Andricus assarehi Melika & Sadeghi, 2008

Tavakoli, M., Melika, G., Sadeghi, S. E., Pénzes, Z., Assareh, M. A., Atkinson, R., Bechtold, M., Mikó, I., Zargaran, M. R., Aligolizade, D., Barimani, H., Bihari, P., Pirozi, F., Fülöp, D., Somogyi, K., Challis, R., Preuss, S., Nicholls, J. & Stone, G. N., 2008, New species of oak gallwaps from Iran (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Zootaxa 1699 (1), pp. 1-64 : 6-8

Andricus assarehi Melika & Sadeghi , new species

Figs 18–34

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: IRAN, Kordestan, Bane , XI–XII.2005. Q. infectoria . leg. M. Tavakoli. Lor 156 . PARATYPES: 23 females with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype and 5 female paratypes in HNHM ; 5 female paratypes in RIFR ; 10 female paratypes in SPL; 3 female paratypes in NHML .

Other material examined. 10 females and 8 galls with the same labels as the type.

Etymology. In honour of Dr. M. Hassan Assareh, deputy director of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran.

Diagnosis. The species belongs to the Andricus quercuscalicis clade. Most closely resembles Andricus dentimitratus (Rejtö) . In A. dentimitratus POL 1.8-1.9 times as long as OOL; OOL 1.5 times as long as the length of the lateral ocellus; the transfacial distance 2.1 times as long as the height of eye; clypeus higher than broad; pedicel subglobose, only very slightly longer than broad; F1 slightly longer than F2, F12=F11; anterior parallel lines extending to 1/3 of the mesoscutum length only; the mesoscutellum rugose; scutellar foveae subovate, only slightly broader than high, with coriaceous bottom; the prominent part of the ventral spine of hypopygium 5.5 times as long as broad. In A. assarehi , new species, POL 2.4 times as long as OOL; OOL only 1.2 times as long as the length of the lateral ocellus; the transfacial distance only 1.4 times as long as the height of eye; clypeus above 2.0 times as broad as high; pedicel nearly 2.0 times as long as broad, F1 1.4 times as long as F2, F12 2.0 times as long as F11; anterior parallel lines extending to the half length of the mesoscutum; the mesoscutellum delicately coriaceous; scutellar foveae transverse, at least 2.0 times as broad as high, with smooth bottom; the prominent part of the ventral spine of the hypopygium less than 5.0 times as long as broad.

Description. ASEXUAL FEMALE (holotype). Body rusty brown; head posteriorly, compound eyes, antenna (except scape), mandibles, stripes along parapsidal and anterior parallel lines, scutellar foveae, preaxilla, lateral axillar area, axillula, propodeum, tibiae and tarsi, metasoma dorsally very dark brown to black; body with dense white setae; wing veins dark brown.

Head coriaceous, with uniformly very dense white setae, 2.0 times as broad as long from above; 1.4 times as broad as high in front view and equal to mesosoma. Gena coriaceous, strongly broadened behind eye, as broad as cross diameter of eye. Malar space coriaceous, 0.4 times as long as height of eye, with striae radiating from clypeus and extending to 2/3 of malar space length. POL 2.4 times as long as OOL; OOL 1.2 times as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, 1.3 times as long as LOL; ocelli relatively large, nearly rounded. Transfacial distance 1.4 times as long as height of eye and 2.1 times as long as height of lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus); diameter of antennal torulus 2.0 times as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye margin 2.4 times as long as diameter of torulus. Lower face coriaceous, with strongly elevated median area. Clypeus rectangular, above 2.0 times as broad as high, coriaceous, with distinct deep anterior tentorial pits, with distinct epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line; ventrally with very dense long white setae, emarginated and incised medially; central part elevated. Frons, vertex and occiput uniformly coriaceous. Postocciput around occipital foramen impressed, transversely delicately striate; posterior tentorial pits elongated; hypostomal bridge higher than broad, lower part strongly narrowed down to strongly emarginated hypostomal carina; occipital foramen 1.5 times as high as height of hypostomal bridge; hypostomal foramen 1.4 times as high as height of occipital foramen. Antenna with 12 (or 13 flagellomeres, indistinct suture between F13 and F12 visible in some paratypes), slightly longer than head+mesosoma; pedicel nearly 2.0 times as long as broad, F1 2.5 times as long as pedicel, 1.4 times as long as F2, F2 1.25 times as long as F3, all subsequent flagellomeres shorter; F12 2.0 times as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12, absent on F1–F2.

