Andricus ismaili Tataroğlu & Katılmış, 2024

Tataroğlu, Musa & Katilmiş, Yusuf, 2024, Two New Species of Oak Gall Wasp (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini) from Türkiye, Zootaxa 5433 (4), pp. 559-572 : 561-564

Andricus ismaili Tataroğlu & Katılmış sp. n.

Type material. HOLOTYPE female (asexual): TÜRKİYE, Burdur, Yeşilova, Horozköy , 37°28’N, 29°35’E, 1320 m a.s.l.; ex Q. infectoria ; M. Tataroğlu & Y. Katılmış leg.; collected date: 21.XI.2022; emerging date: 14.IV. 2023 in lab . PARATYPES: 2♀♀, the same data as the holotype. The holotype and paratypes are deposited in the ERL-PAU.

Etymology. In honour of second author’s father and son, İsmail Katılmış.

Diagnosis. Andricus ismaili sp. n. belongs to the group of species ( A. caliciformis ( Giraud, 1859) and A. kollari ( Hartig, 1843)) , within the “ kollari ” group, which is characterized by a coriaceous malar space with indistinct punctures, uniformly deep and complete notauli always reaching the pronotum, uniformly densely pubescent mesopleuron, and acetabular carina delimiting a narrow area on the mesopleuron, and usually light brown to amber head and mesosoma. However, Andricus ismaili sp. n. differs from A. caliciformis and A. kollari in the shape of the pronotum (the ventro-lateral edge of the pronotum with distinct longitudinal striae and only the dorso-lateral part of the pronotum coriaceous in A. ismaili sp. n.; the ventro-lateral edge of the pronotum coriaceous, like the rest of the pronotum in A. caliciformis and A. kollari ), and the shape of the scutellar foveae (scutellar foveae are smooth, without setae, and well delimited around in A. ismaili sp. n.; scutellar foveae with dense setae, not clearly delimited posteriorly in A. caliciformis and A. kollari ).

Description.

ASEXUAL FEMALE (description based on holotype and paratypes) ( Figs. 1–3 ).

Body length. 3.6–4.0 mm (n=3).

Colour. Head, antennae, mesosoma, wing veins, and legs are uniformly yellowish-brown; the metasoma is yellowish-brown, slightly darker antero-dorsally.

Head. Head is delicately coriaceous, with uniformly sparse white setae, 2.2–2.5 times as broad as long from above, 1.4–1.6 times as broad as high in front view, and slightly narrower than mesosoma. The gena is delicately coriaceous, strongly broadened behind the eye. The malar space is coriaceous, nearly 0.4 times as long as the height of the eye, with a few delicate striae radiating from the clypeus and extending at least to half-length of the malar space. POL is 1.5–1.7 times as long as OOL; OOL is 1.5–1.6 times as long as the diameter of the lateral ocellus and longer than LOL. The transfacial distance 1.3 times as long as the height of the eye and 1.6–1.7 times as long as the height of the lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus); the diameter of the antennal torulus is 1.4–1.5 times as long as the distance between them, and the distance between the torulus and the eye margin is 1.3–1.4 times as long as the diameter of the torulus. The lower face is delicately coriaceous, with a slightly elevated median area. The clypeus is coriaceous, with white setae with distinct deep anterior tentorial pits, with a distinct epistomal sulcus and a clypeo-pleurostomal line, with the ventral margin slightly emarginated. Vertex and occiput are delicately coriaceous.

Antenna. The antenna is 13-segmented; the pedicel is 1.6 times as long as broad; F1 is 2.2–2.3 times as long as the pedicel and 1.2–1.3 times as long as F2; F11 is 2.2 times as long as F10. Placodeal sensilla are present on F4–F11, but absent on F1–F3.

Mesosoma is convex in lateral view, 1.2 times as long as high, with uniformly white setae. The dorso-lateral part of the pronotum is coriaceous with dense white setae, while the ventro-lateral edge of the pronotum has distinct longitudinal striae and white setae. The scutum is uniformly coriaceous, nearly as long as broad from above, with complete and well-impressed notauli. The median mesoscutal line is present as a short, shallow but distinct furrow only posteriorly, while the parapsidal lines are distinct and broad, 0.5 times as long as the scutum length. The anterior parallel lines are distinct and reach to half the length of the scutum. The scutellum is 2.8 times as short as scutum, broader than long, dull rugose, with delicately coriaceous sculpture medially, and uniformly white setae, overhanging metanotum. The scutellar foveae are transversely ovate, deep, smooth, well delimited around, without setae, and medially separated by a central carina. The mesopleuron, including speculum, is mostly coriaceous with dense white setae, but the upper anterior part of the mesopleuron has distinct longitudinal striae. The mesopleural triangle has dense white setae, while the acetabular carina delimits a very narrow area laterally. The metapleural sulcus reaches the mesopleuron around 1/2 of its height, and the area delimited by the inferior part of the metapleural sulcus has very dense white setae. The axillar carina is longitudinally wrinkled, and the axillula has dense white setae, while the subaxillular bar is smooth, shining, and equal to the height of the metanotal trough. The ventral bar of the metanotal trough is wrinkled and narrower than the height of the metanotal trough. The dorsellum is rugose, nearly 1.2 times as broad as the height of the ventral impressed area; the metanotal trough has dense white setae; the ventral impressed area of the dorsellum is rugose. The propodeum has dense white setae; the lateral propodeal carinae curved outwards in the middle. Only the upper end part of the lateral propodeal carinae has very few setae, while the central propodeal area is smooth and shining. The lateral propodeal area has dense white setae, and the nucha is rugose.

Forewing has yellowish-brown veins, with the margin having very short tender cilia. The radial cell is 3.5–4.0 times as long as broad, Rs and R1 not reaching wing margin. The areolet is distinct, and Rs+M nearly reaches the basal vein.

Legs. The foretibia has short, strong, sparsely applied setae. The tarsal claws feature a strong basal lobe.

Metasoma is higher than long in lateral view, with all tergites exhibiting a band of white setae. The prominent part of the ventral spine of the hypopygium is 5.0–5.2 times as long as broad in ventral view, with a few short setae.

Gall. ( Fig. 4 ). A bud gall develops on the shoots. The general shape of the asexual gall tends to be conical, reaching a length of 10–15 mm at maturity. Some conical galls may exhibit a pimple-like protrusion at the apex. The young gall is green in color, gradually turning light brown as it matures. There is a single larval chamber at the base of the gall from which adults emerge. The gall tissue is woody. Older galls do not fall from the host tree but darken with age.

Biology. Only the asexual generation of this species is known. Asexual galls mature in the autumn, and asexual females emerge early the following spring.

Host plant. Quercus infectoria .

Distribution. Currently known only from Türkiye.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Andricus ismaili sp. n., asexual female: a, head in anterior view; b, mesosoma in dorsal view; c, metasoma in lateral view; d, head in dorsal view; e, mesosoma in lateral view; f, mesosoma in posterior view.

FIGURE 2. Andricus ismaili sp. n., asexual female: a, pronotum in lateral view; b, scutum in dorsal view; c, scutellum in dorsal view; d, mesopleuron; e, leg; f, tarsal claw.

FIGURE 3. Andricus ismaili sp. n., asexual female: a, antenna; b, general view of the asexual female; c, fore wing; d, radial cell and areolet.

FIGURE 4. Mature (a–b), old (c) and dissected (d) galls of Andricus ismaili sp. n. (Photos by M. Tataroğlu).