Neuroterus bussae Melika & Nicholls, 2021

Melika, George, Nicholls, James A., Abrahamson, Warren G., Buss, Eileen A. & Stone, Graham N., 2021, New species of Nearctic oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini), Zootaxa 5084 (1), pp. 1-131 : 100-104

Neuroterus bussae Melika & Nicholls , sp. nov.

Figs. 368–380

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E1E21715-46B4-4610-8625-A4FAB605A8F4

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ USA, Florida, Levy Co., Morriston , ex bister gall on Q. virginiana . coll. 2012.03.23. E. Buss ” . PARATYPES (20 females and 19 males): 3 females and 3 males with the same labels as the holotype, 17 females and 16 males labeled as “ USA, Florida, Gainesville , ex blister gall on Q. virginiana . em. 2008.03.20 -28. J. Platt ”. The holotype , 3 female and 3 male paratypes are deposited at the USNM , 17 female and 16 male paratypes at the PHDNRL .

Etymology. Named after Dr. Eileen A. Buss (University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology), who collected the galls and reared adults.

Additional material examined. 15 females and males labeled as “ USA, Florida, Gainesville , ex blister gall on Q. virginiana . em. 2008.03.20 -28. J. Platt ” and one female (also used for DNA analyses) labeled as “ USA, Florida, Jacksonville , ex Q. virginiana , coll. G.N. Stone, 2009.04.12. Code FL1099 ” .

Diagnosis. Neuroterus bussae belongs to Kinsey’s subgenus Neuroterus . Only one Neuroterus species north of Mexico, the sexual generation of N. christi Melika & Abrahamson, 1997 , is known to induce integral leaf galls on Q. virginiana and Q. geminata . The galls of N. christi are multilocular and integral thickenings of the leaf parenchyma that protrude equally on both sides of the leaf along one side of the midrib, generally with four to six larval cells per gall ( Melika & Abrahamson 1997a). In contrast, galls of N. bussae are small, unilocular blister-like leaf galls, that commonly develop all over the leaf lamina.

A taxon with a similar gall was described from Texas on Q. virginiana , N. niger var. alimas Kinsey, 1923 , which is one of the five varieties of N. niger Gillette, 1888 described by Kinsey (1923) that were still considered forms of that species by Burks (1979). When the galls of this new species were first encountered, we initially considered that it could be N. niger var. alimas . The holotype of that species was deposited at the USNM and labelled as “Acc.24856”, pink ”N. alimas, female, Holo- Paratype’, ” Q. virginiana ”, ”Austin, Tex. 4.16.21., Patterson”; however, when inspected the insect was absent and only the gall was found. One paratype is present, but in a very poor condition, and being male is hard to determine to species. According to Kinsey (1923) this variety induces a sexual generation spring gall, while the other four varieties induce autumn asexual generation galls. Moreover, N. niger var. alimas is the only variety associated with section Virentes oaks while the other four are on Quercus oaks, and as mentioned above no Nearctic cynipid species are shared across the oak sections ( Abrahamson et al. 1998 a, 2003; Stone et al. 2009). Hence biological information suggests that N. niger var. alimas is a species distinct from N. niger and the other four of Kinsey’s varieties. Kinsey (1923) described N. niger var. alimas based on one female (holotype —lost) and 13 males and gave no detailed morphological description for this variety. Thus, there is no morphological evidence for synonymisation of N. niger var. alimas to N. niger and at the same time it cannot be treated as a valid species so we move it to nomen dubium.

Description. Sexual female ( Figs. 368–371, 374 , 376–378 ). Head dark brown to black, mesosoma and metasoma brown; clypeus, mandibles, maxillary and labial palpi, antennae, tegulae light brown; legs yellowish brown.

