Zapatella brooksvillei Melika & Abrahamson, 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 : 122-124

Zapatella brooksvillei Melika & Abrahamson , sp. nov.

Figs. 446–455

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FF85A398-30DA-4932-BE27-019B31CBDF5F

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ USA, FL., Hernando Co., Brooksville Ridge , on Q. laevis , coll. 15 February 1995, dissected from galls 16 February 1995. G. Melika , ex Quercus laevis ” . PARATYPES: (4 female): 3 females with the same labels as the holotype and one female “ USA, FL, Highlands Co., Archbold BioStation , Lake Placid, 28 January 1995, emerged 08 March 1995, coll. G. Melika , ex Quercus laevis ”. The holotype is deposited at the USNM ; 4 females at the PHDNRL .

Etymology. The species is named after the Brooksville Ridge, Hernando Co., Florida, where the species was collected for the first time.

Diagnosis. Most closely resembles Z. quercusmedullae and Z. quercusphellos . In Z. brooksvillei the median mesoscutal line absent or present in a form of short triangle, while in Z. quercusphellos the median mesoscutal line is deeply impressed and extends for 1/3–2/3 of the mesoscutum length. In Z. brooksvillei POL 1.4× as long as OOL, while in Z. quercusmedullae POL equal OOL.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs. 446–455 ). Body, antennae and legs uniformly reddish brown.

Head microreticulate, with a few white inconspicuous setae, denser on lower face and postgena, slightly broader than high and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 1.7–1.8× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena delicately uniformly reticulate, broadened behind eye in frontal view, broader than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space without sulcus, with delicate striae radiating from clypeus and nearly reaching eye. Eye 1.9× as high as length of malar space; lower face delicately coriaceous, with striae radiating from clypeus and extending nearly to the level of antennal toruli. Clypeus alutaceous, quadrangular, as high as broad and slightly impressed; ventrally rounded, emarginate, medially not incised; anterior tentorial pit small, indistinct; epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct. POL 1.4× as long as OOL, OOL 1.7× as long as length of lateral ocellus and 1.4× as long as LOL, interocellar area microreticulate, not elevated; frons, vertex and occiput microreticulate, postocciput and postgenae alutaceous. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 nearly equal to F2 and slightly longer than F3, flagellomeres subsequently broader until F11, F6–F11 shorter and broader than preceding flagellomeres, F7–F10 as long as broad, F11 1.75× as long as F10, placodeal sensilla on F5–F11, hardly discernable or invisible on F1–F4.

Mesosoma 1.4× as long as high, mesoscutum concave in lateral view. Pronotum setose, delicately reticulate, without posterolateral rugae. Mesoscutum as broad as long in dorsal view, with sparse scattered setae; with transverse, delicate interrupted striae which are connected with longitudinally orientated weak striae, together forming an irregular reticulate net. Notaulus distinctly impressed along nearly half its length, deep and broad posteriorly, narrowing towards anterior end, with smooth bottom; median mesoscutal line absent or present in the form of a short triangle; parapsidal line distinct, extending to half the length of mesoscutum; anterior parallel line distinct, extending to 1/3 the length of mesoscutum. Upper half of mesopleuron uniformly reticulate, lower part smooth, glabrous, with distinct longitudinally orientated delicate rugae, ventral edge with dense white setae. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, trapezoid, broader in posterior 1/3, reticulate, dull rugose along sides and in posterior 1/3. Mesoscutellar foveae rounded, with smooth and glabrous bottom, clearly separated medially by elevated reticulate area. Metascutellum rugose, higher than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, with numerous white setae. Propodeum coriaceous, with dense white setae laterally; with smooth, glabrous central propodeal area, delimited by distinct subparallel lateral carinae, which are bent slightly outwards in posterior 1/3; anterior edge of central propodeal area with dense white setae, remainder without setae. Nucha with longitudinal rugae.

Forewing nearly as long as body, margin without cilia, radial cell open, 3.0× as long as broad; veins light, hardly traceable; areolet indistinct, usually invisible; Rs+M points to slightly below midway along basalis; R1 and Rs never reach wing margin, very inconspicuous, often invisible or absent. Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe, but with broad base; coxae reticulate.

Metasoma as long as head and mesosoma together, taller than long in lateral view; all metasomal tergites smooth and glabrous; base of second metasomal tergite with felt-like dense ring of white setae, interrupted dorsally, and with a few scattered setae on lateral surface of tergite. Prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium needlelike, tapering to apex, 7.5–8.0× as long as broad, with two parallel rows of short, white, scattered setae. Body length 2.2–2.7 mm (n = 5).

Gall. Tiny enlargements at the base of young twigs and branches, multilocular with up to 7–8 cells in one gall; sometimes only a barely visible swelling indicates the presence of the gall.

Biology. Only an asexual generation is known, which induces twig galls on Q. laevis . Mature galls, containing adult wasps, were collected in January-February; adults emerge in March. One individual from the type series was sequenced for cytb (GenBank OK346327 ) .

Distribution. USA, Florida, Hernando Co. (Brooksville Ridge) and Highlands Co., Lake Placid (Archbold Biological Station).

Figures

FIGURES 446–451. Zapatella brooksvillei Melika & Abrahamson, sp. nov., asexual generation, female. 446–449, head: 446, frontal view, 447, posterior view, 448, dorsal view, 449, lateral view, 450, antenna. 451, mesosoma, dorsal view.

FIGURES 452–455. Zapatella brooksvillei Melika & Abrahamson, sp. nov., asexual generation, female. 452–453, mesosoma: 452, lateral view, 453, dorsal view. 454, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view. 455, metasoma, lateral view.