Burnettweldia californicordazi Cuesta-Porta, Melika & Pujade-Villar, 2021

Melika, George, Pujade-Villar, Juli, Nicholls, James A., Cuesta-Porta, Victor & Stone, Graham N., 2021, Three new Nearctic genera of oak cynipid gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini): Burnettweldia Pujade-Villar, Melika & Nicholls, Nichollsiella Melika, Pujade-Villar & Stone, Disholandricus Melika, Pujade-Villar & Nicholls; and re-establishment of the genus Paracraspis Weld, Zootaxa 4993 (1), pp. 1-81 : 14-17

Burnettweldia californicordazi Cuesta-Porta, Melika & Pujade-Villar , sp. nov.

Figs 29–42 , 89–91

Types examined. Holotype female labeled as „Mex-499, Ejido Eréndira, Baja California ( BCAL), México, (10. vii.2012) 23.x.2012, ex Q. turbinella Greene , leg. S. Ordaz ” (white label); „ Holotype Burnettweldia californicordazi Cuesta-Porta, Melika & Pujade-Villar ” (red label). Three paratype females with the same data as the holotype. The holotype and two paratypes are deposited in the collection of Barcelona University ( UB) and one paratype in the collection of the Plant Health Diagnostic National Reference Laboratory ( PHDNRL), National Food Chain Safety Office , Budapest, Hungary.

Additional material. Two females with the same labels as the holotype (specimens damaged, without head and antennae).

Etymology. In honor of Salvador Ordaz Silva, collector of this species, preceded by the name “californica” that was provisionally given to this species by Burnett (1977).

Diagnosis. Burnettweldia californicordazi sp. nov. and B. corallina the only two Burnettweldia species with the head around occipital foramen, antenna, propleura, propodeum dark brown to black and the rest of the body is reddish brown while in the rest of species the entire body, antenna, legs are uniformly reddish brown. In B. californicordazi sp. nov. the mesoscutellum with black areas around anterior parallel lines and parapsidal lines black ( Figs 36–37 ); the posterior 1/3 of the second and subsequent metasomal terga are dark brown, darker than the rest of the metasoma; Rs vein is distinctly curved, the radial cell of the forewing is around 3.0x as long as broad, while in B. corallina the mesoscutum and mesoscututellum are uniformly reddish brown, anterior parallel lines and parapsidal lines are not infuscated; the posterior 1/3 of the second and subsequent metasomal terga are reddish brown, lighter than the rest of the metasoma; the Rs vein is straight or slightly curved, the radial cell of the forewing is around 4.0x as long as broad.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs 29–42 ). Head reddish brown, around occipital foraemn dark brown to black; mesosoma, legs reddish brown; mesoscutum with areas around anterior parallel lines and parapsidal lines black; antenna dark brown in basal half and reddish brown distally, propleuron and propodeum dark brown; all coxae, trochanter, femura uniformly rusty brown, tibiae and tarsi dark brown; metasoma darker, rusty brown.

Head reticulate, with dense white setae, denser on lower face, 2.1x as broad as long in dorsal view; 1.4x as broad as high in frontal view and slightly narrower than mesosoma. Gena reticulate, broadened behind eye, 1.6x as broad as transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space reticulate, without striae; eye 3.0x as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 1.7–1.8x as long as OOL; OOL 1.6x as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, slightly longer than LOL; ocelli ovate, all three equal in size. Transfacial distance 1.2x as long as height of eye, 1.6x as long as height of lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus); diameter of antennal torulus as great as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye margin 1.7x as long as diameter of torulus. Lower face reticulate, without striae, with elevated median reticulate area, with dense setae. Clypeus rectangular, flat, broader than high, reticulate, with deep anterior tentorial pits, deep epistomal sulcus and deep clypeo-pleurostomal line; ventrally rounded, emarginate, slightly incised ventrally. Frons and interocellar area reticulate. Vertex, occiput uniformly reticulate. Postgena reticulate, with sparse white setae, postocciput around occipital foramen impressed, smooth, glabrous; posterior tentorial pits large, deep, elongate; height of oral foramen shorter than height of postgenal bridge+occipital foramen; occipital foramen as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus; postgenal sulci bent outwards anteriorly; postgenal bridge smooth, glabrous, anteriorly diverging, broader than width of occipital foramen. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, F12 partially divided, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 longer than scape+pedicel, 1.3x as long as F2, F2 1.3x as long as F3, F3 slightly longer than F4, F5 longer than F6, all subsequent flagellomeres nearly equal in length, F11 1.8x as long as F12; placodeal sensilla on F4–F12.

