Amphibolips hidalgoensis Pujade-Villar & Melika

Cibrián-Llanderal, D, 2011, New Amphibolips gallwasp species from Mexico (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Zootaxa 3105, pp. 47-59 : 53-56

Amphibolips hidalgoensis Pujade-Villar & Melika , new species

Figs 18–36

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Female: MEXICO, Acoxachitlan, Barrio de Tlacpac, Hidalgo state, (08.06.2010) 8– 15.06.2010. Q. crassifolia , leg J.Pujade-Villar (deposited in CP); PARATYPES (53 females): 31 females with the same data as the holotype (16 UB; 5 PDL; 3 USNM; 2 CSIC; 5 CP); 11 females, MEXICO, San Marcos, Tlaxcala, (3.06.2010) 3– 10.06.2010. Q. crassipes , leg. J.Pujade-Villar (5 UB; 2 females in PDL; 2 CP); 5 females, MEXICO, Los Romeros, Hidalgo, (3.06.2010). 3- 10.06.2010; Q. candicans , leg J.Pujade-Villar (4 UB, 1 PDL); 6 females, Huasca, Hidalgo, (08.06.2010) 8- 15.06.2010, Q. candicans (4 UB, 2 PDL).

Etymology. The species is named after the Mexican state, Hidalgo, where the most galls were collected.

Diagnosis. This species is also characterized by the posterior emargination of the mesoscutellum ( Figs 21–32 ) and by the presence of a heavy dark stripe along the anterior margin of the forewing, which is interrupted by a clear unpigmented cross band in the cell delimited by R1+Sc and Rs+M ( Fig. 34 ). Mostly resembles A. nassa , however, in A. hidalgoensis , F3 is equal in length to F4 ( Fig. 25 ), the gall is rounded, with soft and spongious parenchima ( Figs 18–20 ), while in A. nassa F3 1.3 times as long as F4 ( Fig. 42 ), the gall is elongate, spindle-shaped, with hard and lignified parenchima ( Figs 42–43 ). Furthermore, A. hidalgoensis is reared from Q. crassifolia , Q. crassipes and Q. candicans , while A. nassa is reared from Q.castanea (= Q. serrulata ) and Q. mexicana .

Description. FEMALE ( Figs 21–36 ). Head black, except chestnut brown maxillary and labial palpi; antenna, mesosoma, legs and metasoma black, except dark brown tarsomeres 2–5.

Head ( Figs 21–24 ) quadrangular in anterior view, dull rugose, with sparse short white setae, denser on lower face and gena, 2.2 times as broad as long from above, 1.3 times as broad as high in anterior view, narrower than mesosoma. Gena dull rugose, strongly broadened behind eye, visible in anterior view behind eye, as broad as cross diameter of eye; malar space rugose, without striae; height of eye 1.4–1.6 times as long as length of malar space. OOL nearly equal or very slightly longer than POL; length of lateral ocellus 1.2–1.6 times as long as LOL; ocelli elongate. Transfacial distance 1.6 times as broad as height of eye; diameter of toruli 1.3–1.6 times as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and inner margin of eye equal to diameter of torulus; lower face dull rugose, without striae radiating from clypeus to antennal sockets, with narrow elevated rugose median area. Clypeus rounded ventrally, coriaceous, with strongly elevated small, rounded central area, ventrally emarginate, without median incision; anterior tentorial pits deep, epistomal sulcus conspicuously impressed, clypeo-pleurostomal line indistinct. Frons, vertex, interocellar area and occiput uniformly dull rugose. Occiput with strong carina dorsally, postocciput and postgena dull striate, impressed around occipital foramen, with dense white setae; posterior tentorial pits large, deep, area around them strongly impressed; height of occipital foramen at least 3.0 times as long as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, not circumscribing oral foramen, continuing into postgenal sulcus. Labial palpus 3-segmented, maxillary palpus 5-segmented. Antenna ( Fig. 25 ) with 11 flagellomeres; slightly longer than mesosoma; scape 2.5 times as long as pedicel; pedicel subglobose, slightly broader than long; F1 equal or slightly longer than scape+pedicel and 1.7 times as long as F2; F2=F3=F4, subsequent flagellomeres shorter, F11 1.5–2.1 times as long as F10; whitish placodeal sensilla visible on F5–F11, absent on F1–F4.

