Synergus ficigerae Ashmead, 1885

Lobato-Vila, Irene & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2021, The genus Synergus Hartig (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) in the New World: a complete taxonomic revision with a key to species, Zootaxa 4906 (1), pp. 1-121 : 54-56

Synergus ficigerae Ashmead, 1885

( Figures 20 , 42g )

Synergus ficigerae Ashmead, 1885 . Trans. Am. Entomol. Soc. 12: 301. Type material: USNM.

Type material (examined). LECTOTYPE ♀ with the following labels: ‘ Jacksnville, Fla’ (white label) / ‘Collection Ashmead’ (white label) / ‘ Type No. 2833 U.S.N.M .’ (red label) / ‘ Synergus ficigerae Ashm’ (white label with black frame, handwritten) / ‘USNMENT 00802062’ (white label, QR code) / ‘Lectotype ♀ Synergus ficigerae Ashmead, 1885 , IL-V desig-2017’ (red label). PARALECTOTYPES (4♀) with the following labels: ‘ Jacksnville, Fla’ (white label) / ‘Type’ (white label, handwritten) / ‘Collection Ashmead’ (white label) / ‘Paratype No. 2833 U.S.N.M.’ (red label) / ‘USNMENT 00960045’ (white label, QR code) / ‘Paralectotype ♀ Synergus ficigerae Ashmead, 1885 , IL-V desig-2017’ (red label) (2♀); ‘Jacksnville, Fla’ (white label) / ‘Collection Ashmead’ (white label) / ‘Paratype No. [blank] U.S.N.M.’ (red label) / ‘ Synergus ficigerae ♀ Ashm, type’ (white label, handwritten) / ‘Paralectotype ♀ Synergus ficigerae Ashmead, 1885 , IL-V desig-2017’ (red label) (2♀).

Additional material (5♀). Non-type material deposited in USNM (1♀) with the following labels: ‘H. George, Va. Aug 15 · 82’ (white label, handwritten) / ‘Collection TPergande’ (white label) / ‘ Synergus ficigerae Ashm. ’ (white label, handwritten). New material collected in Mexico (4♀) deposited in UB with the following location data: MEX: P398, Carretera Vallarta-Barra de Navidad, km 182 (Cabo Corrientes, JAL), Ex Disholcaspis sp., Q. magnoliifolia , (13.vi.2019) xii.2019, Pedro Moreno leg.

Diagnosis. Synergus ficigerae belongs to a group of species characterized by having the mesopleuron entirely sculptured, including the speculum, without smooth spots; hyaline wings and radial cell of fore wing at most 2.5 times as long as wide; gena usually not broadened behind eye; POL as long as OOL or longer; F1 as long as F2 and female antenna with 14 segments; lateral pronotum wrinkled or carinated, at least ventrally; mesoscutum with transversal carinae, interspaces sculptured, rarely coriaceous with weak transversal elements; notauli complete, reaching the posterior margin of pronotum; tarsal claws with a distinct basal lobe; first metasomal segment completely sulcate dorsally and laterally; syntergum posteriorly with a band of micropunctures; and body of females at least with some dark surfaces, never completely yellowish. Synergus ficigerae differs from the rest of species sharing these traits ( S. duricorius , S. beutenmulleri , S. linnei , sp. nov., S. erinacei , S. nigroornatus , S. oneratus and S. rutulus ) by having the head mostly rufous, only with some dark surfaces surrounding each ocellus at least in females ( Fig. 20c ) (mainly yellowish, with a black spot in the ocellar area or with frons, vertex and occiput, black in females of the rest of species); mesosoma rufous or mostly rufous ( Fig. 20 a–b) (yellow, dark yellow and/or yellowish orange with some black surfaces or completely black in the rest of species); vertex deeply punctate (coriaceous with some small piliferous punctures and/or weak wrinkles, or weakly wrinkled in the rest of species); and POL about as long as OOL (at least 1.3 in the rest of species).

Redescription

FEMALE. Length. Body length about 2.0– 3.5 mm (n = 10).

Color ( Fig. 20 ). Rufous and yellow. Head mainly rufous, gena and lower face yellowish, with some dark areas surrounding the ocelli. Antenna yellowish. Mesosoma mainly rufous, ventrally black; tegulae yellow. Metasoma yellow, with a dorsal black band, sometimes extended to sides and ventrally. Legs light yellow, metatarsi and tibiae dorsally usually dark. Wings hyaline, veins brownish yellow.

Head. In frontal view ( Fig. 20c ) subtrapezoid to rounded, about 1.2 times as wide as high, gena not broadened behind eye. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with striae radiating from clypeus. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin slightly projected over mandibles. Malar space about 0.6-0.7 times as long as height of eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial line about as long as height of eye. Toruli situated mid-height of eye; distance between torulus and eye shorter than diameter of torulus; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons ( Fig. 20c ) coriaceous with some punctures and weak wrinkles; frontal carinae narrow, branched in their whole length, reaching lateral ocelli. Head in dorsal view is about 2.0 times as wide as long. Vertex deeply punctate. POL: OOL: LOL = 8: 7: 4 and diameter of lateral ocelli, 6. Occiput punctate.

