Kinseycynips Liu and Engel, 2007

LIU, ZHIWEI, ENGEL, MICHAEL S. & GRIMALDI, DAVID A., 2007, Phylogeny and Geological History of the Cynipoid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea), American Museum Novitates 3583, pp. 1-48 : 28-29

Kinseycynips Liu and Engel , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Aulacidea succinea Kinsey, 1919 .

DIAGNOSIS: Antenna of female long and slender, reaching beyond posterior end of mesosoma when in repose and 14-segmented; F1 slightly curved and slightly shorter than F2 (50:55); placodeal sensilla present on all flagellomeres. Compound eyes prominent and long, about twice as long as malar space; gena and vertex glabrous; clypeus ventrally projecting over mandibles, anterior margin trapezoidal; epistomal sulcus absent; facial strigae radiating from clypeus and reaching compound eye; lower face laterally with radiating strigae reaching lower margin of compound eye and medially glabrous. Pronotum long medially, ratio of median to posterior distance between dorsal and ventral margins about 0.56; lateral pronotal carina absent; pronotal surface longitudinally strigate; mesoscutum strongly convex and glabrous, with percurrent notauli; mesopleuron including mesopleural triangle glabrous; mesoscutellum convex, dorsally with broadly spaced costae, posteriorly sloped gradually; mesoscutellar sulcus medially subdivided into two foveae by a longitudinal carina; mesopectus ventrally not projected; mesocoxa directed vertically downward; metapleural sulcus anteriorly ends high, distance between upper metapectal margin and its anterior end about half the distance between its anterior end and anteroventral margin of episternum; metacoxal foramen close to anterior margin of metepisternum. Forewing with marginal cell closed anteriorly; R 1 laterad of 2r-rs directed strongly obliquely laterally; Rs+M arising from just posterior of middle of first free abscissa of M; areolet present. (Note that we were unable to observe the venation clearly in the holotype. This may be due to deterioration of the specimen in a relatively exposed area through time. Thus, the above description is largely based on Kinsey’s original illustration, assuming that his observations and interpretations of the wing were correct.) Pretarsal claws of all legs simple, without tooth. Nucha low and short, about one-eighth length of metacoxa, dorsally glabrous. Petiole short and inconspicuous, dorsal part crescent-shaped, and glabrous; metasoma laterally strongly compressed, as long as head and mesosoma combined; metasomal T2–3 not fused, about half as long as postpetiolar metasoma; ventral spine of metasomal S6 short, slightly separated from and extending beyond apex of lateral flap.

ETYMOLOGY: The new genus is named after Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey (1894–1956) for his significant contributions to the study of gall wasps. His collection of gall wasps is estimated to amount to five million specimens and two million galls, and is now deposited in the AMNH. In addition to the description of about 400 new species of gall wasps, he pioneered the search for gall wasp phylogeny. Dr. Kinsey studied gall wasps for more than 20 years, but later turned his interest to, and became more widely known for, studies of human sexual behavior.

COMMENTS: Aulacidea succinea is considered here to belong to the gall wasp family Cynipidae owing to the absence of the lateral pronotal carina, a synapomorphy for the cynipids, and to the complete absence of synapomorphies defining the sister family Figitidae (e.g., Rs+M arising from distinctly after middle of the first free abscissa of M, metasomal T2 with distinctly oblique posteri- or margin). Ronquist (1999) suggested that A. succinea belonged to the inquiline complex of Synergus (Synergini) . However, the following characters clearly separate the species from the latter: lower face not covered with radiating strigae, but with a medial glabrous area; dorsal part of petiole small, glabrous, and crescentshaped; and metasomal T2–3 not fused to form a large tergite covering more than half of the postpetiolar metasoma. Furthermore, the glabrous and asetose mesoscutum of A. succinea differs from all inquilines except Synophromorpha . Indeed, the fossil is further separated from all inquilines by several features, including toothless pretarsal claws; a clypeus projecting over the mandibles, with its anterior margin trapezoidal; and absence of the epistomal sulcus. Indeed, the fossil can be easily identified as Aylacini using the key to tribes of Neotropical Cynipidae provided by Buffington et al. (2005).

Within Aylacini , the new genus more closely resembles those genera that produce galls on Rubus spp. and Potentilla spp. (i.e., Xestophanes and Diastrophus ) in that all share glabrous integument on the vertex, mesoscutum, and mesopleuron. However, Kinseycynips can be easily distinguished from these by its toothless claws, closed marginal cell, and 14- segmented antenna in the female. Kinseycynips is also similar to Aulacidea , the genus where Kinsey (1919) originally placed his species, but Aulacidea females have only 13-segmented antennae, the vertex and mesoscutum coriaceous or otherwise sculptured (but never glabrous), and the mesopleuron longitudinally striate. Because the new genus shares more similarities with those aylacine genera galling on rosaceous, mostly woody hosts, we think that it was associated with a woody host of the rose family. However, in the absence of a cladistic analysis we cannot exclude the possibility that Kinseycynips was a galler of herbaceous species of the rose family.

Kinseycynips succinea (Kinsey) , new combination figure 19

Aulacidea succinea Kinsey, 1919: 48 .

DIAGNOSIS: As for the genus (see above).

HOLOTYPE: Female , Eocene (Lutetian), Baltic amber; deposited in the Amber Fossil Collection , Division of Invertebrate Zoology , AMNH. Kinsey (1919) stated, ‘‘ Type : a single specimen from collection of the Königsberg Museum , and temporarily at the Bussey Institution , of Harvard University.’’ Once thought to be lost, the specimen was recently rediscovered in the Kinsey Collection at the AMNH.

CYNIPOIDEA INCERTAE SEDIS

Two additional specimens of cynipoid wasps were recognized, but owing to poor preservation and obscured views through the amber they were not identifiable beyond the level of superfamily. There was one specimen each in Canadian and New Jersey ambers. We provide here their accession numbers so that future workers, with new questions and techniques for old material, might know of their existence and perhaps seek them for study: NJ- 1069 in the AMNH and CAS- 282 in the CNC .

Figures

Fig. 19. Photomicrograph of holotype female of Kinseycynips succinea (Kinsey).