Aulacidea koeiana Melika, Tavakoli & Stone, 2022

Tavakoli, Majid, Stone, Graham N., Pujade-Villar, Juli & Melika, George, 2022, New herb gall wasps from Iran (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Zootaxa 5155 (3), pp. 301-333 : 302-307

Aulacidea koeiana Melika, Tavakoli & Stone , sp. nov.

Figs. 1–19

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EBAAB8C1-8B21-4E2E-94C8-BF2E57E28D45

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ IRAN, Lorestan, Zaghe ( Natural Resources Research Station ), GPS coordinates: 48°40’28”E, 33°29’16”N, 1988 m a.s.l., hidden stem galls in Centaurea koeieana, Code 1 (2016), coll. M. Tavakoli, summer 2015; adults emerge by the end of winter 2015” . PARATYPES: 7 females and 8 males with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype female and the paratypes are deposited at the PHDNRL.

Etymology. The new species is named after the host plant, Centaurea koeieana Bornm. (Asteraceae) , from which it was reared.

Diagnosis. In all six Aulacidea species previously recorded from Iran ( A. acroptilonica , A. hieracii , A. irani , A. scorzonerae , A. tavakolii and A. tragopogonis ) the metasomal tergum 3 and subsequent terga have distinct micropunctures, while the new species lacks micropunctures on the tergites. According to the key to species given by Melika (2006) no other Aulacidea species has the metasoma completely smooth. This new species morphologically most closely resembles A. abdominalis ( Thomson, 1877) . In A. abdominalis the galls are formed in the flowerheads of Scorzonera spp. , while in the new species the galls are formed in the flowerheads of Centaurea koeieana . The new species also resembles Aulacidea martae Nieves-Aldrey described by Nieves-Aldrey (2004) from South-Eastern Spain with which it shares a smooth metasoma without punctures, but A. martae induces inconspicuous galls on stems of Launaea arborescens Batt. (Murb.) (Asteraceae) , and has the 2nd metasomal tergum with dense setae anterolaterally. A. martae , however, has POL nearly equal to OOL, female antenna with 11 flagellomeres, F1 shorter than F2; the pronotum coriaceous, notaulus very weakly impressed anteriorly, hardly traceable; metasomal tergum 3 to 7 without micropunctures except of a posterior narrow band of weak micropunctures. The new species also resembles Aulacidea parvula Diakontschuk 1984 , originally described based on females from Georgia; males were described later from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, also from stem galls in Eryngium sp. (Apiaceae) ( Diakontschuk 1988). However, in A. parvula which also has the body black, the antennae are black with 10 flagellomeres, with F3–F6 lighter, mesoscutellar foveae are very narrow, the radial cell of the fore wing triangular, short, Rs+M absent, the metasoma with punctures.

Description. Female ( Figs 1–4 , 10–16 ). Head and mesosoma black; metasoma dark brown to black. Mandibles light brown; maxillary and labial palpi dark brown to black; scape and pedicel black, flagellomeres brown to light brown, darker distally; tegula yellowish white; legs reddish-brown, with darker coxae; ventral spine of hypopygium brown.

Head alutaceous, with scattered white setae, 1.2× as broad as high, slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 1.7× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye in frontal view; upper part of gena narrower than cross diameter of eye, lower part on the level of ventral edge of eye only slightly narrower than transverse diameter of eye; malar space with distinct striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye, malar sulcus absent; eye 1.3× as high as height of malar space. Eyes slightly converging ventrally. POL nearly 1.9× as long as OOL; OOL 2.5× as long as length of lateral ocellus, as long as LOL, lateral ocelli rounded, slightly bigger than median ocellus. Transfacial distance 1.5x as long as height of eye, diameter of antennal torulus 2.6× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.5× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face with few setae, with distinct striae radiating from clypeus and reaching antennal toruli, alutaceous between striae; slightly elevated median area coriaceous. Clypeus rectangular, slightly broader than high, smooth, shining, impressed, ventrally not emarginate and without median incision; anterior tentorial pit, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line indistinct. Frons uniformly alutaceous, medially slightly impressed from toruli to median ocellus, small rounded area under median ocellus slightly impressed. Vertex, occiput, postocciput and postgena alutaceous, with sparse white setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; occipital foramen shorter than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into united postgenal sulci. Antenna slightly longer than mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres (suture between F12 and F11 indistinct, hardly traceable but present); pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 narrower and slightly shorter than F2, slightly longer than pedicel, F2=F3, all subsequent flagellomeres slightly longer than F1–F3 and nearly equal in length, F12 shorter than F11; placodeal sensilla on F2–F12.

Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high. Pronotum coriaceous, without striae and dense white setae laterally along anterior margin, dorso-medially 1.9× as short as greatest length on outer lateral margin; pronotal plate with very few short white setae, well-delimited in anterior half, as broad as long, pronotal submedial pits distinct, separated by a narrow area which as broad as the submedian pit; propleuron alutaceous, glabrous, with delicately coriaceous area centrally. Mesoscutum delicately alutaceous, with scattered short white setae; slightly longer than broad (largest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, distinctly impressed, converging at posterior end; anterior parallel line invisible, parapsidal line indistinct; median mesoscutal line extends to 1/3 length of mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum uniformly coriaceous with irregular rugae, longer than broad, overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae distinct, with a smooth, glabrous bottom and separated by a narrow elevated, smooth median carina. Mesopleuron, including speculum with strong parallel transverse striae going across entire width, with dense white setae ventrally; mesopleural triangle rugose, with few setae; dorsal axillar area and lateral axillar area alutaceous, with a few white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, triangular, most posterior part higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron slightly about half of its height; upper part of sulcus indistinct. Metascutellum coriaceous with some rugae basally, metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, with dense short white setae; ventral impressed area as high as height of metascutellum, smooth, glabrous; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, without rugae; lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, subparallel; lateral propodeal area coriaceous, with dense long, white setae. Nucha with inconspicuous sulci dorsally and laterally. Tarsal claws narrow, without basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, hyaline, with distinct long, dense cilia on margin, veins brown, radial cell closed, 2.6× as long as broad; R1and Rs reaching wing margin; areolet small, triangular, closed, distinct. Rs+M distinct on 2/3 of distance between areolet and basalis, its projection reaching basalis at mid height.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergum extending to above half length of metasoma in dorsal view, with patch of white dense setae anterolaterally, all metasomal terga without setae, smooth, glabrous, without micropunctures. Hypopygium with micropunctures, ventral spine of hypopygium short and broad, prominent part 2.0× as long as broad, without setae. Body length 1.6–1.9 mm (n = 10).

Male ( Figs 5–9 ). Body black, antenna dark brown to black. Similar to female but head slightly broader than high in frontal view, POL 1.3× as long as OOL; OOL 2.9× as long as length of lateral ocellus, 2.9× as long as LOL. Transfacial distance 1.9× as long as height of eye. Antenna as long as body, with 13 flagellomeres (suture between F13 and F12 indistinct, hardly traceable but present), F1 excavated, curved, apically slightly swollen, equal to F2, placodeal sensilla on F1–F13. Body length 1.9–2.1 mm (n = 10).

Gall ( Figs 17–19 ). Galls are cryptic chambers hidden in flowerheads and stems, without detectable swelling of the stem. The only external indication of these cryptic galls are the holes made by the emerging adults.

Biology. The galls mature in the summer. The adults overwinter in galls and emerge by the end of winter, in the following calendar year. The only known host plant is Centaurea koeieana Bornm. (Asteraceae) .

Distribution. Zaghe (Natural Resources Research Station), Lorestan Province, Iran.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Aulacidea koeiana Melika, Tavakoli & Stone, sp. nov. 1–4, female: 1–3, head: 1, frontal view, 2, dorsal view, 3, lateral view; 4, antenna. 5–9, male: 5–8, head, male: 5, frontal view, 6, dorsal view, 7, posterior view, 8, lateral view; 9, antenna.

FIGURES 10–13. Aulacidea koeiana Melika, Tavakoli & Stone, sp. nov., female. 10, pronotum and mesoscutum, anterodorsal view, 11, mesosoma, lateral view, 12–13, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum, dorsal view.

FIGURES 14–19. Aulacidea koeiana Melika, Tavakoli & Stone, sp. nov., female. 14, forewing, 15, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view. 16, metasoma, lateral view. 17–19, galls: 17, infested plant, general view, 18, stems with emerging holes of adult wasps, 19, infested flowerhead.