Synergus ishikarii Melika & Schwéger, 2015

Schwéger, Szabina, Melika, George, Tang, Chang-Ti, Bihari, Péter, Bozsó, Miklós, Stone, Graham N., Nicholls, James A. & Pénzes, Zsolt, 2015, New species of cynipid inquilines of the genus Synergus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) from the Eastern Palaearctic, Zootaxa 3999 (4), pp. 451-497 : 472-475

Synergus ishikarii Melika & Schwéger , new species

Figs 58–75

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: JAPAN (JP556) Ishikarii coast, nr Sapporo, on Q. dentata , 2008.10.0 9., J. Nicholls, ex unknown leaf gall, spRUI5, A12. Twelve female and 12 male PARATYPES: 1 female and 2 males: JAPAN (JP556, JP1378) Ishikarii coast, nr Sapporo, on Q. dentata , 2008.10.0 9., J. Nicholls, ex unknown leaf gall, spRUI5, A12; 1 female: JAPAN (JP581) Ishikarii coast, nr Sapporo, on Q. dentata , 2008.10.0 9., J. Nicholls, ex Ussuraspis spp., asex.gall; 3 females and 4 males: JAPAN (JP552) Mt. Moiwa, nr Sapporo, on Q. crispula , 2008.10.0 8., J. Nicholls, ex unknown leaf gall, spRUI1, A02; 1 female: JAPAN (JP576) Mt. Moiwa, nr Sapporo, on Q. crispula , 2008.10.0 8., J. Nicholls, ex unknown bud gall, spJPb2, A35; 3 females and 1 male: JAPAN (JP571) Minami Chitose on Q. dentata 2008.10.10., J. Nicholls, ex unknown leaf gall, A12, spRUI5; 2 females and 5 males: JAPAN (JP570) Minami Chitose on Q. crispula , 2008.10.10., J. Nicholls, ex unknown leaf gall, spRUI1, A02; 1 female: JAPAN (JP574) Tomakomai Experimental Forest, on Q.crispula , 2008.10.0 7., J. Nicholls, ex unknown leaf gall, spRUI1, A02.

The female holotype, 9 female and 9 male paratypes are deposited in PHMB, 3 female and 3 male paratypes in USNM.

Etymology. The species is named after the locality where it was collected and reared from galls for the first time, Ishikarii coast, near Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan).

Diagnosis. This species together with S. xialongmeni and S. belizinellus form a distinct subclade of species ( Figs 158–159), morphologically most closely resembles S. belizinellus . In S. ishikarii the female and male heads in frontal view are trapezoid ( Figs 58, 62 ), the height of the eye 1.8–1.9 times as long as the length of the malar space ( Fig. 58 ), in female POL:OOL:LOL=2.1:1:1.2 ( Fig. 59 ), the length of the lateral ocellus in male nearly equal to POL ( Fig. 63 ), F 1 in the female antenna 1.3–1.4 times as long as F2 ( Fig. 66 ), while in S. belizinellus the female and male heads in frontal view are rounded or ovate, the height of the eye only 1.45 times as long as the length of the malar space ( Figs 16, 20 ), in female POL:OOL:LOL=2.8:1:1.2 ( Fig. 17 ), the length of lateral ocellus in male 1.5 times as short as length of POL ( Fig. 21 ), F 1 in the female antenna nearly equal in length to F2 ( Fig. 22 ).

Description. FEMALE. Head and mesosoma black to very dark brown; antenna light brown with darker scape, mouthparts, maxillary and labial palps yellowish; legs yellowish brown with black coxae; wings with brown venation; first metasomal tergite black, syntergite blackish to dark brown, dorsally always darker than laterally.

