Ufo nipponicus Melika

Melika, George, Tang, Chang-Ti, Yang, Man-Miao, Bihari, Péter, Bozsó, Miklós & Pénzes, Zsolt, 2012, New species of cynipid inquilines of the genus Ufo Melika & Pujade-Villar, 2005 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini), Zootaxa 3478, pp. 143-163 : 150-154

Ufo nipponicus Melika , new species

Figs 18–29

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: JAPAN (JP1105), Mt. Hiyama, Fukuoka, on Q. acutissima . 2008.10.12. leg. J. Nicholls; ex Cerroneuroterus monzeni , asex. galls. 32 female PARATYPES: 4 females with the same labels as the holotype; 8 females: JAPAN (JP 543, JP1369) Dazaifu city near Fukuoka, on Q. acutissima . 2008.10.15. leg. J. Nicholls, ex Cerroneuroterus monzeni , asex. galls; 2 females: JAPAN (JP566, JP1385) Mt. Aburayama, Fukuoka, on Q. acutissima . 2008.10.13. leg. G. Stone, ex Cerroneuroterus vonkuenburgi , asex. galls; 5 females: JAPAN (JP1370, JP1371) Dazaifu city near Fukuoka, on Q. acutissima . 2008.10.13–15. leg. J. Nicholls, ex Cerroneuroterus vonkuenburgi , asex. galls; 9 females: JAPAN (JP669) Mt. Hiei, Kyoto, on Q. acutissima , 2008.10.17. leg. G. Stone, ex Trichagalma acutissimae ; 3 females: JAPAN (JP797, 800, 801) Matsugasaki, Kyoto, on Q. variabilis , 2008.10.18. leg. J. Nicholls, ex Trichagalma acutissimae ; 1 female: JAPAN (JP671), Mt. Hiei, Kyoto, ex Q. variabilis , 2008.10.17. leg. G. Stone, ex galls of (A44) Andricus kunugifoliae .

The female holotype and 22 female paratypes are deposited in BPDL, 2 paratypes in USNM, 4 paratypes in BLKU, 2 paratypes in NMNS, and 2 paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. Named after the country, Japan, where the new species occurs.

Diagnosis. Most closely resembles Ufo koreanus , both have notauli incomplete, extending the most to the half length of the mesoscutum, the median mesoscutal line absent ( Figs 26 , 44 ); the 2nd metasomal tergite straight, not incised posterodorsally ( Figs 29 , 47 ). In U. nipponicus the head is trapezoid in anterior view ( Fig. 18 ) (ovate in U. koreanus , Fig. 40 ) and F1 of the female antenna 2.0´longer than the pedicel ( Fig. 22 ) (1.4´in U. koreanus , Fig. 42 ).

Description. FEMALE. Head and mesosoma black or very dark brown; antennae light brown, mouthparts, maxillar and labial palps yellowish; legs yellowish brown with darker coxae; wings with very pale venation; 1st metasomal tergite always black, rest of metasoma dark brown to reddish brown.

Head smooth, glabrous, with some parts alutaceous. Lower face, malar space and clypeus with relatively dense white setae, row of setae present along inner margin of eye; frons with only few scattered setae; gena behind eye, postgena, occiput and vertex with few setae; posterior areas aside hypostomata with densier setae. Head trapezoid, 1.3´broader than high in anterior view; slightly broader than mesosoma, 2.4´broader than long in dorsal view. Height of eye 1.8–2.0´longer than length of malar space. Malar space without malar sulcus, with delicate striae radiating from clypeus and reach eye. Clypeus very small, alutaceous, slightly impressed, ventrally straight, not emarginate; epistomal sulcus indistinct; anterior tentorial pits small, indistinct; clypeo-pleurostomal line indistinct. Lower face with distinct striae radiating from clypeus and extending to lower level of torulus and eye; central elevated area narrow, alutaceous, without striae. Frons uniformly alutaceous to microreticulate. Transfacial distance 1.1´longer than height of eye; distance between eye and antennal torulus equal to diameter of torulus; diameter of torulus only very slightly longer than distance between toruli. POL 3.5´longer than OOL and 1.8´longer than LOL; OOL 1.5´longer than length of lateral ocellus; posterior edge of median ocellus lies on a line between anterior edges of lateral ocelli. Vertex narrow, smooth, shiny. Occiput smooth, shiny, descending nearly vertically, not concave backwards; occipital carina absent. Gena not broadened behind eye in anterior view, smooth, delicately alutaceous, with some setae. Postgena smooth, shiny. Postgenal bridge reduced to long, narrow median strip; postgenal sulci united well before reaching hypostomata; posterior tentorial pits distinct, area around occipital foramen well-impressed, smooth and shiny. Antenna with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel 1.7´longer than broad, F1 1.5´longer than F2 and 2.0´longer than pedicel; F2=F3, F11 nearly 2.0´longer than F10; placoid sensillae on F2–F11.

