Synergus linnei Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, 2021

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 : 59-62

Synergus linnei Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , sp. nov.

( Figures 21–22 , 42 k–l)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:75FE628D-9141-4B52-835A-892649C83386

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀ deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the following labels: ‘ MEX: P140, La Cuchilla ( Concepción del Oro , ZAC), 22°19’35.27’’N, 103°36’26.02’’W’ (white label) / ‘Ex. Disholcaspis sp., 2386m, Quercus sp., (21.07.2011) viii.2011, C. Carrillo leg.’ (white label) / ‘Holotype ♀ Synergus linnei Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, IL-V desig-2020’ (red label). PARATYPES (4♀) with the following labels: same as the holotype: 3♀ (deposited in UB); ‘ MEX: P259, Querétaro ( QRO)’ (white label) / ‘Ex. Undetermined gall, Quercus sp., (25.xi.2011) 24.xii.2011, E. Estrada & A. Equihua leg.’ (white label) / ‘Paratype ♀ Synergus linnei Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2020’ (red label) (1♀; deposited in USNM).

Etymology. Named in honor of Carl Linnaeus or Carl von Linné (1707–1778), Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician who formalized binomial nomenclature and described the genus Quercus , with which many gall wasps are associated.

Diagnosis. Synergus linnei , sp. nov. belongs to a group of species characterized by having the mesopleuron entirely sculptured, covered with non-parallel, transverse striae, somewhat reticulated anteriorly; hyaline wings and radial cell of fore wing at most 2.5 times as long as wide; gena not broadened behind eye; POL longer than OOL; 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; notauli complete, reaching the posterior margin of pronotum; tarsal claws with a strong basal lobe; first metasomal segment completely sulcate dorsally and laterally; syntergum with a posterior wide band of micropunctures, weakly dorsodistally incised in females; and body of females at least with some dark surfaces, never completely yellowish. Synergus linnei , sp. nov. is morphologically close to S. beutenmulleri , whose main differences have already been treated (see the diagnosis of S. beutenmulleri ).

Description

FEMALE. Length. Body length 3.3–3.8 mm (n = 6).

Color ( Fig. 21 ). Body black and yellow. Frons, vertex medially and occiput, black; lower face yellow, sometimes with a small black stripe running between and below toruli, gena somewhat darker than lower face. Antenna testaceous to dark brown. Pronotum mainly yellowish orange, anterodorsally black; mesoscutum mainly black, but notauli and space between notauli posteriorly, orange or reddish orange; mesoscutellum dorsally black or at least with a medial black spot, laterally orange or reddish orange; scutellar foveae black; mesopleural triangle black or orange; mesopleuron and propodeum black; tegulae pale yellow. Metasoma black dorsally, ventrally and laterally yellowish orange; rarely anterolaterally black. Legs pale yellow, tarsi darker (metatarsi dark brown); sometimes metacoxae has a small basal dark spot. Wings hyaline, veins brown.

Head. In frontal view ( Fig. 22a ) subquadrate to trapezoid, about 1.2 times as wide as high, gena not broadened behind eye. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with dense regular striae radiating from clypeus, reaching eyes and toruli; medial striae present. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin straight, not projected over mandibles. Malar space about 0.6 times as long as height of eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial line slightly longer than height of eye. Toruli situated mid-height of eyes; distance between torulus and eye about as long as diameter of toruli; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons coriaceous, weakly wrinkled, without punctures; frontal carinae branched in their whole length and reaching lateral ocelli. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 22b ) is 2.3 times as wide as long. Vertex coriaceous, with some wrinkles and a few small piliferous punctures. POL: OOL: LOL = 9: 6: 4 and diameter of lateral ocelli, 4. Occiput coriaceous, with some small punctures.

Antenna ( Figs 21 , 22c ). 14-segmented (8: 5: 13: 13: 13: 13: 11: 10: 9: 7: 6: 5: 4.5: 7); filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F3–F12. Pedicel about 1.7 times as long as wide; F1 as long as F2, F2 as long as F3. Last flagellar segment almost 3.0 times as long as wide and 1.5 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma. About 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence ( Fig. 22g ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.33. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum weakly wrinkled; lateral carina absent, pronotum rounded seen from above. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 22i ) about 1.1 times as wide as long, weakly and densely discontinuously carinated, interspaces alutaceous; anterior parallel lines shallow but visible, extended somewhat more than 1/3 of the mesoscutal length; notauli complete and visible in their whole length, interrupted by carinae anteriorly, wider and convergent posteriorly; median mesoscutal line shallowly impressed, interrupted by carinae, sometimes just appearing as a small incision; parapsidal lines weakly impressed, surpassing tegulae. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 22i ) rounded, almost as long as wide, wrinkled; circumscutellar carina absent; scutellar foveae subtriangular to ovate, weakly sculptured bottom, posterior margin not well defined and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 22g ) irregularly and densely striated, sometimes somewhat reticulated anteriorly; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaches almost 4/5 parts of mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 22d ) weakly sculptured and densely pubescent; propodeal carinae thick and weakly sculptured, straight and convergent posteriorly. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a strong basal lobe ( Fig. 22e ).

Wings. Fore wing pubescent with short marginal setae, about as long as body length ( Fig. 21 ). Radial cell closed, about 2.5 times as long as wide; areolet visible, basal vein pale ( Fig. 22f ). Rs+M inconspicuous, almost reaching the basal vein. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. Slightly shorter than head plus mesosoma, almost 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view ( Figs 21 , 22h ). First metasomal segment sulcate dorsally and laterally. Syntergum smooth, with an anterolateral pubescence composed of a few setae and posteriorly with a complete wide band of micropunctures extended somewhat more than 1/2 of its length, less widespread dorsally ( Fig. 22h, j ); dorsodistally incised ( Fig. 22j ), not pointed; following segments not visible, micropunctate. Hypopygial spine about as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae ( Fig. 22h ).

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico: Querétaro and Zacatecas.

Biology. Reared from small round galls of Disholcaspis sp. ( Fig. 42k ) on twigs of an undetermined species of Quercus and from small striped-round galls of an undetermined genus ( Fig. 42l ) on twigs of an undetermined species of Quercus .

Figures

FIGURE 21. Lateral habitus of Synergus linnei Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. (female).

FIGURE 22. Synergus linnei Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. (female): a) head in frontal view; b) head in dorsal view; c) antenna; d) propodeum; e) tarsal claw; f) radial cell of the fore wing; g) mesosoma in lateral view; h) metasoma in lateral view; i) mesosoma in dorsal view; j) metasoma in dorsal 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).