Amphibolips tarasco Nieves-Aldrey & Pascual, 2012

Pascual, E., Maldonado-Lopez, Y., Medianero, E. & Oyama, K., 2012, Revision of the Amphibolips species of Mexico excluding the “ niger complex ” Kinsey (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 3545, pp. 1-40 : 22-24

Amphibolips tarasco Nieves-Aldrey & Pascual sp. nov.

Figs 8A–H, 12C, 13E, 16E–F

Type material. Holotype. Female ( Fig. 16E). In the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales , Madrid , Spain ( MNCN), mounted on a card. Cat. nº 2250. MEXICO, Michoacán, Santa María , 2000 m; ex gall Quercus castanea , gall collected 12/03/2005, emerged, 22/03/2005, E. Pascual leg. Paratypes, 1 female and 2 males presenting the same data as the holotype. In MNCN .

Etymology. Named after the tarasco Indians , an outstanding indigenous people inhabiting Michoacan prior to Spanish conquest.

Diagnosis and comments. In its lightly infuscate forewing, the new species resembles A. hidalgoenis and the new species A. oaxacae described herein, but the patterns of infuscation are different, being absent in the costal cell and the basal area below the basal cell in A. tarasco , whereas these areas are infuscate in A. oaxacae . In A. hidalgoensis , the basal cell is not infuscate, whereas infuscation is present on the forewing of A. tarasco . This forewing pattern of the new species also resembles A. nevadensis and A. michoacaensis , but in these species, the infuscation is much heavier than in A. tarasco . The mesoscutellum in the new species is deeply, but not widely emarginated posteriorly, especially in males. The gall is a typical large oak apple type, regularly spherical with a smooth surface, which is tinted darker green in spots when fresh.

Description. Female ( Fig. 16E). Body length 7 mm (N = 2). Head and mesosoma black; clypeus and mandibles chestnut. Antennae brown with last seven apical flagellomeres chestnut. Metasoma and legs reddish chestnut. Forewing lightly infuscate along a band extended in basal cell, first cubital (lighter here), radial cell and beyond to the antero apical margin of wing. Costal cell and the area below the described infuscate band is colorless, only slightly infuscate.

Female. Head, in dorsal view strongly reticulate rugose, 2.4 times as wide as long ( Fig. 8B). POL as long as OOL, posterior ocellus separated from inner orbit of eye by 1.5 times its longest diameter. Head in anterior view ( Fig. 8A) 1.3 as wide as high, gena broadened behind eye. Vertex, frons, lower face, gena, and occiput with strong irregular reticulate-rugose sculpture, irradiating carinae from clypeus indistinct. Head moderately pubescent. Clypeus trapezoidal, ventral margin strongly projecting over mandibles and slightly sinuate. Anterior tentorial pits, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal lines discernible. Malar space 0.7 times height of compound eye. Toruli situated mid-height of compound eye; distance between antennal rim and compound eye as wide as antennal socket including rim. Ocellar plate slightly raised.

Mouthparts: mandibles strong, exposed; with dense setae in base, right mandible with three teeth; left with two teeth.

Antenna ( Fig. 8D) As long as head and mesosoma combined; with 13 antennomeres; flagellum not broadening towards apex; with relatively long, erect setae, and placodeal sensilla in ventral area of flagellomeres F4–F11; placodeal sensillae on flagellomeres F8–F11 arranged in rows of 7–9 sensillae on ventral area of flagellomere. Relative lengths of first antennal segments: 20:10:36:23:19. Pedicel, short, globose, shorter than long and 0.5 as long as scape; F1 1.5 times as long as F2; F11 about 2 times as long as F10.

Mesosoma. Coarsely reticulate rugose, short, in lateral view slightly longer than high. Pronotum, moderately pubescent; lateral surface of pronotum with strong irregular reticulate rugose sculpture ( Fig. 8D). Pronotum medially short; ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally = 0.20. Pronotal plate indistinct dorsally.

Mesonotum. Mesoscutum sparsely pubescent and with strong reticulate rugose- sculpture ( Fig. 8C). Notauli almost invisible obscured by crossing coarse sculpture. Anteroadmedian signa well visible and parascutal carinae distinct. Transscutal fissure narrow. Mesoscutellum subquadrate, about 0.6 as long as mesoscutum. Scutellar foveae rounded, deep, with distinct margins; with some transversal and oblique rugae, the intervals smooth and shining; about 0.4 as long as mesoscutellum ( Fig. 8C). Mesoscutellum strongly reticulate-rugose, deeply emarginated at posterior margin, the incision being 0.3 as wide as scutellum width, extending longitudinally across median area of scutellum to reach, although more shallowly, posterior margins of scutellar foveae ( Fig. 8C). Mesopleuron coarsely reticulate rugose, the rugae not as strong as mesoscutum. ( Fig. 8D).

Metanotum ( Fig. 8F). Metapectal-propodeal complex similar to thes precedent species. Median propodeal area coarsely rugose and densely pubescent; lateral propodeal carinae discernible. Nucha rugose medially.

Legs. Densely pubescent; femora and tibiae robust. Metatarsal claws with strong triangular basal lobe or teeth.

Forewing ( Fig. 12C): Slightly longer than body; radial cell about 4 times longer than wide; open widely along dorsal margin; areolet conspicuous, triangular. All veins well visible. R1 straight, not reaching wing margin; Rs+M reaching basalis at its mid-height. First abscissa of radius (2r) angulated; radius only weakly curved. Apical margin with short hair fringe.

Metasoma. Slightly shorter as head and mesosoma combined, in lateral view about slightly longer than high. Second metasomal tergite covering about two third of metasoma, with a band of micropuntures clearly visible in posterior one half of metasomal large terguite; punctures visible on subsequent tergites ( Fig. 8H); dorsally the surface of the second metasomal terguite before the band of micropunctures without sculpture, smooth and shinning; latero ventral area of second metasomal tergite moderately pubescent. Projecting part of hypopygial spine long, in lateral view about 4.5 times as long as wide; laterally with long setae which not form an apical patch. Male. Differs from female as follows: antennae with 14 antennomeres; F1 slightly modified, weakly twisted, flattened on ventral side, and slightly widened towards apex; 1.6 as long as F2; elongate placodeal sensillae visible in all flagellomeres. Mesoscutellum only slightly and shallowly emarginated in posterior margin ( Fig. 8G). Forewings completely and more heavily infuscate, the darker anterior band being still visible ( Fig. 13E).

Gall ( Figs 20C, 20D). A large, regularly spherical, oak apple gall. The surface of gall is smooth, green with darker green spots when fresh. Monothalamic. Grows on twigs of Quercus castanea .

Distribution. A. tarasco was found at 2000 m a.s.l. at Santa María, Michoacán state, Mexico.

Biology. Includes a sexual generation. The galls were collected in March, and the adults emerged shortly after the galls were collected.