Amphibolips nevadensis Nieves-Aldrey & Pascual, 2012

Pascual, E., Maldonado-Lopez, Y., Medianero, E. & Oyama, K., 2012, Revision of the Amphibolips species of Mexico excluding the “ niger complex ” Kinsey (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 3545, pp. 1-40 : 19-22

Amphibolips nevadensis Nieves-Aldrey & Pascual sp. nov.

Figs 6A–F, 7 AE, 12B, 13F, 16A–B

Type material. Holotype. Female ( Fig. 16A). In the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales , Madrid , Spain ( MNCN), mounted on a card. Cat. nº 2252. MEXICO, Jalisco, Nevado Colima, Ciudad Guzmán , 2300 m; ex gall Quercus candicans , gall collected 20/08/2009, E. Pascual leg. Paratypes, 2 males, Nevado Colima, 2370 m, ex gall Q. candicans collected 31/03/2009, insect emerged 04/2009, E. Pascual leg. In the MNCN .

Etymology. Named after the collection site, Nevado Colima

Diagnosis and comments. In its forewing pattern, this new species resembles A. zacatecaensis and A. hidalgoensis . Compared to the former, A. nevadensis differs in its mesoscutellum being more deeply emarginated posteriorly; compared to A. hidalgoensis , the new species differs in the basal cell of its forewing, which is infuscate, while it is colourless in A. hidalgoensis .

Description. Female. Body length 6.5 mm (N = 1). Head and mesosoma black; clypeus, mandibles, antennae anteroventrally, and metasoma ventrally, dark brown. Legs black. Forewing dark infuscate, all the veins obscured by infuscation. A dark heavily infuscate band extended anteriorly along the basal cell, first cubital cell, and radial cell to antero apical of forewing. Costal cell and the area below the described heavily infuscate band is colorless, only slightly infuscate.

Female. Head, in dorsal view strongly reticulate rugose, about 2.4 times as wide as long ( Fig. 6A). POL as long as OOL, posterior ocellus separated from inner orbit of eye by 1.5 times its longest diameter. Head in anterior view about 1.3 as wide as high, gena broadened behind eye. Vertex, frons, lower face, gena, and occiput with strong irregular reticulate-rugose sculpture, some irradiating carinae from clypeus visible. Head moderately pubescent. Clypeus trapezoidal, ventral margin strongly projecting over mandibles and slightly sinuate. Anterior tentorial pits conspicuous; epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal lines discernible. Malar space 0.5 times height of compound eye. Toruli situated mid-height of compound eye; distance between antennal rim and compound eye as wide as antennal socket including rim. Ocellar plate slightly raised.

Mouthparts: mandibles strong, exposed; with dense setae in base, right mandible with three teeth; left with two teeth.

Antenna ( Fig. 6B), relatively short, as long as head and mesosoma combined; with 13 antennomeres; flagellum not broadening towards apex; with relatively long, erect setae, and placodeal sensilla in ventral area of flagellomeres F4–F11. Relative lengths of antennal segments: 26:10:52:33:27:22:20:15:14:14:12:12:21. Pedicel short, globose, shorter than long and 0.5 as long as scape; F1 1.6 times as long as F2. F6–F10 longer than wide, F11 about 2 times as long as F10.

Mesosoma. Coarsely reticulate rugose, short, in lateral view slightly longer than high ( Fig.6C). Pronotum, moderately pubescent; lateral surface of pronotum with strong irregular reticulate rugose sculpture. Pronotum medially short; ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally = 0.20. Pronotal plate indistinct dorsally.

Mesonotum. Mesoscutum barely pubescent and with strong rugose-reticulate sculpture ( Fig. 6D). Notauli visible but shallow and indistinct obscured by crossing coarse sculpture. Anteroadmedian signa well visible and parascutal carinae distinct. Transscutal fissure narrow. Mesoscutellum subquadrate, about 0.6 as long as mesoscutum. Scutellar foveae rounded, deep, with distinct margins; with some transversal rugae, the intervals smooth and shining; about 0.5 as long as mesoscutellum ( Fig. 6D). Mesoscutellum strongly reticulate-rugose, emarginated at posterior margin, the incision being only moderately deep and wide and not reaching posterior margins of scutellar foveae ( Fig. 6D). Mesopleuron coarsely reticulate rugose, the rugae not as strong as mesoscutum. ( Fig. 6C).

Metanotum. Metapectal-propodeal complex. Metapleural sulcus reaching posterior margin of mesopectus at about mid-height of metapectal-propodeal complex. Metascutellum weakly rugose; metanotal trough smooth and pubescent. Median propodeal area reticulate shining rugose and densely pubescent; lateral propodeal carinae discernible. Nucha rugose medially.

Legs. Densely pubescent; femora and tibiae robust. Metatarsal claws with strong triangular basal lobe or teeth

( Fig. 6F).

Forewing ( Fig. 12B): Slightly longer than body; radial cell 4 times longer than wide; open widely along dorsal margin; areolet conspicuous, triangular. R1 straight, not reaching wing margin; Rs+M reaching basalis at its midheight. First abscissa of radius (2r) obscured by infuscation and radius only slightly curved. Apical margin with short hair fringe.

Metasoma ( Fig. 6E), slightly shorter as head and mesosoma combined, in lateral view about slightly longer than high. Second metasomal tergite covering about two third of metasoma, with a band of micropuntures clearly visible in posterior one third; punctures visible on subsequent tergites; dorsally the surface of the second metasomal terguite before the band of micropunctures has coriaceous sculpture; latero ventral area of second metasomal tergite moderately pubescent. Projecting part of hypopygial spine long, in lateral view ( Fig. 6E) about 5 times as long as wide; laterally with long setae which not form an apical patch.

Male. Differs from female as follows: antennae with 14 antennomeres ( Fig. 7E); F1 slightly modified, flattened on ventral side, elongate placodeal sensillae visible in all flagellomeres. Mesoscutellum more widely and deeply emarginated in posterior margin ( Fig. 7B). Forewings more heavily infuscate in all its surface, but the darker anterior band being still visible ( Fig. 13F).

Gall ( Figs 19E, 19F). A globular gall ending in a obtuse apical point. Monothalamic. Grows on twigs of Quercus candicans .

Distribution. A. nevadensis was found at 2300 m a.s.l. at Nevado Colima, Jalisco state, Mexico.

Biology. Exhibits a sexual generation. The galls were collected in March, and the male adults emerged in April. The female was collected in August.