Antron tomkursari Melika, Nicholls & Stone, 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 : 78-82

Antron tomkursari Melika, Nicholls & Stone , sp. nov.

Figs. 287–301

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4D5E52C2-ECA5-4126-94F6-84965B

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ USA, Arizona, 5km NE of Strawberry , leg. J. Nicholls, 2008.04.12, Code AZ1863, spAZl14; ex Quercus arizonica ”. PARARYPES: 3 females with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype is deposited at the USNM, 3 females at the PHDNRL.

Etymology. Named in memory of Prof.Thomas A. Kursar (1949 -2018), Department of Biology at the University of Utah, in recognition of his extensive work on insect-plant coevolutionary interactions to the understanding of rainforest ecology.

Diagnosis. Molecular data cluster this species with A. acraspiformis ( Weld, 1926) , A. plumbeum ( Weld, 1926) and A. quercusnubila ( Bassett, 1881) , all three of which occur in the US southwest and induce leaf galls in their asexual generations. Antron acraspiformis and A. quercusnubila are almost entirely black, while A. tomkursari is entirely light brown. In A. plumbeum the mesoscutum uniformly coriaceous, the forewing uniformly hyaline, without darker stripes, the metasoma covered with dense whitish setae, while in A. tomkursari the mesoscutum smooth to alutaceous, the forewing with darker stripes, the metasoma bare and without dense setae. Also resembles A. madera Lyon, 1996 , particularly since they both induce similar galls on the same host plant. In A. tomkursari the head is slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, the eye 2.4× as high as length of the malar space, the mesoscutum is smooth to alutaceous, the mesoscutellum broadly rounded posteriorly, the metasoma without punctures, while in A. madera the head as broad as mesosoma in frontal view, the eye greater than 3.0× as high as length of the malar space, the mesoscutum is coriaceous, the mesoscutellum posteriorly narrowed to a rounded tip, the metasoma with punctures.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs. 287 , 289–301 ). Head, mesosoma, metasoma, antennae, maxillary and labial palpi, legs all uniformly light brown.

Head alutaceous to reticulate, with white setae, 1.3× as broad as high and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.0× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena reticulate, broadened behind eye in frontal view, as broad as transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space coriaceous, with striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye; eye 2.4× as high as length of malar space; malar sulcus absent. Inner margins of eyes diverge ventrally. POL 2.0× as long as OOL, OOL 1.7× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, 1.2× as long as LOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.2× as long as height of eye, diameter of antennal torulus 1.9× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 0.7× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, glabrous, with a few short white setae, without striae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous, without striae, with some short setae. Clypeus trapezoid, slightly broader than high, smooth, glabrous; ventrally rounded, not emarginate, without median incision and with few long setae; anterior tentorial pit large, deep, rounded, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct. Frons and slightly elevated interocellar area reticulate, with short white setae. Vertex reticulate, occiput with delicate transverse parallel striae, with few white setae; postocciput smooth, glabrous, postgena smooth, glabrous, with dense setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, area below impressed; occipital foramen shorter than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci which are not united, running parallel in posterior 1/3 of postgenal bridge, diverge in anterior 2/3, anterior half of postgenal bridge as broad as occipital foramen. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 11 flagellomeres, scape, pedicel and F1–F9 lighter than F10 and F11, pedicel subglobular; F1 4.0× as long as pedicel and 1.3× as long as F2, F2 slightly longer than F3, F3 slightly longer than F4; F4 slightly longer than F5, F5=F6; subsequent flagellomeres gradually shorter until F10; F11 2.0× as long as F10; placodeal sensilla on F5–F11.

Mesosoma longer than high, with white setae. Pronotum smooth, glabrous, with delicate striae along posterior margin, with some setae; invaginated anterior margin of pronotum foveolate. Propleuron smooth, glabrous, with setae. Mesoscutum smooth to alutaceous, as long as broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae), with few setae, denser along anterior margin. Notaulus complete, deep, with smooth, glabrous bottom, posteriorly converging; anterior parallel line invisible, median longitudinal invagination with coriaceous bottom extends from anterior margin to half the length of mesoscutum; parapsidal line and median mesoscutal line absent; circumscutellar carina narrow, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, trapezoid, broader in posterior half, uniformly coriaceous, with net of strong rugae laterally and posteriorly, posteriorly rounded, overhanging metanotum. Mesoscutellar foveae in the form of a transverse anterior impression, not separated medially, with coriaceous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, glabrous, with a few setae in posteroventral quarter; mesopleural triangle smooth, glabrous, with dense white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas coriaceous, glabrous, with sparse white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, narrow, at posterior end higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus delimiting very narrow area, reaching mesopleuron at mid height, upper part of sulcus indistinct. Metascutellum delicately coriaceous, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, without setae; central propodeal area lyre-shaped, smooth, glabrous, without setae, with some delicate striae along sides; lateral propodeal carinae bent outwards at mid height; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with long sparse setae. Nucha with delicate sulci dorsally and laterally. Tarsal claws toothed, with broad basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, hyaline, with dark brown veins, margin with short dense cilia, with two dark brown spots in radial cell, with dark elongated spot underneath of Cu1b and with dark stripes along r and M; radial cell opened, 3.3× as long as broad, R1and Rs nearly reaching wing margin, areolet triangular, well-delimited, Rs+M distinct along entire length, reaching basalis in lower 1/3.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, slightly higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergite extending to half the length of metasoma in dorsal view, with a few white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures;subsequent tergites smooth,glabrous,without micropunctures.Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short, broad, slightly narrowing towards apex, slightly longer than broad in ventral view, with long setae extend far beyond apex of spine. Body length 2.6–2.9 mm (n = 4).

Gall. ( Fig. 288 ). Small, round, dehiscent and unilocular leaf gall, on the underside of the leaf, to 4 mm in diameter, pale green with widely scattered pink spots. The inner larval chamber is surrounded by solid parenchyma tissue and not suspended on fine filaments.

Biology. Only an asexual generation is known, which induces leaf galls on Q. arizonica . Galls mature in April-May, adults emerge soon afterwards. The holotype and one paratype were sequenced for cytb and ITS2, showing identical haplotypes for cytb and ITS2 sequences that diverged by 0.21% (GenBank OK346297 – OK346298 , OK350659 – OK350660 ) .

Distribution. USA, Arizona: Strawberry (on Mogollon Rim), Chiricahua Mountains.

Figures

FIGURES287–288. Antron tomkursariMelika,Nicholls&Stone,sp.nov., asexualgeneration.287, female,lateralview.288,gall.

FIGURES 289–295. Antron tomkursari Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., asexual generation, female. 289–292, head: 289, frontal view, 290, dorsal view, 291, ventral view, 292, posterior view. 293, antenna. 294, tarsal claw, hind leg. 295, forewing, part.

FIGURES 296–300. Antron tomkursari Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., asexual generation, female. 296, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view, 297–298, mesosoma: 297, lateral view, 298, dorsal view. 299, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 300, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 301. Antron tomkursari Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., asexual generation, female, metasoma, lateral view.