Head alutaceous, with sparse white setae, denser on lower face; 1.3× as broad as high and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.3× as broad as long in dorsal view, Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye in frontal view, transverse diameter of eye 2.0× as broad as gena in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, without striae, without malar sulcus; eye 4.9× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 2.8× as long as OOL, OOL 1.5× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and slightly shorter than LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance equal to height of eye, diameter of antennal torulus equal to distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.6× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face and slightly elevated median area uniformly alutaceous, without striae. Clypeus trapezoid, alutaceous, broader than high; ventrally rounded, emarginate, without median incision and with a few long setae ventrally; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, broad. Frons and slightly elevated interocellar area alutaceous, with a few short white setae. Vertex, occiput alutaceous, with rare setae; postocciput, postgena smooth, glabrous; occipital foramen as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into indistinct united postgenal sulci, postgenal bridge narrow. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 10 flagellomeres, pedicel and scape 3.0× as broad as F1 width; F1 narrowest flagellomere, nearly as long as pedicel and equal in length to F2, F2=F3=F4, F5–F10 equal in length, F12 slightly longer than F11; placodeal sensilla on F2–F12.

Mesosoma slightly longer than high, with a few white setae. Propleuron smooth, glabrous. Pronotum alutaceous, with a few setae and some delicate striae laterally; anterior margin invaginated, smooth, glabrous, foveolate. Mesoscutum smooth, glabrous, with a few setae, longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae), emarginate posterolaterally, slightly elevated above dorsal axillar area. Notaulus, anterior parallel line, parapsidal line, median mesoscutal line absent; circumscutellar carina broad, extending above tegula. Transscutal articulation absent. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, ovate, uniformly alutaceous, with some white short setae, posteriorly rounded, clearly projecting over metanotum. Mesoscutellar foveae in the form of a transverse, narrow impressed anterior area, with smooth, glabrous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum alutaceous, glabrous, invaginated in lower half; mesopleural triangle smooth, glabrous, with a few white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, glabrous; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, with parallel margins, shorter than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus delimiting smooth, glabrous area, distinct, reaching mesopleuron at half height. Metascutellum smooth, glabrous, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous; propodeum posterodorsally smooth, glabrous, without carinae, lateral propodeal carina present only at the most posterior end of propodeum. Nucha short, smooth, glabrous. Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, hyaline, margin with long dense cilia, with dark brown veins, radial cell open, 3.9× as long as broad, R1 and Rs reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, well-delimited, Rs+M distinct along full length, reaching basalis in lower 1/3 of its height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, shorter than high in lateral view; second metasomal tergite extending to 1/3 of metasoma length in dorsal view, without micropunctures, subsequent tergites smooth, glabrous, without micropunctures. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium as long as broad in ventral view, without setae. Body length 1.7–2.0 mm (n = 10).

Male ( Figs. 372–373, 375 ). Similar to female but eye 1.4× as high as length of transfacial distance and 6.6× as high as length of malar space, ocelli huge, lateral ocellus nearly reaches eye; antenna with 12 flagellomeres, scape and pedicel 3.0× as broad as width of F1, F1 straight, apically not swollen, 2.0× as long as F2, F2 and all subsequent flagellomeres nearly equal in length, placodeal sensilla on F1–F13. Body length 1.7–1.9 mm (n = 10).

Gall. ( Figs. 379–380 ). Blister-like small integral parenchyma galls, visible on both sides of the leaf; on new leaves. Emergence holes typically on upper surface of leaf.

Biology. Only a sexual generation is known, which induces integral leaf galls on Q. virginiana . Galls mature in late March-April, adults emerged immediately after the galls were collected, in March-April. Males and females from multiple sites were confirmed as conspecific using cytb sequences, with between 0 and 0.92% divergence among individuals (GenBank OK346308 – OK346314 ).

Distribution. USA, Florida: Morriston, Gainesville, Jacksonville.

Figures

FIGURES 368–375. Neuroterus bussae Melika & Nicholls, sp. nov., sexual generation. 368–371, head, female: 368, frontal view, 369, dorsal view, 370, posterior view, 371, lateral view. 372–373, head, male: 372, frontal view, 373, dorsal view. 374– 375, antenna: 374, female, 375, male.

FIGURES 376–378. Neuroterus bussae Melika & Nicholls, sp. nov., sexual generation, female. 376–377, mesosoma: 376, dorsal view, 377, lateral view. 378, forewing.

FIGURES 379–380. Neuroterus bussae Melika & Nicholls, sp. nov., sexual generation, galls. 379, lower side of leaf, 380, upper side of the leaf.