Mesosoma convex, slightly longer than high in lateral view, with uniform dense white setae. Pronotum uniformly coriaceous; with dense white setae along antero-lateral edge. Anterior rim of pronotum black, very narrow, delicately coriaceous, with longitudinal delicate few striae; propleuron black, delicately coriaceous, with white setae, strongly concave in medio-central part. Mesoscutum coriaceous to reticulate, with distinct punctures; very slightly longer than broad from above (width measured across basis of tegulae); notauli complete, well-impressed in all length; median mesoscutal line extending to 1/3 of mesoscutum length; anterior parallel and parapsidal lines distinct, broad, smooth and shining, extending to half of mesoscutum length. Mesoscutellum rounded, slightly broader than long, 2.1 times shorter than length of mesoscutum; delicately coriaceous, with more delicate sculpture towards the center of the scutellar disc and right behind scutellar foveae; slightly overhanging metanotum. Scutellar foveae transverse, at least 2.0 times as broad as high, shallow, with smooth, mat bottom and dense white setae; posteriorly delimited by sculpture; medially separated by a broad central carina. Mesopleuron, including speculum, smooth, shining, with very dense white setae; mesopleural triangle delicately coriaceous, with very dense white setae and delicate wrinkles. Metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at its half height; preaxilla coriaceous; lateral axillar area with parallel wrinkles, without setae; axillar carina broad, with longitudinal striae; axillula transversely ovate, smooth, with very dense white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, in the most posterior end slightly higher than height of metanotal trough. Metascutellum uniformly delicately coriaceous, slightly higher than height of smooth, shining ventral impressed area; metanotal trough very delicately coriaceous, mat, with dense white setae. Lateral propodeal carinae with few setae, slightly curved outwards in the middle, central propodeal area shining, smooth, with dense white setae along lateral propodeal carinae; lateral propodeal area uniformly coriaceous, with dense white setae; nucha very short, with longitudinal sulci. Forewing 1.5 times as long as body, with dark brown veins, margin with short dense cilia; radial cell 3.5 times as long as broad, R1 on a short distance running along wing margin, Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet large, well-delimited by distinct veins; Rs+M extending to 2/3 of the distance between areolet and basalis. Tarsal claws with strong acute basal lobe. Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, all tergites with very dense white setae laterally; micropunctures on tergites invisible; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium less than 5.0 times as long as broad, with very few short white setae only ventrally, which not extending beyond apex of spine. Body length 4.5– 5.0 mm (holotype female 4.7 mm).

Gall ( Figs 29–34 ). The gall develops at the base of the acorn cup and may cover the stunted acorn. The gall has an extremely irregular shape; it may be globular around the acorn, or extend into broad, pointed radiating spines. The diagnostic feature of the gall is its surface texture, which is always smooth, polished and covered in a sticky resin. Mature galls contain a small air space around a distinct thin-walled larval chamber. Across its spines, the gall is 15–55 mm high and 15–35 mm across. The gall is yellow when young, turning pale to reddish brown when mature. The gall of A. dentimitratus closely resembles that of A. assarehi , however, the later with much longer radiating irregular spines and the shape and form of the gall is more irregular, strongly varying.

Biology. Only an asexual generation is known from galls on Quercus infectoria Olivier. Galls appear on the tree by mid-summer; adult wasps emerge in November-December. The galls remains on the tree for one year. Rare species.

Comments. The extreme rarity of purely asexual lifecycles in oak gallwasps ( Stone et al. 2002) suggests that A. assarehi p robably has a sexual generation. The clade of Andricus species that includes A. assarehi all have lifecycles involving alternation between oaks in the sections Quercus (for the asexual generation) and Cerris (for the sexual generation). The sexual generation galls in this clade are commonly small and inconspicuous bud or catkin galls ( Melika, Csóka & Pujade-Villar 2000; Cook et al. 2002; Rokas et al. 2003b), and it is probable that the same is true for this new species. Possible hosts from the Cerris oak section in the region include Quercus libani Olivier and Q. brantii Lindl. (= Q. persica Jaub. et Spach ).

Distribution. Iran, Kordestan province (Bane).

Figures

FIGURES 18–28. Andricus assarehi, new species, asexual female: 18, head (front view); 19, head (dorsal view); 20, head (lateral view); 21, antenna; 22, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (dorsal view); 23, mesosoma (lateral view); 24, metanotum and propodeum (postero-dorsal view); 25, hind tarsal claw; 26, forewing; 27, metasoma (lateral view); 28, prominent part of the ventral spine of hypopygium (ventral view).

FIGURES 29–34. Andricus assarehi, new species, gall (photos M. Tavakoli).