Druon gregori Melika, Nicholls & Stone, 2022

Cuesta-Porta, Victor, Melika, George, Nicholls, James A., Stone, Graham N. & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2022, Re-establishment of the Nearctic oak cynipid gall wasp genus Druon Kinsey, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), with description of five new species, Zootaxa 5132 (1), pp. 1-92 : 24-27

Druon gregori Melika, Nicholls & Stone , sp. nov.

Figs. 46–56

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ECA725A0-38EA-4044-AB15-5D0B17E475F0

Type material. Holotype female: “ USA, AZ, Molino Basin campground, Santa Catalina Mtns ., gall type 81, ex Q. oblongifolia , leaf gall spAZl4 ( AZ279 ); 2007.x.28, leg. J.A. Nicholls ”; 4 female paratypes: 3 females labelled as the holotype, 1 female “ USA, AZ, Chiricahua Mtns , South-West Research Station, AZ1996 ; ex Q. arizonica, 2009 . iv.04, leg. J.A. Nicholls ” . Holotype female and 3 female paratypes are deposited in the USNM, 1 female paratype in the PHDNRL .

Additional material. Six females “ USA, AZ, Santa Catalina Mtns ., R2-84 , ex Q. oblongifolia , leaf gall; (2019. x.17) 2020.iv.10, leg. R. Russo ”. Five females deposited in the UB and 1 female in the PHDNRL .

Etymology. Named after Gregor Melika, father of G. Melika.

Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the dark Druon species group (also comprising D. alexandri , D. serretae and D. flocculentum ) but it is the only species in this group with big ocelli (OOL at least as great as diameter of lateral ocellus ( Fig. 47 )) and the only species in the genus with the mesonotum 1.3× as broad as long ( Fig. 52 ). Some specimens have the head with genae and lower head rusty brown; these specimens most closely resemble D. fullawayi , but differ in having parallel internal margins of eyes ( Fig. 46 ) (ventrally convergent in D. fullawayi ( Fig. 20 )), the notauli incomplete ( Fig. 52 ) (complete in D. fullawayi ( Fig. 27 )), and mesoscutellar foveae divided by an alutaceous elevated triangle ( Fig. 52 ) (divided by a strong carina in D. fullawayi ( Fig. 28 )).

Description. Asexual female ( Figs. 46–55 ). Head, mesosoma dark brown to black; antennae paler; metasoma slightly paler than mesosoma; mouthparts, legs yellowish, with darker coxae and base of femora.

Head alutaceous, rounded, 1.2× as broad as high and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, with sparse setae, denser on lower face; 2.1× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, slightly broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space with striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye; eye 3.8× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 3.3× as long as OOL, OOL slightly shorter than diameter of lateral ocellus and shorter than LOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance slightly shorter than height of eye; toruli located at mid height of head, frons nearly as high as lower face, diameter of antennal torulus 1.9× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.2× as great as diameter of torulus; lower face with numerous delicate striae, forming a network of interrupted rugae, with white setae; slightly elevated median area reticulate, glabrous, with a few setae. Clypeus ovate, broader than high, smooth, glabrous, with delicate parallel longitudinal striae, with a few long setae along ventral edge; ventrally rounded, not emarginate and without median incision; anterior tentorial pit rounded, distinct, epistomal sulcus distinct, clypeo-pleurostomal line well impressed. Frons uniformly alutaceous, without striae and setae, interocellar area alutaceous. Vertex, occiput and postocciput, postgena alutaceous, glabrous, with few setae; posterior tentorial pit large, elongated, area below impressed; occipital foramen slightly shorter than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci which diverge strongly toward occipital foramen, postgenal bridge anteriorly slightly broader than occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than broad; flagellomeres sequentially broadening towards apical end of antenna; F1 1.7× as long as pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2; F2 1.3× as long as F3; F3=F4, F5 to F8 equal in length, F9 to F10 equal in length; F11 1.5× as long as F10; placodeal sensilla on F5–F11.

