Phylloxeroxenus smilax Gates & Zhang, 2020

Gates, Michael W., Zhang, Y. Miles & Buffington, Matthew L., 2020, The great greenbriers gall mystery resolved? New species of Aprostocetus Westwood (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) gall inducer and two new parasitoids (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae) associated with Smilax L. in southern Florida, USA, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 80, pp. 71-98 : 71

Phylloxeroxenus smilax Gates & Zhang sp. nov.

Figs 19-20 , 21-28 , 29-34

Diagnosis.

Phylloxeroxenus smilax can be easily distinguished from the only other known North American species, Phylloxeroxenus phylloxerae (Ashmead), which is suspected to be a parasitoid of the cecidomyiid inquiline within Phylloxera Boyer de Fonscolombe galls on hickory ( Carya Nutt.) ( Ashmead 1881). The lower face is strigose and the ventral half of the body is yellow in P. smilax , while in P. phylloxerae the lower face is striate and the body is completely black. There are at least 50 undescribed species in at least three species groups for the Neotropical region that exhibit a range of variation in diagnostic generic characters such as the propodeum in lateral view forming a 90° angle with mesosoma; long/short petiole and resultant effect on striate part of S1 (Fig. 30 ), with the striae on S1 being a reliable diagnostic though expressed to varying degrees; and lower face with/without striae (Gates, unpublished data).

Material examined.

Holotype, female: USA • FL: Dade Co.: SE Miami, Rockdale Pineland, Ex Smilax havanensis stem gall; 18.Apr. 2010; M. Gates & M. Buffington leg.; USNMENT01735174 (deposited at USNM) . Paratypes (5♀, 6♂): Same information as holotype; USNMENT01735175-01735178 (3♀, 1♂, USNM). FL: Dade Co.: SE Miami, Rockdale Pineland , Ex Smilax havanensis stem gall; 19.Dec.2001, C. Rodriguez & T. Smith leg.; USNMENT01735179-01735184 (2♀, 5♂, USNM) . Additional material: FL: Dade Co.: Coral Gables , Deering Estate Pineland , Ex Smilax havanensis stem gall; 23.Feb.1995, G. Melika leg.; (3♀, 4♂, ABS) .

Description.

Female. Body length 1.88 mm (Fig. 19 ).

Color. Orange-yellow; antennal segments light brown; edges of ocelli, scutellum, metasoma mediodorsally with black band, eyes pinkish red (Fig. 19 ).

Head. Rounded in dorsal view, 1.3 × as wide as long in dorsal view, umbilicate with appressed setae (Fig. 21 ). Lower face strigose, clypeus emarginate, mandible tridentate and step-like, supraclypeal area smooth, glabrous, slightly raised, and extending to the toruli (Fig. 22 ). Malar sulcus present, malar space 0.7 × eye height. Genal carina present. Toruli positioned slightly above lower ocular line, diameter of torulus 4.4 × that of the intertorular space. Scrobal depression carinate laterally, fading apically. Vertex imbricate, ratios of POL:OOL:LOL equal to 2.5:1:1 (Fig. 23 ). Ratio of scape (minus radicle):pedicel:anellus: F1:F2: F3:F4:F5:club as 19:7.3:1:7:6.6:6.6:6.4:6:18; pedicel chalice-shaped; funicle fusiform; funicular segments with single row of longitudinal sensilla and one whorl of setae, as long as its bearing segment; clava bisegmented (Fig. 25 ). Head posteriorly lacking postgenal lamina, postgenal groove straight and not converging in their lower part, extending ventrally to lower margin of eyes. Postgenal bridge ornamentation narrow and delicate (Fig. 24 ). Postgenal sulci small.

Forewing. Eight submarginal setae, 3 on parastigma. Ratio of marginal vein:postmarginal vein:stigmal vein as 2:1:1.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma umbilicate, 1.45 × as long as broad; notauli complete, shallow (Fig. 27 ); lateral surface of prepectus triangular, smooth, ventral surface of prepectus without median tooth, subventral carina diverging strongly (Fig. 26 ). Mesopleuron reticulate ventrally, dorsally delimited from femoral depression by fine carina. Epicnemium flat and ventral shelf not projected forward. Propodeum in lateral view forming a 90° angle with mesosoma, broadly flattened and apically arcuate, with numerous carinae forming irregular asetose cells, these bordered laterally by setose cells; cluster of setae anterolaterad nucha (Fig. 29 ). Metaplural-precoxal carina complete (Fig. 28 ).

Metasoma. Metasoma smooth, Gt4-syntergum setose, Gt6 and syntergum microreticulate; petiole 0.78 × as long as broad in dorsal view, with ventral anterior groove and carina (Fig. 31 ); gaster S-shaped in lateral view, ovipositor angled at about 30° dorsad horizontal axis (Fig. 30 ); Gt4 emarginate posteriorly in dorsal view.

Male. 1.51 mm. Color and sculpture as described for female (Fig. 20 ). Antennal with funicular segments pedicellate, each with 2 or more rows of erect setae and about 1.5 × as long as width of segment. Four funicular segments and a trisegmented clava (Fig. 32 ). Gastral petiole in lateral view cylindrical with projecting lateral teeth and mediodorsal prong (Fig. 34 ), in dorsal view length about 2.5 × as long as greatest width, 1.6 × as long as the length to metacoxa; evenly reticulate dorsally and ventrally (Fig. 33 ), smooth laterally.

Variation.

Size ranges from 1.76-1.91 mm for females, and 1.45-1.52 mm for males. The coloration on the body can range from almost completely yellow, to mostly black on the dorsolateral surfaces, particularly in males.

Biology.

Associated with galls of Aprostocetus smilax , likely a parasitoid of the gall inducer.

Distribution.

Southern Florida, USA.

Figures

Figure 19 - 20. Phylloxeroxenus smilax 19 female habitus 20 male habitus.

Figure 21 - 28. Phylloxeroxenus smilax 21 frontal view of head 22 frontal view of lower face 23 dorsal view of head 24 posterior view of head 25 female antenna 26 lateral view of mesosoma 27 dorsal view of mesosoma 28 ventral view of mesosoma.

Figure 29 - 34. Phylloxeroxenus smilax 29 dorsal view of propodeum 30 lateral view of female metasoma 31 ventral view of female petiole 32 male antenna 33 ventral view of male metasoma 34 lateral view of male metasoma.