Andricus songshui Tang & Melika

Tang, Chang-Ti, Melika, George, Yang, Man-Miao, Nicholls, James A. & Stone, Graham N., 2011, New species of oak gallwasps from Taiwan (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Zootaxa 2865, pp. 37-52 : 38-42

Andricus songshui Tang & Melika , new species

Figs 1–19

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Quercus serrata , leg. Chang- Ti Tang, 04.III.2010. adult em. 10.III.2010. PARATYPES: 26 females and 19 males: 3 female paratypes with the same labels as the holotype; 1 female paratype: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 01.III.2010. adult em. 08.III.2010; 1 female paratype: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 01.III.2010. adult em. 09.III.2010; 5 female and 3 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 04.III.2010. adult em. 09.III.2010; 4 female paratypes: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 04.III.2010. adult em. 11.III.2010; 1 female paratype: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 04.III.2010. adult em. 12.III.2010; 7 female and 9 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 18.III.2010. adult em. 21.III.2010; 1 female and 4 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 18.III.2010. adult em. 22.III.2010; 2 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang-Ti Tang, 18.III.2010. adult em. 23.III.2010; 2 female and 1 male paratypes: TAIWAN, Nantou County, Renai Township, ex Q. serrata , leg. Chang- Ti Tang, 18.III.2010. adult em. 24.III.2010. The female holotype, 9 female and 7 male paratypes are deposited in NMNS, 5 female and 4 male paratypes in PDL, 2 female and 2 male in USNM, 10 female and 6 male paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. The species named after the mountain, Mt. Song-Shu, where it was collected for the first time.

Diagnosis. Andricus songshui resembles the only known Taiwanese Andricus species, A. formosanus and the herein described new species, A. pseudocurvator . In Andricus songshui , at least anterior half of the mesoscutum distinctly sculptured, delicately coriaceous to alutaceous; F1 of male antenna slightly curved and swollen apically and 1.8 times as long as pedicel, while in A. formosanus and A. pseudocurvator mesoscutum alutaceous to smooth, glabrous, without distinct strong surface sculpture anteriorly, F1 of male antenna strongly curved, swollen apically and 2.8–3.0 times as long as pedicel.

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Head dark brown to black; antenna brown dorsally, yellow ventrally; mesosoma and metasoma dark brown, legs uniformly dark yellow.

Head alutaceous, with some white setae, more dense on lower face; 2.0 times broader than long from above, 1.25 times broader than high,as broad as mesosoma in anterior view. Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye, 0.5 times cross diameter of eye; malar area alutaceous, with delicate striae extending to eye margin, 0.4 times height of eye. Compound eyes converging ventrally. POL nearly 1.2 times broader than OOL; OOL 3.0 times length of lateral ocellus and 1.75 times LOL; all ocelli of same size and shape. Transfacial distance only 1.2 times wider than height of eye; diameter of antennal toruli 1.4 times distance between them, distance between torulus and inner margin of eye 1.4 times diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, with dense white setae, small area under antennal torulus and median elevated area coriaceous. Clypeus rounded, emarginate, without median incision ventrally, alutaceous to glabrous, with very small elevated central area; anterior tentorial pits distinct, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons alutaceous, with small smooth shiny impression below median ocellus, with some white setae; interocellar area delicately coriaceous. Vertex and occiput delicately coriaceous to alutaceous. Postocciput and postgena smooth, shiny, without setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below not impressed; height of occipital foramen nearly equal to height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus. Antenna with 11 flagellomeres; slightly longer than mesosoma; pedicel longer than broad; F1 1.3 times longer than F2, 2.3 times longer than pedicel; F2–F10 progressively shorter; F11 2.0 times longer than F10; placodeal sensilla present on F3–F11, absent on F1–F2.