Head rugose, trapezoid in frontal view, 1.3 times as broad as high; slightly broader than mesosoma, 2.0 times as broad as long in dorsal view. Lower face, malar space, clypeus and gena behind eye with dense white setae, row of setae present along inner margin of eye, postgena without setae around occipital foramen; posterior areas along hypostoma with dense setae. Eye 1.6 times as high as length of malar space. Malar sulcus asbsent, strong striae radiating from clypeus and extending to eye and torulus. Clypeus very small, smoothly joins central area of lower face, with striae, slightly impressed, ventrally straight, not emarginate; epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line indistinct, anterior tentorial pit small, indistinct. Lower face with distinct numerous striae radiating from clypeus and extending to lower level of torulus and eye. Transfacial distance same length as height of eye; distance between inner margin of eye and antennal torulus 1.3 times as long as diameter of torulus; diameter of torulus 1.3 times as long as distance between toruli. Frons delicately coriaceous aside of frontal carinae, with numerous delicate punctures between frontal carinae; interocellar area with delicate punctures. POL 2.2 times as long as OOL and 2.0 times as long as LOL; length of lateral ocellus same as length of OOL. Vertex rugose, with distinct, numerus, deep punctures, with few white setae. Occiput smooth. Gena not broadened behind eye in frontal view, rugose, with some white setae. Postgena smooth, with numerous dense white setae in ventral half. Postgenal bridge reduced to long, narrow median strip; postgenal sulci united well before reaching hypostoma; posterior tentorial pit distinct, area around occipital foramen well-impressed, smooth. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel 1.3 times as long as broad, F1 1.4 times as long as F2 and 2.5 times as long as pedicel; F2 longer than F3, F12 1.5 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view. Sides of pronotum rectangular, sharply angled in dorsal view, laterally with short interrupted rugae, area between them weakly coriaceous or almost smooth. Propleuron alutaceous with some transverse striae and short white setae in lower half. Mesoscutum nearly as long as broad measuring along anterior edge of tegulae, with white setae; uniformly coriaceous, with short interrupted delicate transverse rugae, especially between notauli. Notaulus complete, reaching pronotum, uniformly broad and deep, with smooth bottom. Anterior parallel line indistinct, hardly traceable. Parapsidal line very narrow, smooth, extending to 2/3 of mesoscutum; distinct parascutal carina present, reaches pronotum; median mesoscutal line deeply impressed in posterior 1/2 –2/3, complete. Dorsoaxillar area finely coriaceous. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, uniformly dull rugose. Scutellar foveae transverse, only slightly impressed, with delicately coriaceous shiny bottom, separated by distinct narrow median carina, posteriorly indistinctly separated from disk of mesoscutellum. Mesopectus with transverse parallel longitudinal striae, with smooth area between striae. Metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus in upper 1/3 of its height. Propodeum delicately coriaceous, with dense short white setae laterally and centrally; lateral propodeal carina distinct, uniformly thin, nearly straight; central propodeal area delicately coriaceous, densely setose, with distinct complete central longitudinal carina. Metascutellum smooth, shorter than smooth shiny ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, without setae; propodeal spiracle transversely ovate, with strong raised carina along anterior border. Nucha with longitudinal parallel rugae dorsally and laterally.

Fore wing veins brown or yellowish brown; margin with long cilia; radial cell closed, 2.6–2.8 times as long as broad; Rs and R1 slightly curved, areolet present. Legs with short white setae, tarsal claws with distinct basal lobe.

Metasoma only very slightly longer than head+mesosoma and slightly longer than high in lateral view. First metasomal tergite with longitudinal parallel rugae dorsally and laterally. Syntergite with few white setae anterolaterally, smooth, glabrous; posterodorsally not incised, with small rounded dorsoposterior patch of very delicate micropunctures which extending laterally only to 1/3 of syntergite height. Subsequent tergites and hypopygium micropunctate; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short with very few short white setae ventrally. Body length 2.7–3.1 mm (n =10).

MALE. Similar to female but head smaller and more rounded in frontal view; antenna black or dark brown with 13 flagellomeres, F1 slightly curved and broadened apically, less broadened basally, 1.6 times as long as F2. Body length 2.2–2.8 mm (n = 10).

Biology. This species was reared from asexual leaf galls of Ussuraspis sp. ( Fig. 150 ) and undescribed leaf galls (spRUI5, A12; Fig. 151 ) on Q. dentata Thunb. , and unknown leaf galls (spRUI1, A02; Fig. 152 ) collected from Q. crispula . Adults emerged under laboratory conditions in October-November.

Distribution. Currently known only Japan (Hokkaido).

Figures

FIGURES 58 – 67. Synergus ishikarii, new species, 58 – 61, head, female: 58, frontal view, 59, dorsal view, 60, posterior view, 61, lateral view. 62 – 49, head, male: 62, frontal view, 63, dorsal view, 64, posterior view, 65, lateral view. 66 – 67, antenna: 66, female, 67, male.

FIGURES 68 – 75. Synergus ishikarii, new species, 68 – 74, female: 68, pronotum and propleuron, frontal view, 69, mesosoma, lateral view, 70, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 71, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 72, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 73, metasoma, lateral view, 74, metasoma, part, lateral view. 75, metasoma, lateral view, male.

FIGURES 16 – 23. Synergus belizinellus, new species, 18 – 21, head, female: 16, frontal view, 17, dorsal view, 18, posterior view, 19, lateral view, 20 – 21, head, male: 20, frontal view, 21, dorsal view. 22 – 23, antenna: 22, female, 23, male.

FIGURES 145 – 157. Host oak galls of newly described Synergus spp.: 145, Andricus kashiwaphilus, asexual gall, 146, A. mukaigawae, asexual gall, 147, A. hakonensis (= A. symbioticus), asexual galls, 148, Trichagalma formosana, asexual galls, 149, Belizinella sp., asexual gall, 150, Ussuraspis sp., asexual gall, 151, undescribed leaf gall (RUl 5), 152, undescribed leaf gall (RUl 1), 153, undescribed acorn gall (JPa 2), 154, undescribed bud gall (JPb 1), 155, undescribed bud gall (JPb 1), 156, undescribed acorn gall (JPa 1) (photos by G. Csóka). 157, undescribed stem swelling-like gall (TWTs 13) (photos by Chang Ti Tang).