderately wide septum. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 15c ) smooth and shiny; little pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaching about 3/4 parts of the mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 15g ) pubescent and smooth; propodeal carinae straight and parallel, short. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws bidentate, with a basal lobe ( Fig. 15h ).

Wings. Forewings pubescent with short marginal setae, longer than mesosoma plus metasoma ( Fig. 10h ). Radial cell closed, about 2.7 times as long as wide ( Fig. 15f ); areolet large but not well defined, anterior and basal veins inconspicuous. Rs+M inconspicuous. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma ( Figs 10h , 15i ). Shorter than head plus mesosoma, about as long as high in lateral view. First metasomal tergum crescent-shaped and smooth. Second metasomal tergum short and free, 0.3 times as long as the metasomal length and with a dense hair patch anterolaterally. Third metasomal tergum without micropunctures (or just with a few, almost inconspicuous, micropunctures not forming a true patch) and not dorsodistally incised; subsequent terga very finely punctate. Prominent part of the hypopygial spine about as long as wide and slightly projected.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico. States of México and Michoacán.

Biology. Reared from an unknown twig gall on Quercus sp. ( Fig. 18v ) and from unknown galls on Quercus acutifolia Née (Lobatae section) ( Fig. 18s ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. New species of Ceroptres described from Mexico: a) female lateral habitus of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; b) male lateral habitus of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; c) female antenna of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; d) forewing of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; e) first segments of male antenna of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; f) female lateral habitus of C. lenis sp. nov.; g) female lateral habitus of C. mexicanus sp. nov.; h) female lateral habitus of C. nigricrus sp. nov.; i) female lateral habitus of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.; j) male lateral habitus of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.; k) forewing of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.; l) first segments of male antenna of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.

FIGURE 15. Ceroptres nigricrus sp. nov.: a) female head in anterior view; b) female head in dorsal view; c) mesosoma in lateral view; d) mesosoma in dorsal view; e) female antenna; f) radial cell of the forewing; g) propodeum; h) tarsal claws; i) female metasoma in lateral view.

FIGURE 18. Some of the galls mentioned in this study: a) an undescribed species of Andricus (ref. 069); b) Sphaeroteras nr pulchripennis (ref. 103); c) Dros perlentum (ref. 123); d) Neuroterus eugeros (ref. 182); e) Andricus georgei (ref. 206); f) unknown leaf gall of Neuroterus (ref. 225); g) unknown leaf spherical gall (ref. 266); h) Andricus sphaericus (ref. 303); i) Andricus sphaericus (ref. 307); j) Andricus group georgei (ref. 312); k) Melikaiella amphibolensis (ref. 338); l) an undescribed species of Andricus on leaves (ref. P015); m) Atrusca sp. (ref. P149); n) unknown (P225); o) unknown undetachable leaf gall (ref. P233); p) unknown gall inside secondary leaf nerves (ref. P307); q) Atrusca pictor (ref. P322); r) Atrusca sp. (ref. P328); s) unknown (ref. 2B10, 13B6); t) unknown, a mix of galls (ref. 2840); u) unknown leaf petiole gall (ref. P366); v) unknown twig gall (ref. P308).