Saphonecrus albidus Lobato-Vila, 2022

Lobato-Vila, Irene, Wang, Yiping, Melika, George, Guo, Rui, Ju, Xiaoxue & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2021, A Taxonomic Review of the Gall Wasp Genus Saphonecrus Dalla-Torre and Kieffer and other Oak Cynipid Inquilines (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) from Mainland China, with Updated Keys to Eastern Palaearctic and Oriental Species, Zoological Studies (Zool. Stud.) 60 (10), pp. 1-25 : 8-10

Saphonecrus albidus Lobato-Vila and Pujade-

Villar, sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–2 ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3CD2EB49-B1DA-40AB-BEF7-E84EF0A55137

Type material: Holotype 8 deposited in UB with the following labels: ‘ Xijing Mountain, Hangzhou (Zhejiang), Ex unknown gall, unknown tree, (03. vii.2016) 05.xii.2016, Miao Chai leg. ’ / ‘ Holotype 8 Saphonecrus albidus Lobato-Vila and Pujade-Villar , desig. Lobato-Vila 2020’ (red label). Paratypes (23 and 68) with the following labels: same as the holotype: 13 (deposited in UB); ‘Linlong Mountain, Lin’an (Zhejiang), Ex unknown gall, Quercus glauca , (18. iii.2014) 20.iv.2014, Shijun Wang leg.’ (white label) / ‘ Paratype Saphonecrus albidus Lobato-Vila and Pujade-Villar , desig. Lobato-Vila 2020’ (red label) (13 and 48; 13 and 28 deposited in ZAFU, 28 deposited in UB); same data but emerged 19.ix.2013 (28; 1 deposited in ZAFU, 1 deposited in UB).

Etymology: Adjective relative to the light coloration of the metasoma, which is yellow, in contrast to the mesosoma, which is dark brown to black.

Diagnosis: Saphonecrus albidus , sp. nov. belongs to a group of species characterized by a strong and complete lateral pronotal carina, simple tarsal claws (without a basal lobe), complete notauli and the radial cell at most 3.0x as long as wide. It differs from the rest of species within this group ( S. fabris , S. lithocarpi , S. nantoui and S. taiwanensis ) by the yellow metasoma (reddish brown to dark brown in these species), the malar space being about 0.3x and the transfacial distance 0.7x as long as height of eye (malar space 0.6x or more, and the transfacial distance at least 0.9x as long as height of eye in these species), and the mesoscutum and mesoscutellum being delicately sculptured, without carinae nor wrinkles (carinate and/or wrinkled in these species). See also the key to species below.

Description: Female: Length: Body length 1.0– 1.4 mm (n = 7).

Color ( Fig. 1a ): Head dark brown to black. Antenna pale yellow. Mesosoma dark brown to black; tegulae yellow. Metasoma yellow. Legs pale yellow. Wings hyaline, veins pale yellow, hardly traceable.

Head: Trapezoid to subtriangular, about 1.2x as wide as high in anterior view ( Fig. 2a ), gena straight, not expanded behind eyes. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with few weak striae radiating from clypeus, reaching compound eyes and almost reaching the base of toruli; medial striae absent. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin slightly projected over mandibles. Malar space above 0.3x as long as height of eye. Anterior tentorial pit small but visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial distance about 0.7x as long as height of eye. Toruli situated slightly over mid-height of eyes; distance between torulus and eye shorter than diameter of torulus; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of torulus. Frons alutaceous to delicately coriaceous, without punctures and wrinkles; lateral frontal carina absent. Head ( Fig. 2b ) is about 2.3x as wide as long in dorsal view. Vertex alutaceous to delicately coriaceous, without punctures and wrinkles. POL: OOL: LOL = 6: 2.5: 3 and diameter of lateral ocelli, 1.5. Occiput coriaceous, without punctures and wrinkles.

Antennae ( Fig. 2c ): 13-segmented (3.5: 3: 4: 3: 3: 3.5: 3.5: 3: 3: 2.5: 2.5: 2.5: 6); subclavate, slightly broadened apically; with dense and short pubescence; placodeal sensilla on F4–F11. Pedicel almost 2.0x as long as wide; F1 1.3x as long as F2 and 1.3x as long as pedicel, F2 as long as F3. Last flagellomere about 3.0x as long as wide and about 2.5x as long as F10.

Mesosoma: About as long as high in lateral view including nucha, with short and sparse pubescence ( Fig. 2g ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/ laterally: 0.25. Pronotal plate visible only anteriorly, not reaching the posterior margin of pronotum ( Fig. 2b ). Pronotum laterally carinate to wrinkled, especially dorsally, interspaces coriaceous; lateral carina strong and complete ( Fig. 2g ). Mesoscutum ( Fig. 2h ) about 1.3x as wide as long, alutaceous to delicately coriaceous; anterior grooves inconspicuous. Notauli complete and well defined interrupted by sculpture anteriorly, wider and convergent posteriorly. Median groove inconspicuous, in a form of posterior short incision. Parapsidal grooves inconspicuous. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 2h ) rounded, about as long as wide, alutaceous to delicately coriaceous anteriorly and medially, weakly wrinkled posteriorly; circumscutellar carina absent; scutellar foveae shallow, with smooth and shining bottom, subtriangular, well defined and separated by a narrow median carina. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 2g ) finely and regularly striate, interspaces smooth and shining, very delicately reticulate anteriorly; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaches to 4/5 of mesopleuron height. Propodeum ( Fig. 2d ) faintly pubescent, smooth; propodeal carinae straight and parallel. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs: Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe.

Wings: Fore wings pubescent with long marginal setae, slightly longer than body length ( Fig. 1a ). Radial cell open and almost 3.0x as long as wide ( Fig. 2e ); areolet inconspicuous. Rs+M inconspicuous, not reaching the basal vein. Basal cell sparsely setose.

Metasoma: About as long as head+mesosoma, about 1.2x as long as high in lateral view ( Figs. 1a , 2f ). Syntergite smooth, with few setae anterolaterally, posteriorly without punctures; not incised dorsodistally, the tip somewhat pointed. Hypopygial spine slightly longer than wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae.

Male ( Fig. 1b ): Similar to female, except the body length 0.8–1.0 mm (n = 2); antennae 15-segmented (2.5: 2: 3: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 3), F1 slightly curved, very weakly incised medially, not expanded apically nor basally; head in anterior view more rounded; metasoma shorter than head+mesosoma.

Distribution: Mainland China (Zhejiang Province).

Biology: Reared from unknown galls on Quercus glauca Thunb. (= Q. globosa (Lin and Liu) Liao ), and from another unknown gall on an undetermined species of Quercus .

Figures

Fig. 1. Saphonecrus albidus Lobato-Vila and Pujade-Villar, sp. nov.: a, female habitus; b, male habitus.

Fig. 2. Saphonecrus albidus Lobato-Vila and Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. (female): a, head in anterior view; b, head in dorsal view; c, antennae and lateral pronotum; d, propodeum; e, radial cell of the fore wing; f, metasoma in lateral view; g, mesosoma in lateral view; h, mesosoma in dorsal view.