Synergus aurofacies Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, 2020

Lobato-Vila, Irene, Equihua-Martínez, Armando, Estrada-Venegas, Edith G., Cibrián-Tovar, David, Barrera-Ruíz, Uriel M. & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2020, Synergus Hartig species group (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) with partially smooth mesopleurae from the New World, Zootaxa 4822 (1), pp. 1-38 : 8-10

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

( Figures 2–3 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BC38D9E7-D697-48DA-BB75-0B4BD10ECF38

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀ deposited in UB with the following labels: ‘ MEX: P234, Bosques de Santa Fe (Cuajimalpa, CDMX), 19°21’09.78’’ N, 99°15’55.02’’ W’ (white label) / ‘Ex. Femuros lusum, 2577 metres, Q. laeta , (28. vi.2016) vii.2016, D. Cibrián leg.’ (white label) / ‘ Holotype ♀ Synergus aurofacies Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2019’ (red label). PARATYPES (2♂ & 10♀) deposited in UB (2♂ & 8♀) and USNM (2♀) with the same data as the holotype.

Additional material. 2♀ with the same data dissected and gold-coated (deposited in UB) .

Etymology. Named aurofacies due to the color of its lower face, which is brownish to yellowish orange under compound eyes and around the oral fovea in both sexes, but more evident in males.

Diagnosis. Synergus aurofacies is morphologically close to S. cibriani Pujade-Villar & Lobato-Vila, 2017 ; S. citriformis ( Ashmead, 1885) ; S. laeviventris ( Osten-Sacken, 1861) ; S. longimalaris Pujade-Villar & Lobato-Vila, 2017 ; S. longiscapus Pujade-Villar & Lobato-Vila, 2017 ; and S. pomiformis ( Ashmead, 1885) (see below), but differs from all of them mainly by having OOL almost 3.0 times as long as diameter of lateral ocelli (about 2.0 times in the above-mentioned species), body and head mainly black (with more yellow areas in the above-mentioned species) and the radial cell about 2.7 times as long as wide in females and 2.4 in males (shorter, around 2.4 in both sexes in the above-mentioned species) (see the diagnosis and descriptions of all these related species and the identification key).

Description. FEMALE. Length. Body length 2.3–2.8 mm (n = 10).

Color ( Fig. 2a, c ). Mainly black. Head black, except for a brownish orange surface under compound eyes and around the oral fovea. Antennae dark brown to black, pedicel sometimes lighter. Mesosoma black; tegulae yellow. Metasoma dark chestnut to black. Legs yellow, metacoxae and sometimes the base of second coxae, dark brown to black; tarsi, but especially metatarsi, infuscated. Wings hyaline, veins dark yellow.

Head. In anterior view ( Figs 2c , 3a ) trapezoid, almost 1.2 times as wide as high, genae slightly expanded behind compound eyes. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with regular striae radiating from clypeus, reaching compound eyes and toruli; medial carinae also present, but weaker. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin very slightly projected over mandibles. Malar space about 0.6 times as long as height of compound eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial line about as long as height of compound eye. Toruli situated slightly under mid-height of compound eyes; distance between torulus and compound eye shorter than diameter of toruli; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons finely coriaceous, sometimes with scarce small piliferous punctures; frontal carinae absent. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 3b ) is almost 2.1 times as wide as long. Vertex finely coriaceous, with scarce small piliferous punctures. POL: OOL: LOL = 6: 4: 3 and diameter of lateral ocelli, 1.5. Occiput finely coriaceous, with scarce small piliferous punctures.

Antennae ( Fig. 3f ). 14-segmented (7: 4: 9.5: 8.5: 7.5: 7: 6.5: 6: 5: 4.5: 4: 4: 4: 6); filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F2-F12. Pedicel about 2.0 times as long as wide; F1 just slightly longer than F2, F2 just slightly longer than F3. Last flagellar segment about 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 ( Fig. 3c ), including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence. Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.26. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum finely coriaceous to imbricated; without lateral carina. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 3d ) about 1.2 times as wide as long, coriaceous and with some punctures; anterior grooves shallow, occupying at most 1/3 of the mesoscutum length. Notauli complete but less impressed and narrower anteriorly, wider and convergent posteriorly. Median groove shallow, reaching 1/3 or 1/2 of the mesoscutum length. Parapsidal grooves shallow, surpassing tegulae. Scutellum ( Fig. 3d ) rounded, slightly longer than wide, coriaceous to imbricated, posteriorly with very weak wrinkles; circumscutellar carina well defined, slightly upturned but not projected; scutellar foveae triangular, almost smooth, shallow, not well-defined posteriorly and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleurae ( Fig. 3c ) medially and anteriorly striate, basally and speculum smooth; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus well defined, reaching about 4/5 parts of mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 3g ) pubescent, almost smooth; propodeal carinae very slightly curved but parallel, distally somewhat branched. Nucha weakly sulcated dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a basal tooth ( Fig. 3e ).

small micropunctures not forming a posterodorsal patch; not dorsodistally incised and pointed. Hypopygium finely punctate; hypopygial spine about as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae.

Wings ( Fig. 2a, f ). Fore wings pubescent with short marginal setae; as long as body length. Radial cell ambiguously closed, about 2.7 times as long as wide; Rs vein projected beyond the end of the radial cell along the wing margin; areolet small. Rs+M inconspicuous. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. Slightly longer than head plus mesosoma, slightly more than 1.5 times as long as high in lateral view ( Figs 2a , 3h ). First metasomal segment sulcated dorsally and laterally. Syntergite smooth; anterolateral pubescence composed of a few setae; posteriorly sometimes with very weak and scarce

MALE. Similar to female, except for the following morphological traits: body length 2.3–2.6 (n = 2). Antennae 15-segmented (8: 4: 10.5: 10: 9: 9: 8: 7: 6: 6: 5: 5: 4: 3: 5). F1 slightly curved and very weakly expanded apically ( Fig. 2e ). Genae expanded behind compound eyes, more quadrate. Malar space almost 0.7 times as long as height of compound eye ( Fig. 2d ). Radial cell almost 2.4 times as long as wide; Rs vein more projected than in females and R1 very depigmented ( Fig. 2b ). Lower face, genae and antennae (except the last segments), yellowish orange ( Fig. 2d ). Tarsi yellow ( Fig. 2b ).

Distribution. Mexico. State of Ciudad de México.

Biology. Reared from galls of Femuros lusum Kinsey, 1937 ( Fig. 2g ) on Quercus laeta Liebm. ( Quercus section).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Synergus aurofacies, sp. nov.: a) female habitus; b) male habitus; c) female face; d) male face; e) first antennal segments of the male; f) female forewing; g) host gall.

FIGURE 3. Synergus aurofacies, sp. nov.: a) female head in frontal view; b) female head in dorsal view; c) mesosoma in lateral view (the black arrow points out the speculum); d) mesosoma in dorsal view; e) tarsal claws; f) female antenna; g) propodeum; h) metasoma in lateral view.