Nichollsiella puigi Melika, Cuesta-Porta & 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 : 39-43

Nichollsiella puigi Melika, Cuesta-Porta & Pujade-Villar , sp. nov.

Figs 110–125

Type material. HOLOTYPE female labeled as „Mex-088, Zacatecas, Monte Escobedo, Mesa de Nebuatl 22º 31’ 47.87’’ N, 103º 26’ 2.34’’ W ” (white label); „Ex Q. chihuahensis , (26.i.2011) 26.ii.2011, O. Cabral, R. Treto, L.G. Landa & C. Carrillo leg” (white label); „ Holotype female of Nichollsiella puigi Melika, Cuesta-Porta & Pujade-Villar , desig. JP-V 2020” (red label). Twelve paratype females: with same labels as the holotype: three females (two in UB, one in PHDNRL); „Mex-087, Zacatecas, Monte Escobedo, El Peñol (22º18’30.26’’N, 103º31’28.05’’W), ex Q. resinosa , (2.xi.2010) 20.xii.2010: 2f ( UB), O. Cabral, R. Treto, L.G. Landa & C. Carrillo leg.”; „Mex-109, Zacatecas, Monte Escobedo, San Isidro-Diego, ex Q. grisea , (26.v.2012) vi.2012: 1f ( UB), leg. JP-V”; „Mex-046, Jalisco, Tcolotlán, Parque Nacional de Sierra de Quila, ex Q. magnoliifolia , (6.iii.10) 16-20.iii.10: 6f (2 UB, 4 PHDNRL, leg. A. Equihua & E. Estrada ”. The holotype is deposited in the collection at the UB.

Additional material. „ MEX-426, Zacatecas, Monte Escobedo, ex. Q. resinosa , (2.vi.2014) emergence date unknown: 4f (damaged)”; „ Aguascalientes, Ocote , Q. rugosa , (16.vi.2019) emergence date unknown: 3f R. Clark leg.”

Etymology. Named after Lluís Puig i Gordi.

Diagnosis. This is the only species with ocelli strongly elevated above vertex, median mesoscutal line present at least at the most posterior end, and antenna with 14 flagellomeres. Also see the key.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs 110–124 ). Head, mesosoma, metasoma dark brown, with black stripes along anterior parallel and parapsidal lines; pronotum dorsally and propleuron black; antenna slightly lighter brown; coxae and trochanters dark brown, femora, tibiae, tarsi dark brown to black; metasoma darker dorsally, goes to black near to nucha. The colour variation in this species ranges from light brown to chestnut-dark brown.

Head transverse, with white setae, denser on lower face, gena, vertex, occiput, postocciput and postgena; 2.5x as broad as long from dorsal view; slightly broader than high in frontal view and slightly narrower than mesosoma. Gena coriaceous-reticulate, broadened behind eye in frontal view, especially in ventral half; from lateral view as broad as transverse diameter of eye in dorsal part and slightly broader than transverse diameter of eye in ventral part. Malar space reticulate, with a few delicate striae radiating from clypeus but not reaching eye, malar sulcus absent; eye 2.1x as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. Ocelli elevated above vertex in frontal view; POL 1.5x as long as OOL; OOL 1.4x as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, 1.2x as long as LOL; posterior ocelli rounded, central ocellus ovate, all three equal in size. Transfacial distance 1.2x as long as height of eye; 1.4x as long height of lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus), toruli located level with mid-height of eyes; diameter of antennal torulus 3.0x greater than distance between them, distance between torulus and eye margin equal to diameter of torulus. Lower face coriaceous, with dense setae, with slightly elevated reticulate median area. Clypeus quadrangular, flat, as broad as high, coriaceous, ventrally rounded, emarginate and not incised ventrally; anterior tentorial pits deep, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct. Frons, interocellar area and vertex with strong irregular rugae; occiput, postgena and postocciput around occipital foramen coriaceous, with dense white setae; postocciput with delicate parallel transverse interrupted striae; posterior tentorial pits large, deep, elongate; height of oral foramen shorter than height of postgenal bridge+ occipital foramen; occipital foramen slightly higher than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus; postgenal sulci bent slightly outwards anteriorly; postgenal bridge V-shaped, smooth, glabrous, anteriorly diverging, as broad as width of occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 14 flagellomeres, pedicel as long as broad, F1 slightly longer than length of scape+pedicel, 1.2x as long as F2, F2 subequal or slightly longer than F3, F3=F4, F5=F6, subsequent flagellomeres nearly equal in length, F14 2.0x as long as F13; placodeal sensilla visible from F6.

Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view. Pronotum coriaceous, with white setae and delicate striae laterally, emarginate and foveolate along lateral edge; propleuron black, delicately transversally striate, with sparse white short setae. Mesoscutum uniformly reticulate with dense white setae, sometimes with piliferous points visible; longer than broad (width measured across base of tegulae); notaulus incomplete, extending to 3/4 of mesoscutum length, with transverse delicate rugae at the bottom, strongly converging posteriorly. Anterior parallel lines extending to half the length of mesoscutum, in the form of an alutaceous dark stripe, without setae; parapsidal line not impressed, indicated by dark smooth stripe, extending to 2/3 of mesoscutum length; median mesoscutal line distinct, impressed, extending at most 1/4 of mesoscutum length; parascutal carina narrow, reaching anterior lateral side of pronotum. Transscutal articulation deep, distinct. Mesoscutellum rounded, as long as broad; shorter than mesoscutum, uniformly rugose, overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae transverse, glabrous and smooth, divided by a short eleveated area. Mesopleuron with white setae, transversely carinate, speculum reticulate-coriaceous; mesopleural triangle with dense white setae hiding the surface sculpture. Metapleural sulcus distinct, reaching mesopleuron at mid-height, upper part of sulcus indistinct; dorsal and lateral axillar areas delicately coriaceous with some weak rugae and dense setae; axillar carina broad, with longitudinal striae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, triangular, slightly higher at its most posterior end than height of metanotal trough. Metascutellum coriaceous to rugose, 3.0x as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, with a few white setae. Lateral propodeal carinae distinct, slightly bent outwards in posterior half; central propodeal area darker than rest of propodeum, smooth, glabrous, with delicate complete, longitudinal central carina, posteriorly with short rugae extending onto nucha, without setae; lateral propodeal area delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae; nucha delicately coriaceous dorsally, with net of irregular rugae laterally. Tarsal claws with acute basal lobe.

Forewing as long as body, with distinct dark brown veins, margin with cilia; radial cell opened, 3.1x as long as broad, R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, well-delimited by distinct dark brown veins; Rs+M distinct, reaching basalis below its mid-height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending to 3/4 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with dense setae laterally and dorsally, with delicate longitudinal striae dorsally in anterior half and reticulate in posterior half, laterally entirely reticulate; all subsequent terga dorsally and laterally reticulate, with dense white setae; hypopygium reticulate; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium very short, as long as broad, with parallel sides, dense white long setae extending far beyond apex of spine and forming a tuft. Body length 5.0 mm (n = 1).

Gall. ( Fig 125 ). Detachable, multilocular, globular to ovoid, 12–15 mm in diameter. Galls develop on axillary buds, petioles or at the base of the midrib, on the upper side of leaves. Surface smooth, internal parenchyma hard. Larval chambers are in the middle of the gall; with 2–4 larval chambers/gall.

Biology. Only the asexual generation is known which induces galls on Q. chihuahensis , Q. grisea , Q. magnoliifolia and Q. resinosa ; adults emerge in winter, rarely at the end of spring.

Distribution. Mexico: Aguascalientes, Jalisco and Zacatecas.

Figures

FIGURE 125. Nichollsiella puigi, sp. nov., asexual galls.

FIGURES 110–115. Nichollsiella puigi, sp. nov., asexual female. 110–113, head: 110, frontal view, 111, dorsal view, 112, lateral view, 113, posterior view. 114, antenna. 115, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 116–119. Nichollsiella puigi, sp. nov., asexual female. 116, mesosoma, lateral view. 117, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 118, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 119, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 120–124. Nichollsiella puigi, sp. nov., asexual female. 120, forewing. 121, hindleg. 122–124, metasoma: 122, lateral view, 123, ventral view, 124, dorsal view.