Mesosoma 1.3´longer than high in lateral view. Side of pronotum rectangular in dorsal view, anterior and lateral sides form right angle; pronotum descending vertically to propleura; lateral part of pronotum descending from dorsal part nearly at right angle; strong pronotal carina divides lateral from frontal part, which oriented almost at right angle to each other; pronotum coriaceous, laterally with some striae, area between them weakly coriaceous or almost smooth, shiny. Propleuron alutaceous, with some transverse striae in lower half. Mesoscutum with white setae, densier between notauli; slightly longer than broad measuring along anterior edge of tegulae; uniformly delicately coriaceous with piliferous points. Notauli incomplete, extending to half length of mesoscutum, slightly broadened posteriorly, with smooth, shiny bottom; anterior parallel lines very indistinct, present in anterior 1/4 of mesoscutum, indicated by smooth, glabrous surface. Parapsidal lines very narrow, extending to 1/3 of mesoscutum length; distinct parascutal carina present only along tegula; median mesoscutal line absent. Dorsoaxillar area very finely coriaceous, shiny, with micropunctures; lateroaxillar area joins dorsoaxillar area at an acute angle. Mesoscutellum 1.4´longer than broad in dorsal view, emarginate and rugose along lateral and posterior edges, uniformly delicately coriaceous centrally. Scutellar foveae transverse, with smooth bottom, separated by distinct median carina. Mesopleuron smooth, shiny, with parallel longitudinal striae, especially in central and posterodorsal parts. Metapleural sulcus reach mesopleuron in most upper 1/4 of its height. Propodeum smooth, glabrous, with sparse short white setae laterally of central propodeal area; lateral propodeal carinae distinct, uniformly thin, slightly curved outwards in mid-height; central propodeal area delicately coriaceous, without striae. Metascutellum indistinct, much shorter than ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shiny, without setae; propodeal spiracle transversely ovate, with strong raised carina along anterior border. Nucha black, with longitudinal parallel ridges.

Forewing veins very pale, hardly traceable; margin with long cilia; radial cell opened, 2.8´as long as broad; Rs and R1 straight, areolet absent. Legs with short white setae, tarsal claws with distinct basal lobe.

Metasoma longer than head+mesosoma and slightly longer than high from lateral view. Second metasomal tergite with few white setae anterolaterally, smooth, shiny, glabrous, posterodorsally straight, not incised. Subsequent tergites and hypopygium micropunctate; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium very short and slender, with very few short white setae ventrally. Body length 1.5–1.8 mm (n =15).

MALE. Unknown.

Biology. This species was reared from spangle galls of asexual generations of Cerroneuroterus monzeni (Dettmer) ( Fig. 49 ) and C. vonkuenburgi ( Fig. 48 ), and also from asexual galls of Trichagalma acutissimae (Monzen) ( Fig. 51 ) on Q. variabilis and Q. acutissima . A few wasps emerged from leaf galls, collected on Q. variabilis and which were identified as Andricus kunugifoliae (Shinji) ( Fig. 52 ) [for the current status of this species see Abe et al. 2007).

Distribution. Known from Japan: Kyushu, Fukuoka (Mt. Hiyama, Mt. Aburayama, Dazaifu city) and Honshu, Kyoto (Mt. Hiei and Matsugasaki).

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 22. Ufo nipponicus, new species, female: 18 – 21, head: 18, anterior view, 19, dorsal view, 20, posterior view. 21, lateral view. 22, antenna.

FIGURES 23 – 29. Ufo nipponicus, new species, female: 23, mesosoma, lateral view, 24, pronotum, anterior view, 25, propleuron, anterior view, 26, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 27, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 29, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 29, metasoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 40 – 47. Ufo koreanus Melika, Pujade-Villar & Choi, female: 40 – 41, head: 40, anterior view, 41, dorsal view. 42, antenna. 43, mesosoma, lateral view, 44, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 45, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 46, mesosoma, ventral view, 47, metasoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 48 – 52. Host oak galls of Ufo spp.: 48, Cerroneuroterus vonkuenburgi, asexual galls, 49, C. monzeni, asexual galls, 50, C. nawai, asexual galls, 51, Trichagalma acutissimae, asexual galls, 52, Andricus kunugifoliae, asexual galls (photos by G. Csóka).