Nichollsiella sulcata ( Ashmead, 1896 ) Melika & Pujade-Villar & Nicholls & Cuesta-Porta & Stone, 2021

Melika, George, Pujade-Villar, Juli, Nicholls, James A., Cuesta-Porta, Victor & Stone, Graham N., 2021, Three new Nearctic genera of oak cynipid gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini): Burnettweldia Pujade-Villar, Melika & Nicholls, Nichollsiella Melika, Pujade-Villar & Stone, Disholandricus Melika, Pujade-Villar & Nicholls; and re-establishment of the genus Paracraspis Weld, Zootaxa 4993 (1), pp. 1-81 : 43-48

Nichollsiella sulcata ( Ashmead, 1896) , comb. nov.

Figs 126–141

Cynips sulcatus Ashmead, 1896: 123 , female, gall.

Cynips sulcata Ashmead : Dalla Torre & Kieffer, 1910: 439.

Disholcaspis sulcata (Ashmead) : Weld, 1951: 640.

Types examined. Holotype female labeled as „N 2615”, „Through C. V. Riley”, red label „Type No. 3074 USNM ”, handwritten ” Cynips sulcatus Ashm ”, deposited at the USNM (http://n 2t.net/ark:/65665/38331be6e-c9fb-4af1- b0c2-51651ffe9ef9), examined by GM.

Material examined. Two females labelled as „ USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mtns summit, on Q. arizonica, AZ 1882 ; gall type 86; coll. 2008.04.07, leg. J.A. Nicholls ”. Specimens are deposited at the collection of PHDNRL. One female labelled as „Hopk. USA, 107819”, „Reared April 16-19.”, “ Quercus oblongifolia ”, Burnett handwritten label “ Weldia sulcata (Ashmead) , det. Burnett ”, deposited at the USNM collection .

Diagnosis. Most closely resembles N. arizonica . In both species the head is rounded in frontal view, the gena only slightly or not broadened behind eye in frontal view and narrower than the transverse diameter of the eye in lateral view. In N. sulcata the mesoscutum and mesoscutellum have dense setae and inconspicuous punctures, the mesoscutum is reticulate, the metascutellum uniformly reticulate, the lateral propodeal carinae complete, and the nucha with sulci dorsally while in N. arizonica , the mesoscutum has punctures and scattered setae, the metascutellum has delicate longitudinal parallel rugae, the lateral propodeal carinae are incomplete or absent, and the nucha without sulci dorsally.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs 126–139 ). Head, mesosoma, mandibles, mouthparts, antennae, legs and metasoma uniformly reddish brown. Head around occipital foramen, two stripes along parapsidal lines and notauli, propleuron, central propodeal area, mesosoma ventrally dark brown to black.

Head reticulate, with white setae, 2.2x as broad as long from dorsal view; 1.2x as broad as high in frontal view and slightly narrower than mesosoma. Gena reticulate, not broadened behind eye in frontal view; from lateral view as broad as transverse diameter of eye in dorsal part and narrower than transverse diameter of eye in ventral part. Malar space reticulate, with a few delicate striae radiating from clypeus and not reaching eye, malar sulcus absent; eye 3.1x as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 1.8x as long as OOL; OOL 1.45x as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, subequal to LOL; ocelli ovate, all equal in size. Transfacial distance subequal to height of eye; 1.3x as long height of lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus), toruli level with the upper half of eye; diameter of antennal torulus 2.3x as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye margin equal to diameter of torulus. Lower face reticulate, without striae, with slightly elevated reticulate median area, with dense setae. Clypeus rectangular, flat, broader than high, reticulate, ventrally rounded, emarginate, not incised medially; anterior tentorial pit deep, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct. Frons, interocellar area, vertex, occiput, postgena and postocciput around occipital foramen reticulate with dense white setae; posterior tentorial pit large, deep, elongate; height of oral foramen as great as height of postgenal bridge+occipital foramen; occipital foramen slightly higher than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus; postgenal sulci bent outwards anteriorly; postgenal bridge smooth, glabrous, diverging anteriorly, as broad as width of occipital foramen. Antenna as long as head+mesosoma, with 13 flagellomeres, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 1.3x as long as length of scape+pedicel, 1.3x as long as F2, F2 1.2x as long as F3, F3 slightly longer than F4, F5=F6, subsequent flagellomeres nearly equal in length, F13 slightly longer than F12; placodeal sensilla visible from F6 only.

Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view. Pronotum delicately coriaceous, with white setae, without striae laterally, emarginate along lateral edge; propleuron darker than rest of mesoscutum, smooth, glabrous, with dense white setae. Mesoscutum uniformly reticulate with dense white setae with inconspicuous piliferous points; nearly as long as broad (width measured across base of tegulae); notauli incomplete, extending to half length of mesoscutum, with smooth bottom, slightly converging posteriorly. Anterior parallel line extending to nearly half the length of mesoscutum, in the form of a smooth darker stripe; parapsidal line not impressed, indicated by a darker reticulate stripe, extending to half the length of mesoscutum; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, reaching pronotum anteriorly. Transscutal articulation deep, distinct. Mesoscutellum rounded, as long as broad; shorter than mesoscutum, uniformly rugose, overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae rounded, with smooth, glabrous bottom, divided by narrow triangular slightly elevated central carina. Mesopleuron, including speculum, uniformly reticulate, with white setae; mesopleural triangle with dense white setae that hide surface sculpture. Metapleural sulcus distinct, reaching mesopleuron slightly above half of its height, upper part of sulcus distinct; dorsal and lateral axillar areas delicately coriaceous, with dense setae; axillar carina broad, with longitudinal striae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, triangular, at its most posterior end slightly higher than height of metanotal trough. Metascutellum reticulate, taller than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, with a few white setae. Lateral propodeal carinae distinct, bent slightly outwards at mid height, central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with few faint wrinkles, without setae; lateral propodeal area delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae; nucha short, smooth, glabrous dorsally, with delicate longitudinal sulci laterally. Tarsal claws with acute basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, with distinct dark brown veins, margin with cilia; radial cell opened, 3.0x as long as broad, R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, well-delimited by distinct dark brown veins; Rs+M distinct along entire length between areolet and basalis, reaching basalis below its mid-height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, taller than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending to 3/4 of metasoma length, with delicate striae dorsally which occupying entire length of tergum, reticulate in posterolateral half, with dense setae; subsequent terga reticulate, with dense white setae; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short, as long as broad, with parallel sides, dense white long setae extending far beyond apex of spine and forming a tuft. Body length 3.3–3.4 mm (n = 2).

Gall. ( Figs 140–141 ). Detachable, monolocular, spherical or subglobular, base of the gall with a petiole, greater than 12 mm diameter, singly on leaf petiole, surface of the mature gall smooth. Parenchyma of the gall is granular, the larval chamber spherical, usually in the center of the gall, occassionally eccentric; soft and pubescent, up to 7.0– 7.8 mm in diameter. The growing gall is light green or yellowish-red; mature galls are faded green to light brown ( Burnett 1977).

Biology. Galls develop in spring, mature in summer; adults emerge in autumn. Galls on Q. arizonica , Q. oblongifolia , Q. pungens , Q. rugosa , Q. toumeyi , Q. turbinella , Q. undulata ( Burnett 1977, Burks 1979, authors). Distribution. USA: Arizona ( Burnett 1977, Burks 1979) and New Mexico ( Burnett 1977).

Figures

FIGURES 126–131. Nichollsiella sulcata, comb. nov., asexual female. 126–129, head: 126, frontal view, 127, dorsal view, 128, lateral view, 129, posterior view. 130, antenna. 131, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 132–135. Nichollsiella sulcata, comb. nov., asexual female. 132, mesosoma, lateral view. 133, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 134, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 135, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 136–139. Nichollsiella sulcata, comb. nov., asexual female. 136, forewing. 137–139, metasoma: 137, lateral view, 138, dorsal view, 139, ventral view.

FIGURES 140–141. Nichollsiella sulcata, comb. nov., asexual galls. 140, young growing galls. 141, mature galls.