Amphibolips castroviejoi Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey

Cuesta-Porta, Víctor, Equihua-Martínez, Armando, Estrada-Venegas, Edith G., Cibrián-Tovar, David, Barrera-Ruíz, Uriel M., Silva, Salvador Ordaz, Sánchez, Imelda Virginia López, Melika, George & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2020, Revision of the Amphibolips species of the ‘ nassa’ complex from Mexico and central America (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Zootaxa 4877 (1), pp. 1-50 : 11

Amphibolips castroviejoi Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey

Amphibolips castroviejoi Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey, 2010: 48–52

Type material examined: HOLOTYPE. ♀ deposited in MNCN (Cat. nº 2022). PANAMA, Chiriquí, Carretera de Volcancito, Boquete 8º 43’ 23 07” N, 82º 27’ 19 07” W, 1404 m, Ex Q. salicifolia , (28.i.2008) ii.08, E. Medianero leg. Paratypes: 1♂ with same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by heavily darkened forewings with a clear cross-band at the distal third that reaches posterior margin of forewing both in males and females, mesoscutellum subquadrate posteriorly, and metasoma predominantly black and rufo-piceous ventrally. The forewing pattern most closely resembles the species group of A. bassae n. sp., A. bromus n. sp., A. cibriani and A. fusus for the distal clear cross-band that reaches posterior margin of wing, but the forewings of A. castroviejoi are completely darkened except for the distal cross-band (proximal half of forewing is hyaline in the rest of species, except for the male of A. bassae n. sp. which is completely infuscate except for a clear spot at the distal half of radial cell). The species most closely resembles A. basssae n. sp. by the similar coarse sculpture of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum, but median sulci on the mesoscutum are absent in A. castroviejoi (present in A. bassae n. sp.), metasoma is black and rufo-piceous ventrally in A. castroviejoi (ambarine to rufous in A. bassae n. sp.). Galls of A. castroviejoi are differ from all other known galls; they are large (on average 54 x 43 mm), irregularly spherical or globose, elongated at the base, with a thick peduncle, without apical tip, and with a smooth, mottled surface.

Gall. A globose bud gall, 45–58 mm in diameter, with short elongation at the base forming a thick peduncle. Light green and mottled when mature, turning light brown when dry. Outer shell thin, hard. Internal parenchyma soft and spongious. Central larval chamber with a hard shell, 5–6 mm in diameter. A picture of the gall is given in Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey (2010: Figs 8 A–C).

Host. Quercus salicifolia .

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known. Galls were collected in January; adults emerged in February.

Distribution. Panama.

Figures

FIGURE 8. (A–D) Amphibolips quercuspomiformis comb. nov.: (A) Forewing; (B) Antennae; (C) Metatarsi and tarsal claws; (D) Tarsal claws. (E) Amphibolips turulli n. sp.: (E) Tarsal claws.