Bassettia weldi, Melika & Abrahamson, 2007

Melika, G & Abrahamson, WG, 2007, Review Of The Nearctic Gallwasp Species Of The Genus Bassettia Ashmead, 1887, With Description Of New Species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 53 (2), pp. 131-148 : 142-144

Bassettia weldi sp. n.

Description – Asexual (parthenogenetic) female. Head and mesosoma dark brown, metasoma lighter, legs and antennae light brown. Head rounded, nearly as broad as high in front view; 1.7–1.8 times as broad as long from above; vertex, frons, lower face and gena uniformly finely coriaceous; clypeus small rounded, gena broadened behind eye, as broad as cross diameter of eye; inner margins of eyes parallel; POD shorter than OOD; malar space longer than height of eye. Antenna 13-segmented, pedicel and scape flattened and broadened, both nearly equal in length; F1 2.0 times as long as the pedicel, F1-F5 filiform, subsequent flagellomeres shorter and broader than F1–F5; F6–F19 nearly equal in length, F10 shorter than preceeding flagellomeres, F11 nearly 2.0 times as long as F10. Mesosoma flattened dorso-ventrally, longer than high; mesoscutum longer than broad, transversely finely coriaceous; mesoscutellum rounded, nearly as long as broad in dorsal view, finely coriaceous, not overhanging metascutellum, scutellar foveae distinct, transverse, wider than long, with distinct median carina separating them. Notauli distinct, complete, reaching pronotum; parapsidal and anterior parallel lines distinct, median mesoscutal line absent; mesopleuron transversely very delicately striate. Central propodeal area smooth, shiny, with some delicate wrinkles, without setae, delimited by lateral carinae which slightly curved outwards in the posterior 1/3 of propodeum; width of central propodeal area nearly equal to distance between lateral propodeal carina and side of propodeum; sides of propodeum with short dense white setae. Nucha smooth, without longitudinal carinae. Fore wing slightly longer than body, margin without cilia, veins light brown, areolet absent, radial cell short, 2.0–2.3 times as long as broad, 2nd abscissa of Rs straight. Legs uniformly light brown, except dark brown to black coxae. Metasoma reddish brown, slightly longer than high in lateral view, laterally compressed; terga smooth, shiny, without punctures; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short, slightly longer than broad in lateral view, with few very short setae. Length 2.8–3.1 mm.

Type material – Holotype female and 1 paratype female “Flagstaff, Ariz. Apr. 16’18”, Hopkin’s

“ US No. 1560d”, red “ Paratype No. 22581 USNM ”, and a red label was added “ HOLOTYPE.

Bassettia weldi Melika & Abrahamson 998”. Holotype and paratype deposited in the USNM . Etymology – Named in honor of Dr. LEWIS H. WELD.

and scutellum, dorsal view: 22 = B. pallida , 23 = B. virginiana

Diagnosis – Similar to B. tenuana , however, in B. weldi sp. n. the malar space is longer than the height of the eye; F1 2.0 times as long as the pedicel; the mesosoma is longer and narrower in dorsal view; the radial cell is more narrow and longer, Rs is nearly straight, and the metasoma is longer than high in lateral view while in B. tenuana , the malar space is equal to the height of eye; F1 1.4–1.6 as long as the pedicel; the radial cell is shorter and broader, the 2nd abscissa of Rs is strongly curved, and the metasoma as long as high in lateral view.

Biology – Only the asexual generation is known which induces stem galls hidden under the bark of twigs on Q. gambelii ( WELD 1921).

Distribution – USA: Arizona (Flagstaff).