Antenna. 14-segmented; filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short. Scape plus pedicel about as long as F1; pedicel about 1.2 times as long as wide; F1 as long as F2 or slightly longer, F2 and F3 subequal; the following segments progressively shorter. Last flagellar segment about 3.0 times as long as wide and 1.7 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma. About 1.1 times as long as high in lateral view, including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence ( Fig. 20a ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.36. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum wrinkled; lateral carina absent, lateral margins of pronotum rounded seen from above. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 20b ) about 1.2 times as wide as long, with dense but weak carinae; anterior parallel lines weakly impressed, reaching 1/4 of the mesoscutum; notauli complete, but less impressed and visible in the anterior 1/3; median mesoscutal line absent; parapsidal lines weakly impressed, narrow, reaching tegulae. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 20b ) about as long as wide, wrinkled; circumscutellar carina weak, almost inconspicuous, obscured by wrinkles; scutellar foveae circular, shallow, weakly sculptured bottom, the posterior margin not well defined and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleuron regularly striated, sometimes somewhat wrinkled in the upper half, interspaces coriaceous. Metapleural sulcus reaching 3/4 of mesopleural height. Propodeum pubescent and weakly sculptured; propodeal carinae slightly curved and convergent. Nucha sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a small basal lobe.

Wings. Fore wing pubescent with short marginal setae, about as long as the body length ( Fig. 20a ). Radial cell closed, about 2.5 times as long as wide; areolet visible, but small. Rs+M visible, not reaching the basal vein. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. About as long as head plus mesosoma and about as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 20a ). First metasomal segment sulcate dorsally and laterally. Syntergum smooth, anterolateral pubescence composed of a few setae and posteriorly with a narrow band of micropunctures extended about 1/4–1/3 of the syntergum length; not dorsodistally incised or just slightly incised, not pointed. Hypopygial spine about as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae.

MALE. Not examined (types are presumably lost). According to the original description ( Ashmead 1885: 301), males have 15-segmented antenna.

Distribution. USA: Florida ( Ashmead 1885) and Virginia (authors). First time recorded from Mexico: Jalisco (authors).

Biology. Originally reared from galls of Disholcaspis quercusvirens ( Ashmead, 1881) (= Cynips quercussuccinipes Ashmead, 1881 , = Andricus virens Ashmead, 1885 , = A. succinipes Ashmead, 1885 , = Cynips quercusficigera Ashmead, 1885, = Holcaspis succinipes Ashmead, 1887 , = H. ficigera Ashmead, 1887 ) ( Ashmead 1885; Burks 1979; Melika et al. 2013). The new material collected in Mexico was reared from galls of Disholcaspis sp. ( Fig. 42g ) on Q. magnoliifolia .

Remarks. Synergus ficigerae was described from ‘seven specimens’ ( Ashmead 1885: 301). We located and examined 5♀ belonging to the type series deposited in USNM. A lectotype has herein been designated.

Ashmead (1885) stated that females of S. ficigerae have 13-segmented antenna, but all the examined females from the type series and the new material found in Mexico have 14-segmented antenna, which was also recorded by Gillette (1896).

In the original description, Ashmead mentions, as host gall, the species Holcaspis ficigera Ashmead, 1887 . The combination ‘ Holcaspis ficigera ’ is not mentioned in either of the catalogues prepared by Weld (1951) and Burks (1979). However, Melika et al. (2013) provided some explanations on the synonyms of Disholcaspis quercusvirens , and H. ficigera is mentioned.

The host plant is not mentioned in the original description, but D. quercusvirens was found on Q. virginiana and Q. minima ( Weld 1951; Burks 1979; Melika et al. 2013).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Synergus ficigerae (lectotype, USNMENT 00802062): a) lateral habitus; b) dorsal habitus; c) head in anterolateral view.

FIGURE 42. a) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P141); b) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P230); c) Melikaiella bicolor (Ref.: MEX: 044, 049, P026, P071); d) Sphaeroteras sp. (Ref.: MEX: P024); e) Undetermined genus (Ref.: MEX: P184); f) Neuroterus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P386, P388); g) Disholcaspis sp. (Ref: MEX: P398); h) Femuros nr repandae (Ref.: P187, P227, 2797); i) Femuros repandae (Ref.: MEX: P313, 255, 256); j) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P314); k) Disholcaspis sp. (Ref.: MEX: P140); l) Undetermined genus (Ref.: MEX: P259); m) Neuroterus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P381); n) Loxaulus hyalinus (Ref.: MEX: 333); o) Undetermined genus (Ref.: Clark-49); p) Atrusca sp. (Ref.: P317, P318); q) Atrusca sp. (Ref.: MEX: P183); r) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P394); s) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P038).