Mesosoma ( Figs 26 , 29–33 ) only slightly longer than high. Pronotum coriaceous dorsally, with numerous strong irregular rugae laterally; propleuron black, coriaceous, concave in mediocentral part. Mesoscutum uniformly dull rugose, subequal, nearly as long as broad in dorsal view (largest width measured across mesoscutum on the level of tegulae base). Notauli indistinct in dull rugose sculpture; anterior parallel lines extending to half length of mesoscutum, slightly elevated, mesoscutum impressed along both sides of lines; parapsidal lines distinct, originating away from posterior margin and extending to nearly half length of mesoscutum; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina short, extending to level of tegula only. Mesoscutellum 0.7 times as long as mesoscutum, uniformly dull rugose, quadrangular, slightly longer than broad, slightly overhanging metanotum; scutellar foveae large, deep, with parallel transverse strong striae on shiny bottom, with distinct elevated narrow median carina dividing base of mesoscutellum into two halves; lateral sides of foveae with strong carinae, separating them from dorsoaxillar area. Mesoscutellum with deep posteromedian emargination, 2.0–2.4 times as wide as deep in anterodorsal view; posterior sides rounded, not emarginate ( Figs 31–32 ), pointed dorsally in the end of the internal margin depression. Mesopleuron, including speculum, uniformly dull rugose, ventral rugae orientated into transverse subparallel striae. Mesopleural triangle rugose; dorsal axillar area delicately rugose; lateral axillar area and axillula coriaceous, with few short white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shiny, with parallel sides, its height less than height of metanotal trough, most posterior part extending to half height of mesoscutellum; postalar process long, with parallel striae; metapleural sulcus hidden in dull rugose sculpture. Metascutellum uniformly coriaceous, metanotal trough coriaceous, with dense white setae; ventral impressed area smooth, slightly shorter than height of metascutellum; central propodeal area smooth, shiny, narrow, with numerous strong irregular rugae, mostly orientated transversely; lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, subparallel, slightly curved outwards medially; lateral propodeal area with irregular wrinkles and dense white setae; nucha short, with irregular wrinkles around. All legs with dense short white setae, uniformly black, except dark brown tarsomeres 2–5; tarsal claws with acute basal lobe ( Fig. 28 ).

Forewing ( Fig. 34 ) longer than body, infuscate, with short dense cilia on margin, with heavy dark stripe along anterior margin of wing, going across radial cell, cell delimited by R1+Sc and Rs+M not pigmented, while further cell delimited by R+Sc, M+Cu1 and M also dark; radial cell narrow, long, 3.1 times as long as broad, open on margin; R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin; areolet small, triangular, closed and distinct; Rs+M reaching basalis (M) at its half height.

Metasoma ( Fig. 35 ) longer than head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite occupying nearly half length of metasoma, smooth, shiny, with short setae anteroventrally, its posterior half conspicuously punctate dorsally and laterally and only very narrow posterior band smooth, without punctures; all subsequent tergites dorsally and laterally uniformly and entirely micropunctate, with a narrow, smooth posterior band on each tergite. Ventral spine of hypopygium robust, long, needle-like, prominent part 6.5 times as long as broad, with two rows of white setae each side, extending beyond apex of spine ( Fig. 36 ). Body length 5.5–5.7 mm.

Gall ( Figs 18–20 ). A large, globose oak bud gall, with greatest diameter up to 6.5 cm. The gall is very thinwalled, light brown when mature, with smooth and naked surface; with spongy-like parenchyma and radiating filaments supporting the central, hard-walled ovate larval chamber, with largest length 5.0– 6.5 mm.

Biology. Only females are known, inducing galls on Quercus crassipes Humb. & Bonpl. and Q. crassifolia Humb. & Bonpl. , which are distributed in Mexico and Guatemala, and Q. candicans Humb. , an endemic oak species to Mexico (all in Section Lobatae of Quercus , red oaks) ( Govaerts & Frodin 1998, Pujade-Villar et al. 2009). The mature galls were collected in early June and adult wasps emerged soon after field collection.

Distribution. Currently known from Mexico: Hidalgo State, Acoxachitlan, Barrio de Tlacpac and Los Romeros; San Marcos, Tlaxcala.

Comments. This may represent the asexual generation [we reared about 50 females and no males emerged from the collected galls]. This is the first gallwasp species reared from Quercus crassipes ( Pujade-Villar et al. 2009) .

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 20. 14 – 17, Amphibolips zacatecaensis, new species: 14, forewing, female; 15 – 17, gall (photos by J. Pujade-Villar); 18 – 20, Amphibolips hidalgoensis, new species, gall (photos by J. Pujade-Villar).

FIGURES 21 – 28. Amphibolips hidalgoensis, new species, female: 21 – 24, head: 21, anterior view, 22, dorsal view, 23, posterior view, 24, lateral view. 25, antenna; 26, mesosoma, lateral view; 27, fore tibia and fore tarsus; 28, tarsal claw.

FIGURES 29 – 33. Amphibolips hidalgoensis, new species, female: 29, mesoscutum, dorsal view; 30, mesosoma and propleura, anterior view; 31, mesoscutellum, dorsal view; 32, mesoscutellum, anterodorsal view (arrows show the width and depth of posterior scutellar depression); 33, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 34 – 41. 34 – 36, Amphibolips hidalgoensis, new species, female: 34, forewing; 35, metasoma, lateral view; 36, ventral spine of hypopygium, lateral view. 37 – 40, mesoscutellum, anterodorsal view: 37, Amphibolips quercuscinerea; 38, A. pistrix (‘ niger’ complex); 39, A. fusus; 40, A. dampfi. 41, mesoscutellum (part), lateral view, A. dampfi.

FIGURES 42 – 48. Galls: 42 – 46, Amphibolips nassa; 44 – 45, A. fusus; 46, A. jubatus (photos by G. Melika, Kinsey collection, AMNH, NYC). 47 – 48, A. fusus, female: 48, head, anterior view; 49, mesoscutellum, dorsal view.