Neuroterus quaili 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 : 107-111

Neuroterus quaili Melika, Nicholls & Stone , sp. nov.

Figs. 394–405

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2DA5C5E2-2CD8-4EDF-8611-41791A6051DD

Type material: HOLOTYPE female “ USA, CA, Quail Ridge Reserve , leg. J. Nicholls, 2008.04.04. Code CA1143 , spCAc3; ex Quercus berberidifolia ” . PARATYPES: 9 females with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype female is deposited at the USNM , 9 female paratypes at the PHDNRL .

Etymology. The species is named after the site where it was found, Quail Ridge Reserve.

Diagnosis. Neuroterus quaili belongs to Kinsey’s subgenus Neospathegaster . Two other Neuroterus species are known to induce catkin galls on section Quercus oaks in California: N. floricola Kinsey, 1922 and N. florulentus Weld, 1957 . Both induce different shaped and coloured galls to N. quaili : golden yellow-brown with an apical point in N. floricola , thin-walled, tan and ovate in N. florulentus . In contrast the gall of N. quaili is spherical, purplish, with quite a robust wall. Morphologically N. quaili resembles N. florulentus ; however, in N. quaili the female antenna has 11 flagellomeres, F1 longer than F2, the notaulus complete, the metasoma without setae, while in N. florulentus females the antenna has 12 flagellomeres, F1 shorter than F2, the notaulus absent, the metasoma with white setae laterally. This new species also morphologically resembles N. floricola ; however in N. floricola the notaulus is absent and the mesopleuron is partially alutaceous while in N. quaili the notaulus is complete and the mesopleuron is entirely and uniformly smooth, glabrous.

Description. Female ( Figs. 394–404 ). Head and mesosoma dark brown to black, metasoma brown; lower face, clypeus and malar space light brown; mandibles, maxillary and labial palpi yellow; antennae brown; legs yellow.

Head alutaceous, with sparse white setae, denser on lower face, vertex, postgena; rounded, 1.2× as broad as high and as broad as width of mesosoma in frontal view, 2.0× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view; malar space alutaceous, without striae; with malar sulcus; eye 2.4× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 1.9× as long as OOL, OOL 1.9× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and slightly longer than LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.3× as long as height of eye, diameter of antennal torulus slightly longer than distance between them, distance between torulus and eye longer than diameter of torulus; lower face and slightly elevated median area uniformly alutaceous. Clypeus slightly broader than high, alutaceous; ventrally rounded, not emarginate, without median incision and with a few long setae; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, epistomal sulcus distinct, broad, clypeo-pleurostomal line indicated by slightly impressed line. Frons and slightly elevated interocellar area alutaceous, with a few short white setae, with impressed rounded glabrous area above toruli; with smooth glabrous area below central ocellus. Vertex, occiput, postocciput, postgena alutaceous, glabrous; occipital foramen shorter than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into indistinct postgenal sulci which are not united; postgenal bridge anteriorly as broad as occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel 2.1× as long as broad, F1 1.5× as long as pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2, F2 slightly longer than F3, all subsequent flagellomeres gradually shorter, F12 longer than F11, placodeal sensilla on F3–F12.

Mesosoma longer than high, with a few white setae. Propleuron smooth, glabrous, with a few delicate rugae along sides. Pronotum alutaceous, with a few setae and irregular delicate striae along lateral side; anterior margin not invaginate, smooth, glabrous, not foveolate. Mesoscutum alutaceous to smooth, with a few setae, longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae), emarginate posterolaterally, slightly elevated above dorsal axillar area. Notaulus complete, reaching pronotum, in posterior 1/3 the bottom has transverse delicate rugae; anterior parallel line, parapsidal line, median mesoscutal line absent; circumscutellar carina narrow, reaching notaulus. Transscutal articulation absent. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, ovate, with alutaceous, glabrous central disk and with irregular rugae alongside disk, areas between rugae smooth, glabrous; posteriorly rounded, clearly overhanging metanotum. Mesoscutellar foveae in the form of a transverse, impressed anterior area, with smooth, glabrous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum uniformly smooth, glabrous; mesopleural triangle smooth, glabrous, with a few white setae and delicate longitudinal striae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, glabrous; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, at posterior end slightly higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron below half its height, upper part of sulcus indistinct. Metascutellum smooth, glabrous, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous; propodeum smooth, glabrous, without carinae. Nucha short, smooth, glabrous. Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, hyaline, margin with long dense cilia, with black veins, radial cell partially open, 4.0× as long as broad; R1 reaching wing margin and running along margin for half the length of radial cell, Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet small, triangular, well-delimited, Rs+M distinct along 4/5 of its length, its projection reaching basalis at half height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, taller than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergite extending to half the length of metasoma in dorsal view, without setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures, subsequent tergites smooth, glabrous, without micropunctures. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 9.0× as long as broad in ventral view, without setae. Body length 1.5–1.8 mm (n = 10).

Gall. ( Fig. 405 ). A monolocular catkin gall, 2–3 mm diameter, spherical, purple with paler mottling, on flowers rather than on the catkin stem, relatively robust wall around larval cell. Probably the same as the undescribed gall in Fig. 40 of Weld (1957a).

Biology. Galls develop on Q. berberidifolia , mature in April; adults emerge soon afterwards. Only females were reared, with males as yet unknown; however, the spring phenology of this gall suggests that it is a sexual generation. Two females were sequenced for cytb, showing 0.23% divergence (GenBank OK346281 – OK346282 ).

Distribution. USA, California, Quail Ridge Reserve.

Figures

FIGURE 405. Neuroterus quaili Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., galls.

FIGURES 394–400. Neuroterus quaili Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., female. 394–396, head: 394, frontal view, 395, dorsal view, 396, posterior view. 397, antenna. 398, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view. 399, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view. 400, forewing.

FIGURES 401–404. Neuroterus quaili Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., female. 401–402, mesosoma: 401, dorsal view, 402, lateral view. 403, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 404, metasoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 38–44. Andricus catalinensis Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov., sexual generation. 38–43, female: 38, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view, 39, mesosoma, lateral view, 40, mesosoma, dorsal view, 41, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 42, forewing, part, 43, metasoma, lateral view. 44, metasoma, lateral view, male.