Mesosoma only slightly longer than high, with a few white setae, setae denser along propleuron and on lateral propodeal area. Pronotum glabrous, with delicate parallel striae and sparse setae laterally; propleuron smooth, glabrous, with delicate transverse parallel striae ventrally. Mesoscutum uniformly and entirely reticulate, with a few white setae along notauli, 1.3× as broad as long (greatest width measured across mesoscutum level with base of tegulae). Notaulus narrow, weakly impressed, incomplete, hardly traceable at their most anterior end, strongly converging posteriorly; at most posterior end the distance between notauli shorter than distance between notaulus and side of mesoscutum; anterior parallel line absent; parapsidal line marked with broad impressed area; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina broad, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum rounded, as long as broad; disk of mesoscutellum alutaceous, dull rugose laterally and posteriorly, overhanging metanotum, with sparse long setae; circumscutellar carina complete. Mesoscutellar foveae transverse, about 2.0× as broad as high, smooth, glabrous, divided by a narrow rugose elevated central carina. Mesopleuron alutaceous-reticulate, speculum alutaceous; mesopleural triangle smooth, glabrous, with a few irregular striae and long white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, glabrous; axillula with delicate parallel longitudinal striae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, with parallel sides, posteriorly as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half of its height; upper part of sulcus also distinct, delimiting very broad smooth, glabrous area; lower delimited part smooth, with dense long white setae. Metascutellum smooth, glabrous, higher than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with parallel rugae in posterior half; lateral propodeal carinae distinct, nearly parallel, curving outwards in posterior 1/4; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with long white setae, with rounded bump at the base of each seta. Nucha with numerous sulci dorsally and laterally. Tarsal claws with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, hyaline, with distinct dense cilia on margin, veins pale brown, radial cell open, 4.0× as long as broad; Rs nearly reaching wing margin, R1 short, extending to 2/3 of vein projection to wing margin; areolet triangular, closed and distinct. Rs+M inconspicuous, its projection reaching basalis in the lower 1/3 of its height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending to 2/3 of length of metasoma in dorsal view, with numerous white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures; all subsequent terga with micropunctures. Hypopygium with micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 3.5× as long as broad in ventral view. Body length 1.5–2.0 mm (n = 5).

Gall ( Fig. 56 ). White fluffy gall on the midrib on the underside of leaves, cluster of a few cells.

Biology. Only the asexual generation is known, which induces woolly leaf galls on Q. arizonica , Q. oblongifolia and Q. rugosa (all Section Quercus , Series Leucomexicanae). Galls mature in October; adults emerged shortly afterwards under laboratory conditions.

Distribution. USA: Arizona, Santa Catalina Mtns. and Chiricahua Mtns.

Comments. Chromatic variation of adults has been observed in different collections from the type locality. Druon gregori usually has a completely black head and darkened coxae and proximal half of femora. The variant specimens have rusty brown genae and lower face, and amber legs.

Figures

FIGURES 46–49. Druon gregori, sp. nov., asexual female. 46–48, head: 46, frontal view, 47, dorsal view, 48, posterior view. 49, antenna.

FIGURES 50–53. Druon gregori, sp. nov., asexual female. 50, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view. 51, mesosoma, lateral view. 52, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 53, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 54–56. Druon gregori, sp. nov., asexual female. 54, fore wing. 55, metasoma, lateral view. 56, gall: a, general view, b, larval chambers, dorsal view, c, d, larval chambers, lateral view. Figs. 56a, c, d, courtesy of R. Russo.

FIGURES 20–25. Druon fullawayi, comb. nov., asexual female. 20–23, head: 20, frontal view, 21, dorsal view, 22, lateral view, 23, posterior view. 24, antenna. 25, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 26–29. Druon fullawayi, comb. nov., asexual female. 26, mesosoma, lateral view. 27, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 28, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 29, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.