Mesosoma as long as high in lateral view. Pronotum delicately coriaceous, with white setae, without striae laterally, emarginate, foveolate along lateral edge; propleuron delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae. Mesoscutum uniformly reticulate, with dense white setae; nearly as long as broad (width measured across base of tegulae). Notaulus incomplete, extending to half-length of mesoscutum or slightly shorter; broadest at most posterior end and gradually narrowing until anterior end, with smooth, glabrous bottom. Anterior parallel line indicated by narrow smooth to alutaceous, glabrous stripe, extending to tegula level. Parapsidal line indistinctly impressed, indicated by smooth to alutaceous, glabrous broad stripe, extending to half-length of mesoscutum, reaching above tegula; parascutal carina narrow, deep, smooth, glabrous, reaching pronotum. Median mesoscutal line distinct, short, extending to 1/6 of mesoscutum length. Transscutal articulation deep, distinct. Mesoscutellum nearly as long as broad, shorter than mesoscutum, uniformly rugose, with dense white setae, trapezoid; broadest part in posterior 2/3; circumscutellar carina present; slightly overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae transverse, 1.8x as broad as high, with reticulate bottom, with white setae, divided by narrow triangular central elevated carina. Mesopleuron uniformly reticulate, with dense white setae and piliferous points; mesopleural triangle coriaceous, with dense white setae. Metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron slightly above half of its height, upper part of sulcus indistinct, hidden by dense white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas delicately coriaceous, with dense setae; axillar carina broad, with longitudinal striae; subaxillular bar narrow, smooth, glabrous, triangular, at most posterior end higher than height of metanotal trough. Metascutellum reticulate, 2.0x as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, with sparse white setae. Lateral propodeal carina incomplete, distinct, bent outwards; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with strong rugae reaching to anterior end of propodeum; lateral propodeal area delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae; nucha short, dorsally smooth, glabrous, with longitudinal sulci laterally. Tarsal claws with acute basal lobe.

Forewing longer than body, with pale brown veins, margin with short dense cilia; radial cell 2.8x as long as broad, R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin; Rs distinctly curved, areolet triangular, well-delimited by distinct veins; Rs+M distinct on 3/4 of distance between areolet and basalis, its projection reaching basalis at mid-height.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, longer than high in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending to 2/3 of metasoma length in dorsal view, smooth, glabrous dorsally; micropuctate posterolaterally to 1/3 of tergum length, with dense white setae and piliferous points; all subsequent terga micropunctate, with dense white setae; hypopygium punctate, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short, as broad as long, with parallel sides; with dense long white setae, reaching far beyond apex of spine and forming a tuft. Body length 4.1 mm (n = 1).

Gall. ( Figs 89–91 ). Detachable monolocular stem galls, globular, with glabrous surface, smooth, occur singly or in clusters of 2–5. Spherical gall of 12–15 mm in diameter, sometimes with a very small apical tip; the base of the gall wraps over the stem; larval chamber is spherical, positioned centrally, around 3 mm in diameter. The parenchyma tissue is woody, epidermal layer thin; color of growing galls pale green with white pile which turns reddish; mature galls light brown, not deciduous.

Biology. Galls develop in summer, mature in August; adults emerge in October. Galls on Q. turbinella .

Distribution. Mexico: Baja California.

Remarks. Burnettweldia californicordazi sp. nov. morphologically corresponds the description of W. californica , ms. name given by Burnett (1977). According to Burnett, this species was collected in different localities in California ( USA), from San Diego to Lake County, inducing galls on Q. douglasii , Q. dumosa , Q. turbinella californica , and hybrids of Q. t. californica with Q. lobata , Q. dumosa , and Q. engelmanni . Burnett (1977) mentioned he collected one male amongst more than 400 females but we suspect the only male he reared was actually a cynipid inquiline. Given the morphology of the females, the species described herein is definitely an asexual form. Burnett (1977) also mentioned that galls of his W. californica , now B. californicordazi sp. nov., are similar to those of Disholcaspis canescens ( Bassett, 1890) , and galls of W. californica and B. corallina comb. nov. were erroneously assigned as cotype galls of D. canescens .

Figures

FIGURES 29–34. Burnettweldia californicordazi, sp. nov., asexual female. 29–32, head: 29, frontal view, 30, dorsal view, 31, lateral view, 32, posterior view. 33, antenna. 34, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 35–38. Burnettweldia californicordazi, sp. nov., asexual female. 35, mesosoma, lateral view. 36, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 37, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 38, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 39–42. Burnettweldia californicordazi, sp. nov., asexual female. 39, forewing. 40–42, metasoma: 40, lateral view, 41, dorsal view, 42, ventral view.

FIGURES 89–96. Burnettweldia asexual galls. 89–91, B. californicordazi, sp. nov.. 92, B. conalis, comb. nov.. 93, B. corallina, comb. nov.. 94–95, B. plumbella, comb. nov.. 96, B. washingtonensis, comb. nov.. Fig 95 courtesy of J. Gross.