Synergus succinipedis ( Ashmead, 1885 ), 1922

Lobato-Vila, Irene, Equihua-Martínez, Armando, Estrada-Venegas, Edith G., Cibrián-Tovar, David, Barrera-Ruíz, Uriel M. & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2020, Synergus Hartig species group (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) with partially smooth mesopleurae from the New World, Zootaxa 4822 (1), pp. 1-38 : 30-32

Synergus succinipedis ( Ashmead, 1885)

( Figure 5 e–f)

Ceroptres succinipedis Ashmead, 1885 . Trans. Am. Entomol. Soc. 12: 300. Type material: USNM.

Synergus succinipedis: Weld (1922) . Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 61 (18): 26.

Type material (examined). LECTOTYPE ♀ with the following labels: ‘Jacksnville, Fla.’ (white label) / ‘Collection Ashmead’ (white label) / ‘Type No. 14540 U.S. N.M.’ (red label) / ‘ Ceroptres succinipedis Ashm , Type’ (white label with a black frame, handwritten) / ‘USNMENT 00802361’ (white label, QR code) / ‘ Lectotype ♀ Ceroptres succinipedis Ashmead, 1885 , IL-V desig-2017’ (red label) / ‘ Synergus succinipedis (Ashmead) Weld, 1922 , IL-V det. 2017’ (white label). PARALECTOTYPES (1♀) with the following labels: ‘Jacksnville, Fla.’ (white label) / ‘ Paratype No. 14540 U.S. N.M.’ (red label) / ‘Collection Ashmead’ (white label) / ‘USNMENT 00960818’ (white label, QR code) / ‘ Paralectotype ♀ Ceroptres succinipedis Ashmead, 1885 , IL-V desig-2017’ (red label) / ‘ Synergus succinipedis (Ashmead) Weld, 1922 , IL-V det. 2017’ (white label).

Diagnosis. Synergus succinipedis is morphologically close to S. campanula (see above), whose main differences have already been commented on (see the diagnosis of S. campanula and the identification key).

Redescription. FEMALE. Length. Body length 1.5–1.8 mm (n = 2).

Color ( Fig. 5 e–f). Brownish black to rufous. Brownish black to rufous, face and genae lighter. Antennae yellow. Mesosoma dark brown to rufous; tegulae yellow. Metasoma rufous. Legs yellow. Wings hyaline, veins pale yellow.

Head. In frontal view round-shaped, almost 1.3 times as wide as high, genae slightly expanded behind compound eyes. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with striae radiating from clypeus. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin straight, not projected over mandibles. Malar space almost 0.6 times as long as height of compound eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. 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 diameter of torulus; distance between toruli clearly shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons finely coriaceous, without punctures; frontal carinae almost inconspicuous, branched and not reaching lateral ocelli. Head in dorsal view is about 2.0 times as wide as long. Vertex finely coriaceous, with scarce small piliferous punctures. POL: OOL: LOL = 9.5: 9.5: 8 and diameter of lateral ocelli, 8. Occiput finely coriaceous, without punctures.

Antennae ( Fig. 5e ). 14-segmented; filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short. Scape plus pedicel about 1.3 times as long as F1; pedicel 1.6 times as long as wide; F1 1.5 times as long as F2, F2 and F3 subequal, the following segments progressively shorter. Last flagellar segment about 3.3 times as long as wide and about 1.7 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma. About 1.1 times as long as high in lateral view, including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence ( Fig. 5e ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.44. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum ( Fig. 5e ) strongly imbricated to weakly carinated, especially basally; lateral margins of pronotum rounded, without lateral carina. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 5f ) about 1.2 times as wide as long, with weak discontinuous transversal elements to weakly wrinkled, interspaces alutaceous; anterior grooves weakly impressed. Notauli complete, less impressed anteriorly, somewhat interrupted by wrinkles. Median groove absent. Parapsidal grooves inconspicuous. Scutellum ( Fig. 5f ) rounded, about as long as wide or at most 1.1 times as long as wide, wrinkled, interspaces alutaceous; circumscutellar carina weak, obscured by wrinkles; scutellar foveae ovate, shallow, weakly sculptured, not well defined posteriorly and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleurae ( Fig. 5e ) regularly striate basally and medially, speculum smooth; little pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaching 4/5 of mesopleural height. Propodeum pubescent and weakly sculptured; propodeal carinae straight and parallel. Nucha sulcated dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a small basal tooth.

Wings. Fore wings pubescent with short marginal setae, slightly longer than mesosoma plus metasoma ( Fig. 5e ). Radial cell closed, 2.6 times as long as wide; areolet visible almost inconspicuous, all veins pale. Rs+M inconspicuous, not reaching the basal vein. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. Slightly longer than head plus mesosoma, about 1.3 times as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 5e ). First metasomal segment sulcated dorsally and laterally. Syntergite smooth, anterolateral pubescence composed of a very few setae and posteriorly with an incomplete band of micropunctures extending 1/4–1/3 of the syntergite length, less extended dorsally; not dorsodistally incised, slightly pointed. Hypopygial spine about as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae.

MALE. Not examined (not located).

Distribution. USA. State of Florida ( Ashmead 1885; Burks 1979).

Biology. Reared from galls of Disholcaspis quercusvirens (Ashmead, 1881) (= Disholcaspis quercussuccinipes (Ashmead, 1881) after Melika et al. (2013)), according to the original description, which are found on Quercus virginiana Mill. (Virentes section), according to Burks (1979).

Remarks. Synergus succinipedis was described from an unstated number of specimens ( Ashmead 1885: 300). We located and examined 2♀ deposited in USNM. As it is not stated in the original description, a lectotype has been designated.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Synergus profusus (synonym of S. pacificus): a) lateral habitus; b) dorsal view. Synergus pomiformis: c) lateral habitus; d) dorsal view. Synergus succinipedis: e) lateral habitus; f) dorsal view.