Cycloneuroterus ergei Tang & Melika

Tang, Chang-Ti, Sinclair, Frazer, Hearn, Jack, Yang, Man-Miao, Stone, Graham N., Nicholls, James A., Schwéger, Szabina & Melika, George, 2016, Eight new species of Cycloneuroterus Melika & Tang gallwasps from Taiwan and mainland China (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Zootaxa 4088 (4), pp. 451-488 : 463-466

Cycloneuroterus ergei Tang & Melika , new species

Figs 3–4 , 43–55

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN: New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding Dist., ex Quercus salicina , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 116), 24.967203ºN, 121.619744ºE, 678m, ex small pinkish pimple at bud base (AGWP- Morpho44), adult em. 1.IV.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse. Ten female and 10 male PARATYPES: 5 males and 5 females with the same labels as holotype; 5 males and 1 female: TAIWAN: New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding Dist., ex small pinkish pimple leaf gall on Quercus salicina (AGWP-Morpho44), 24.58193ºN, 121.371108ºE, 678m, gall collected 22.III.2012 (TWT608), adult emerged 28.III.2012, leg. C. T. Tang, C. Y. Tuan; 4 females: TAIWAN: New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding Dist., ex small pinkish pimple leaf gall on Quercus salicina (AGWP-Morpho44), 24.58193ºN, 121.371108ºE, 678m, gall collected 22.III.2012 (TWT608), adult emerged 29.III.2012, leg. C. T. Tang, C. Y. Tuan.

The female holotype, 3 female and 3 male paratypes are deposited in NMNS, 3 female and 3 male paratypes in PHMB, 4 female and 4 male paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. This species is named after the mountain, Mt. Erge, where it was collected for the first time.

Diagnosis. Cycloneuroterus ergei closely resembles C. globosus and C. uraianus described herein with a dark brown to black body. However, in the female and male C. ergei and C. uraianus the clypeus ventrally incised ( Figs 43 , 125 ), while in C. globosus the clypeus is not incised ventrally ( Fig. 71 ). In C. ergei and C. globosus the mesopleuron has transverse striae going across the whole mesopleuron ( Figs 51 , 79 ), while in C. uraianus the transverse striae extend only to about half width of the mesopleuron ( Fig. 135 ). In C. ergei the metascutellum is not overhanging the propodeum ( Figs 51, 53 ), while in C. globosus and C. uraianus the mesoscutellum overhangs the propodeum ( Figs 79, 81 , 135–136 ). In C. ergei and C. globosus the mesoscutellum with few white setae, while in C. uraianus with denser white setae.

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Color. Head dark brown; antenna, mandibles, mouthparts, labial and maxillary palps light brown; mesosoma dark brown to black, metasoma slightly darker than mesosoma; legs yellowish.

Head 2.2× as broad as long in dorsal view, 1.2× as broad as high in frontal view and as broad as mesosoma. Gena delicately alutaceous, not broadened behind eye, 0.54× as broad as cross diameter of eye; malar area alutaceous, without striae, 0.26× as long as height of eye. Eyes converging ventrally. POL 1.3× as long as OOL; OOL 2.1× as long as length of lateral ocellus and 1.5× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, central ocellus thinner than lateral ocellus. Transfacial distance 1.1× as long as height of eye; diameter of torulus 1.4× as long as distance between toruli, distance between torulus and eye 1.1 as long as diameter of torulus. Lower face alutaceous, with dense white setae and piliferous points; median elevated area narrow, delicately coriaceous. Clypeus elevated above lower face, quadrangular, flat, alutaceous to glabrous; ventrally emarginate, with indistinct median incision; anterior tentorial pit large, distinct; epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons and interocellar area delicately uniformly alutaceous, interocellar area with few white setae. Vertex and occiput delicately alutaceous. Postocciput and postgena smooth, glabrous, without setae, with few delicate parallel and longitudinal striae, extending from occipital foramen and reach upper level of hypostoma; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; height of postgenal bridge 1.3× as long as occipital foramen, 1.07× as long as oral foramen. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; slightly longer than head+mesosoma; pedicel 1.2× as long as broad; F 1 1.1 × as long as F2, 1.9× as long as pedicel; F2–F6 progressively shorter; F 7 0.83 × as long as F6 and 0.88× as long as F8; F8–F11 progressively shorter; F 12 1.2 × as long as F11; placoid sensillae on all flagellomeres.

Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view. Pronotum smooth, glabrous, very short dorsally, without parallel striae laterally and without white setae; strongly impressed along anterior rim; propleuron alutaceous, glabrous, with smooth central area. Notaulus, anterior parallel and parapsidal lines absent, even rows of setae do not indicate them; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina broad, extending to the point where notaulus reaches pronotum. Mesoscutellum ovate, longer than wide, widest in posterior 1/4, smooth, glabrous, with very few setae, not overhanging metanotum; foveolate along lateral and posterior margins. Scutellar foveae absent, semilunar transverse depression present anteriorly, with smooth glabrous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, glabrous, without setae, with several parallel striae at lower part, impressed along acetabular carina; mesopleural triangle alutaceous. Dorsoaxillar area smooth, with few white setae; lateroaxillar area alutaceous, without setae. Subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, posteriorly as high as height of metanotal trough; postalar process with parallel delicate striae; metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus in the upper 1/3 of its height. Metascutellum uniformly coriaceous, metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, without white setae; ventral impressed area equal in height to metascutellum, smooth, without striae; central propodeal area broad, smooth, glabrous, with few delicate, longitudinal and mainly parallel rugae, lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, strongly curved outwards in lower half; lateral propodeal area with rugae, glabrous, with few setae and piliferous points. Nucha without irregular rugae.

Radial cell of fore wing 4.1× as long as broad; Rs+M distinct on all distance to basalis and its projection reaches basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma slightly shorter than head+mesosoma, as high as long in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite with very few white setae laterally, occupying about 1/3 length of metasoma in dorsal view, all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, glabrous. Ventral spine of hypopygium short, prominent part 1.78× as long as broad in ventral view, with sparse white subapical setae, not extending beyond apex of spine. Body length 1.4–1.6 mm (n=5).

MALE. Similar to female. Eye and ocelli larger, antenna with 13 flagellomeres, slightly longer than length of body, F1 curved and swollen apically, slightly longer than F2 and scape+pedicel; F13 nearly equal in length to F12; placoid sensillae on all flagellomeres. Body length 1.3–1.5 mm (n=5).

Gall ( Fig. 55 ). Galls are monolocular, pinkish or yellowish, 2.0– 2.5 mm in length, develop on sprouts.

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known, inducing galls on Q. salicina . Mature galls were collected in late March. Adults emerged from galls immediately after field collection.

Distribution. Currently known only from Taiwan: Mt. Erge, Shihding District, New Taipei City.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Colour patterns in Cycloneuroterus species. 1 – 2, C. abei new species: 1, female, 2, male. 3 – 4, C. ergei new species: 3, female, 4, male. 5 – 6, C. jianwui new species: 5, female, 6, male. 7 – 8, C. lilungi Tang, Melika & Yang: 7, female, 8, male.

FIGURES 43 – 50. Cycloneuroterus ergei, new species. 43 – 45, head, female: 43, frontal view, 44, dorsal view, 45, posterior view. 46 – 48, head, male: 46, frontal view, 47, dorsal view, 48, posterior view. 49 – 50, antenna: 49, female, 50, male.

FIGURES 51 – 55. Cycloneuroterus ergei, new species, female: 51, mesosoma, lateral view, 52, mesosoma, dorsal view, 53, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 54, fore wing. 55, gall (photo by C. - T. Tang).

FIGURES 125 – 132. Cycloneuroterus uraianus Tang & Melika, new species

FIGURES 71 – 77. Cycloneuroterus globosus, new species. 71 – 73, head, female: 71, frontal view, 72, dorsal view, 73, posterior view. 74, head, male, frontal view. 75 – 76, antenna: 75, female, 76, male. 77, fore wing, female.

FIGURES 78 – 84. Cycloneuroterus globosus, new species. 78 – 81, female: 78, pronotum and propleura, frontal view, 79, mesosoma, lateral view, 80, mesosoma, dorsal view, 81, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view. 82 – 84, galls (photos by C. - T. Tang).

FIGURES 133 – 138. Cycloneuroterus uraianus Tang & Melika, new species.