Mesosoma 1.2 times longer than high. Pronotum coriaceous to smooth, shiny, with delicate parallel striae laterally, with dense white setae; propleuron light brown, alutaceous, shiny, with smooth area centrally. Mesoscutum alutaceous to delicately coriaceous in anterior half, smooth or delicately alutaceous in posterior half, especially in area between notauli, shiny, with some white setae; slightly wider than long (largest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notauli complete, deep, distinctly impressed, slightly converging and broadened at posterior and anterior ends; anterior parallel, parapsidal, median mesoscutal lines absent. Mesoscutellum quadrangular, uniformly dull rugose, with irregular strong rugae, longer than broad, overhanging metanotum; scutellar foveae distinct, transversely ovate, nearly 2.0 times wider than high, with smooth, shining bottom, with distinct elevated narrow smooth median carina, separating foveae. Mesopleuron and speculum darker than rest of mesosoma, smooth, shining, without setae, except dense patch of setae on posteroventral quarter of speculum; with impressed foveae along acetabular carina; dorsal axillar area smooth, shining, with dense white setae; lateral axillar area alutaceous, with some setae; subaxillular bar dark brown, smooth, shiny, the most posterior part broader than height of metanotal trough; postalar process with parallel delicate striae; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at upper 1/3 of its height. Metascutellum uniformly coriaceous, metanotal trough smooth, shiny, with some short white setae; ventral impressed area nearly as high as height of metascutellum, smooth, with distinct longitudinal striae; central propodeal area smooth, shiny, with some irregular wrinkles and rugae, lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, curved outwards in posterior third; lateral propodeal area rugose, with dense long, white setae. Nucha with irregular wrinkles and rugae, brown.

Tarsal claws with basal lobe. Forewing longer than body, hyaline, with distinct long, dense cilia on margin, radial cell 3.9 times longer than wide; R1 reaching wing margin, Rs nearly straight, reaching wing margin; areolet small, triangular, closed and distinct. Rs+M distinct at 2/3 of distance to basalis and its projection reaching basalis at middle.

Metasoma slightly shorter than head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite occupying nearly half length of metasoma in dorsal view, with some white setae laterally, all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, shiny. Ventral spine of hypopygium short, prominent part nearly as long as broad, with some white subapical setae extending beyond apex of spine; 4–5 long white setae located along ventral part of hypopygium. Body length 1.7–2.0 mm (n=5).

MALE. 1.7–1.8 mm (n=4), similar to female but head and mesosoma black, metasoma very dark brown to black; antenna with 13 flagellomeres, slightly longer than body length, F1 only slightly curved and swollen apically, 1.3 times longer than F2 and nearly 1.8 times longer than pedicel; F13 nearly equal in length to F12; placodeal sensilla present on all flagellomeres.

Gall ( Figs 18–19 ). Swelling, occurring on both unfolded young leaves and base of midrib, 1.8–2.5 mm long (n = 10). Galls located at the base of a leaf midrib are usually yellowish and single; galls on unopened young leaves are green and in clusters of 1–3, multilocular. The two gall morphotypes can be found in the same month.

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known, inducing integral leaf galls on Quercus serrata Murray (= Q. glandulifera Blume ) (section Quercus sensu stricto). Mature galls were collected in early March, adults emerging immediately after the galls were collected, in mid to late March.

Distribution. Currently known only from Taiwan: Nantou County, Renai Township ( Fig. 57 ). It is possible that this species is also distributed in continental China and Japan where Q. serrata occurs. Further research is necessary to establish the distribution of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 57. Current distribution of Andricus songshui, A. pseudocurvator and Plagiotrochus glaucus (figure from http: // www. google. com / earth /,). The white dot represents the location where A. songshui and A. pseudocurvator occur together (Renai Township, Nantou County), the blue dot represents another site where A. pseudocurvator is known to occur (Heping Township, Taichung County), and the red dot shows the type locality of P. g l a u c u s (Nantou County, Lienhuachih Forest Research Centre).

FIGURES 1 – 8. Andricus songshui, new species: 1 – 4, head, female: 1, anterior view, 2, dorsal view, 3, posterior view, 4, lateral view. 5 – 6, head, male: 5, anterior view, 6, dorsal view. 7 – 8, antenna: 7, female, 8, male.

FIGURES 9 – 13. Andricus songshui, new species, female: 9, clypeus and lower face, anterior view, 10, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 11, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 12, mesosoma, lateral view, 13, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 14 – 19. Andricus songshui, new species: 14, forewing, female, 15, metasoma, female, lateral view, 16, ventral spine of hypopygium, lateral view, 17, metasoma, male. 18 – 19, gall (Fig. 18 by Chang-Ti Tang, Fig. 19 by Chang-Fu Wu).