Latuspina acutissimae Wang, Pujade-Villar & Guo, 2016

Wang, Yiping, Guo, Rui, Pujade-Villar, Juli, Wang, Shijun & Chen, Xuexin, 2016, Review of the genus Latuspina (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), with descriptions of two new species and their host galls, Zoological Systematics 41 (1), pp. 82-88 : 83-85

Latuspina acutissimae Wang, Pujade-Villar & Guo , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–11 )

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, China, Zhejiang, Tianmu Mountain (119°27′E, 30°19′N), 2011-IV-25, Rui Guo. Paratypes. 12♀, same data as the holotype .

Etymology. The species is named after its host plant, Quercus acutissima Carruth.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to L. manmiaoyangae , but can be separated from the latter by characters as follows: longer on ventral spines ( Fig. 7 ) (two lateral ventral spines and meddle ventral spine uniformly shorter on L. manmiaoyangae ), notauli absent ( Fig. 3 ) (notauli indicated by narrow stripes of foveae in L. manmiaoyangae ) and in propodeal lateral carinae complete ( Fig. 9 ) (present the posterior 2/ 3 in L. manmiaoyangae ). Additionally, host galls plants are present on Q. cacutissima in L. acutissima Wang, Pujade-Villar & Guo , sp. nov. and on Q. variabilis in L. manmiaoyangae .

Description. Female. Body length 2.4 mm; Fore wing 2.9 mm; head, mesosoma except legs, and metasoma black; mandibles brown, palpi light brown to yellowish; legs yellow, except darker basis of coxae; scape, pedicel, F1 and F2 yellow, subsequent flagellomeres darker; hypopygium light brown.

Head ( Figs 1–2 ). Head alutaceous, with rare white setae; setae denser on lower face than upper face; head 2.5 times as broad as long from dorsal view; head 1.7 times as broad as high from anterior view; head broader than mesosoma from dorsal view; gena alutaceous; gena less than half of compound eye diameter, not visible from anterior view; malar space alutaceous, 0.3 times as long as compound eye height; malar striae absent; malar sulcus absent; POL 1.6 times as long as OOL; OOL 1.7 times as long as diameter of lateral ocellus; OOL 2.0 times as long as LOL; ocelli ovate; transfacial distance 1.1 times as long as compound eye height; transfacial distance 1.5 times as long as lower face height (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus); antennal socket diameter slightly longer than distance between antennal sockets; antennal socket diameter nearly equal to shortest distance between compound eye and antennal socket. Lower face alutaceous, with narrow elevated median area and rare setae. Clypeus small, shortest distance between clypeus and compound eye 1.7 times as long as clypeus width; central convex region of clypeus coriaceous, anterior tentorial pits present; epistomal sulcus absent; clypeo-pleurostomal line absent; ventrally emarginate and not incised medially; frons flat, punctate, with rounded impressed area ventral to median ocellus; vertex and occiput very delicately punctate; interocellar area elevated relative to vertex in anterior view; sculpture on intericellar area more enhanced than sculpture on vertex; Postocciput coriaceous, around occipital foramen impressed.

Antenna ( Fig. 5 ). Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; antenna as long as body; scape as long as broad; pedicel as long as broad; F1 2.5 times as long as pedicel; F1 1.3 times as long as F2, F2 longer than F3, F1 and F2 narrower than all subsequent flagellomeres; ratio of length of scape, pedicel and F1–F12 as follows: 6: 9: 22: 18: 18: 18: 17: 17: 13: 13: 12: 12: 11: 9; placoid sensilia present on F3–F12.

Mesosoma ( Figs 3–4, 9 ). Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view, with rare setae; pronotum coriaceous; pronotum posterolaterally with some irregular wrinkles; pronotum emarginated along lateral edge; mesoscutum smooth; as long as broad (width measured across basis of tegulae); notauli, parapsidal lines, anterior admedian lines and median mesoscutal line absent; mesoscutum elevated postero-laterally, above dorsoaxillar areas; transscutal articulation absent; dorsoaxillar area smooth, with few short setae; mesoscutellum longer than broad; mesoscutellum sides parallel; mesoscutellum 0.6 times length of mesoscutum, rugose, overlapping metanotum in lateral view; mesoscutellum with distinct rim laterally and posteriorly. Scutellar foveae absent; replaced by deep and narrow transverse area, with coriaceous bottom. Mesopleuron coriaceous, with transverse, parallel carinae; specullum smooth; mesopleural triangle rugose, with strong irregular wrinkles. Metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at dorsal 1/3 height of mesopleuron; preaxilla coriaceous; lateral axillar area with parallel wrinkles; lateral axillar area without setae; axillar carina with longitudinal striae; axillula ovate, rugose, with rare setae; subaxillular bar smooth; posterior margin of subaxillar bar in same level as metanotal trough in lateral view; metascutellum coriaceous; metanotal trough smooth, metascutellum glabrous; propodeum coriaceous; propodeum with rare setae; lateral propodeal carinae complete, strongly curved externally in posterior half; tarsal claws without basal lobe.

Wing ( Fig. 6 ). Fore wing longer than body, margin with long, dense ciliae; radial cell 3.5 times as long as broad; R 1 and Rs reaching fore wing margin; areolet big, triangular, well-delimited; Rs+M well traceable, nearly reach basal vein, slightly below lower half.

Metasoma ( Fig. 7–8 ). Metasoma shorter than head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view, smooth, without setae laterally; second metasomal tergite extending dorsally to more than half length of metasoma; lateral subapical projections of ventral spine of hypopygium with 7–11 short setae; setae on lateral subapical projections of ventral spine of hypopygium extending posterior to apex of lateral subapical projections of ventral spine of hypopygium.

Male. Unknown.

Gall ( Figs 10–11 ). Young gall. Spherical, compressed if closely clustered; green with back spots; juicy; covered with small tubercles. Mature gall. Brown, reaches 1.2 mm in diameter; wall hard; single larval chamber present.

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known, inducing leaf vein galls on Quercus acutissima leaves. Galls are appearing on the tree from early May, maturing through the summer and in late October. Under the laboratory conditions, adults emerged from late September.

Figures

Figures 1–9. Latuspina acutissima Wang, Pujade-Villar & Guo, sp. nov. 1. Head, anterior view. 2. Head, dorsal view. 3. Mesosoma, dorsal view. 4. Mesosoma, lateral view. 5. Antenna. 6. Forewing. 7. Ventral spine of hypopygium, lateral view. 8. Metasoma, lateral view. 9. Propodeum, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1–4, 7–9 =0.1mm; 5–6=0.2 mm.

Figures 10–11. Latuspina acutissima Wang, Pujade-Villar & Guo, sp. nov., galls.