Synergus symbioticus Schwéger & Melika, 2015

Schwéger, Szabina, Melika, George, Tang, Chang-Ti, Bihari, Péter, Bozsó, Miklós, Stone, Graham N., Nicholls, James A. & Pénzes, Zsolt, 2015, New species of cynipid inquilines of the genus Synergus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) from the Eastern Palaearctic, Zootaxa 3999 (4), pp. 451-497 : 482-485

Synergus symbioticus Schwéger & Melika , new species

Figs 107–122

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: JAPAN (JP1422), Ishikari coast, nr Sapporo, Quercus dentata , 2008.10.0 9 leg J. Nicholls, ex asex gall Andricus symbioticus . 85 female and 85 male PARATYPES: 69 female and 78 male: JAPAN (JP635, JP1418, JP1414, JP1411, JP1419, JP1408, JP1422, JP1415, JP1409, JP1417, JP1423) Ishikari coast, nr Sapporo ex Andricus symbioticus asex gall on Quercus dentata 09.X.2008. leg J. Nicholls; 5 female and 3 male: JAPAN (JP611) Mt. Moiwa, nr Sapporo ex unknown bud gall on Quercus crispula 09.X.2008. leg J. Nicholls; 1 female and 3 male: JAPAN (JP060) Tomakomai Experimental Forest, ex unknown bud gall on Quercus crispula , 07.X.2008. leg J. Nicholls; 3 female: JAPAN (JP551, JP552) Mt. Moiwa, nr Sapporo, ex unknown leaf gall on Quercus crispula 08.X.2008. leg J. Nicholls; 1 female and 1 male: JAPAN (JP1157) Ishikari coast, nr Sapporo ex Andricus kashiwaphilus asex gall on Quercus dentata 09.X.2008. leg J. Nicholls; 2 female: RUSSIA (RU416) Ryazanovka Village, nr Vityaz Bay, ex Andricus kashiwaphilus asex gall on Quercus dentata 25.IX.2008. leg G. Stone.

The female holotype, 55 female and 55 male paratypes are deposited in PHMB, 10 female and 10 male paratypes in USNM and 20 female and 20 male paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. The species is named after the main host, Andricus symbioticus Kovalev (Cynipini) (synonym of Andricus hakonensis (Ashmead)) , from whose asexual galls the adults of the new species emerged.

Diagnosis. Most closely resembles S. formosanus , diagnostic characters see in Diagnosis to S. formosanus and in the key to species.

Description. FEMALE. Head and mesosoma black or very dark brown; clypeus always lighter than rest of head; antenna light brown, mouthparts, maxillary and labial palps yellowish; legs yellowish brown with darker coxae; wings with distinct brown venation; nucha black, first metasomal tergite always black, rest of metasoma dark brown with lighter hypopygium.

Head coriaceous, covered with dense short whitish setae, row of setae present along inner margin of eye; postgena without or few setae; posterior part along hypostoma with dense setae. Head rounded in frontal view, 1.2 times as broad as high, slightly broader than mesosoma, 2.0 times as broad as long in dorsal view. Eye 1.5 times as high as length of malar space. Malar sulcus absent, delicate striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye. Clypeus small, coriaceous, with radiating striae, slightly impressed, ventrally straight, not emarginate; epistomal sulcus indistinct; anterior tentorial pit small and distinct; clypeo-pleurostomal line indistinct. Lower face with distinct striae radiating from clypeus and extending to lower level of torulus and eye. Frons, dull rugose, with distinct deep punctures and with two distinct lateral frontal carinae. Transfacial distance 1.15 times as long as height of eye; distance between inner margin of eye and antennal torulus equal to diameter of torulus; diameter of torulus 1.3 times as long as distance between toruli. POL 2.0 times as long as OOL and 1.4 times as long as LOL; OOL 1.4 times as long as length of lateral ocellus. Interocellar area elevated, with deep distinct punctures. Vertex narrow, sculptured, with distinct deep numerous punctures. Occiput sculptured, occipital carina absent. Gena not broadened behind eye, invisible in frontal view, coriaceous, with some setae. Postgenal bridge reduced to long, narrow median strip; postgenal sulci united well before reaching hypostoma; posterior tentorial pit distinct, area around occipital foramen well-impressed, smooth. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel 1.5 times as long as broad, F1 1.4 times as long as F2 and 2.1 times as long as pedicel; F2=F3, F12 nearly 2.0 times as long as F11; placoid sensillae on F4– F12, invisible on F1–F3.

Mesosoma 1.25 times as long as high in lateral view. Sides of pronotum slightly angled in dorsal view; pronotum dull rugose, laterally with strong striae, area between them coriaceous; lateral pronotal carina complete, reaching lateral edge of pronotum. Propleuron alutaceous with some transverse striae in upper half. Mesoscutum dull rugose, with white setae, denser between notauli, with strong interrupted transverse rugae, area between them smooth. Notaulus complete, extending to pronotum, slightly broadened posteriorly, with smooth bottom. Anterior parallel line present in anterior 1/4 of mesoscutum, indicated by smooth glabrous surface; parapsidal line very narrow, extending to half length of mesoscutum; distinct parascutal carina present along side of mesoscutum, reaches pronotum; median mesoscutal line strongly impressed, complete, reaches pronotum. Dorsoaxillar area finely coriaceous. Mesoscutellum 1.4 times as long as broad in dorsal view, uniformly rugose, laterally rounded, without emargination laterally and posteriorly. Scutellar foveae obliquely transverse with coriaceous bottom, hardly delimited posteriorly from disk of mesoscutellum, separated by indistinct central carina. Mesopectus smooth, with parallel longitudinal striae, especially in central and posterodorsal parts. Metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus in upper 1/3 of its height. Propodeum coriaceous, glabrous, with dense short white setae laterally of central propodeal area; lateral propodeal carina distinct, uniformly thin, straight; central propodeal area delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae. Metascutellum indistinct, much shorter than ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, with few setae; propodeal spiracle with strong raised carina along anterior border. Nucha with longitudinal parallel rugae.

Fore wing veins brown, well traceable; margin with cilia; radial cell closed, 2.5 times as long as broad; Rs and R1 straight, areolet present. Legs with short white setae, tarsal claws with distinct basal lobe.

Metasoma only slightly longer than head+mesosoma and slightly longer than high in lateral view. First metasomal tergite black, with longitudinal parallel rugae. Syntergite with few white setae anterolaterally, smooth, glabrous; posterodorsally not incised, with small dorsoposterior patch of micropunctures; subsequent tergites and hypopygium with delicate micropunctures; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short and slender, with very few short white setae ventrally. Body length 1.9–2.6 mm (n =15).

MALE. Similar to female but head more rounded in frontal view, yellowish brown with darker frons and vertex; antenna with 13 flagellomeres, F1 slightly curved and expanded apically, not broadened basally, 1.6 times as long as F2. Body length 1.6–2.2 mm (n = 15).

Biology. This species was reared from the asexual galls of Andricus hakonensis (Ashmead) (= Andricus symbioticus Kovalev ) ( Fig. 147 ) (new valid name and synonym in Wachi & Abe 2009) and A. kashiwaphilus on Quercus dentata Thunb. and Q.mongolica subsp. crispula (Blume) . Adults emerged during October.

Distribution. Currently known from Japan (Hokkaido) and Far East of Russia (vicinities of Vladivostok).

We now discuss the current status of previously described Eastern Palaearctic Synergus species, in alphabetical order.

Figures

FIGURES 107 – 116. Synergus symbioticus, new species, 107 – 110, head, female: 107, frontal view, 108, dorsal view, 109, posterior view, 110, lateral view. 111 – 113, head, male: 111, frontal view, 112, dorsal view, 113, posterior view. 114 – 115, antenna: 114, female, 115, male. 116, hind tarsal claw.

FIGURES 117 – 122. Synergus symbioticus, new species, 117 – 120, female: 117, pronotum and propleuron, frontal view, 118, mesosoma, lateral view, 119, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 120, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 121 – 122, metasoma, lateral view: 121, female, 122, male.

FIGURES 145 – 157. Host oak galls of newly described Synergus spp.: 145, Andricus kashiwaphilus, asexual gall, 146, A. mukaigawae, asexual gall, 147, A. hakonensis (= A. symbioticus), asexual galls, 148, Trichagalma formosana, asexual galls, 149, Belizinella sp., asexual gall, 150, Ussuraspis sp., asexual gall, 151, undescribed leaf gall (RUl 5), 152, undescribed leaf gall (RUl 1), 153, undescribed acorn gall (JPa 2), 154, undescribed bud gall (JPb 1), 155, undescribed bud gall (JPb 1), 156, undescribed acorn gall (JPa 1) (photos by G. Csóka). 157, undescribed stem swelling-like gall (TWTs 13) (photos by Chang Ti Tang).