Synergus compressus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, 2021

Lobato-Vila, Irene & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2021, The genus Synergus Hartig (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) in the New World: a complete taxonomic revision with a key to species, Zootaxa 4906 (1), pp. 1-121 : 30-31

Synergus compressus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , sp. nov.

( Figures 8–9 , 42b )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1D57F2AF-B5F5-4CD4-B822-761A11783BD9

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀ deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the following labels: ‘ MEX: P230, Tenextla ( Chignahuapan , PUE), 19°50’8”N, 97°59’34”W’ (white label) / ‘Ex Andricus sp., 2291m, Q. crassifolia , (12. iii.2012) 16.v.2012, Juan M. Vanegas-Rico leg.’ (white label) / ‘Holotype ♀ Synergus compressus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2020’ (red label). PARATYPES (1♂ & 1♀) deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the same labels as the holotype.

Etymology. From the Latin term ‘ compressus’ for compressed, regarding the strongly laterally compressed metasoma of females of this species.

Diagnosis. Synergus compressus , sp. nov. is characterized and distinguished from other species from the New World by having the metasoma in females strongly laterally compressed. It belongs to a group of species characterized by having the mesopleuron entirely sculptured, including the speculum, covered with fine, regular and dense transversal striae; hyaline wings and radial cell of fore wing 2.7–3.0 times as long as wide; POL usually longer than OOL; gena not broadened behind eye; F1 and F2 subequal, antenna long and thin, 14-segmented in females; lateral pronotum alutaceous to coriaceous; mesoscutum finely coriaceous to weakly transversely carinated; notauli complete, reaching the posterior margin of pronotum; circumscutellar carina weak; tarsal claws bidentate; first metasomal segment completely sulcate dorsally and laterally; and syntergum posteriorly with a band of micropunctures extended at most 1/3 of its length, moderately to strongly dorsodistally incised in females. Synergus compressus is morphologically close to S. filicornis (see below), from which differs by having the base of metacoxae with a small black spot ( Fig. 8a ) (yellow in S. filicornis ); metasoma of females strongly laterally compressed ( Fig. 9i ) and about 1.3 times as long as head plus mesosoma ( Fig. 9j ) (ovate seen from above, not strongly compressed, and about as long as head plus mesosoma in S. filicornis ); syntergum of females posteriorly with an interrupted and incomplete band of micropunctures extended laterally about 1/4 of its length ( Fig. 9 j–k) (complete wide band extended laterally about 1/3 of its length in S. filicornis ); and F1 of males slightly expanded apically and basally ( Fig. 8b ) (strongly expanded apically in S. filicornis ), among others (see the identification key).

Description

FEMALE. Length. Body length 3.2–3.3 mm (n = 2).

Color ( Fig. 8a ). Body black and yellow. Face, except for gena and a black stripe below toruli, yellow; frons, vertex and occiput, black. Antenna testaceous to dark brown, joints lighter. Mesosoma almost completely black; posterior margin of pronotum, anterolateral margin of mesoscutum, mesoscutum posteriorly between notauli, posterior half of notauli and mesoscutellum, yellowish orange (sometimes, mesoscutellum with a black spot dorsally); tegulae yellow. Metasoma with a black stripe dorsally, yellow laterally and ventrally. Legs yellow, the base of metacoxae with a small black spot; metatibiae distally and tarsi, infuscate. Wings hyaline, veins dark yellow.

Head. In frontal view ( Fig. 9a ) subtrapezoid, about 1.2 times as wide as high, gena not broadened behind eye. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with dense regular striae radiating from clypeus, reaching eyes and toruli; medial striae shorter to absent. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin straight, not projected over mandibles. Malar space about 0.6 times as long as height of eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial line slightly longer than height of eye. Toruli situated mid-height of eyes; distance between torulus and eye shorter than diameter of toruli; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons ( Fig. 9b ) finely coriaceous, with very few small piliferous punctures; frontal carinae narrow, branched in their whole length and reaching lateral ocelli. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 9b ) is somewhat more than 2.0 times as wide as long. Vertex coriaceous, with some small piliferous punctures and very weak wrinkles between ocelli. POL: OOL: LOL = 6.5: 5: 3, and diameter of lateral ocelli, 3. Occiput coriaceous.

Antenna ( Fig. 9c ). 14-segmented (8: 4: 15: 14: 14: 12: 11: 10: 8.5: 6.5: 5: 4.5: 4.5: 7.5); long, filiform and thin, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F1–F12. Pedicel about 1.5 times as long as wide; F1 and F2 subequal (F1 at most 1.1 times as long as F2), F2 as long as F3. Last flagellar segment almost 4.0 times as long as wide and 1.7 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma. About 1.1 times as long as high in lateral view including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence ( Fig. 9g ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.3. Pronotal plate only defined anteriorly, not reaching the pronotal margin. Lateral pronotum finely coriaceous to alutaceous; lateral carina absent, pronotum rounded seen from above. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 9h ) about 1.1 times as wide as long, finely coriaceous; anterior parallel lines shallow, extended somewhat more than 1/3 of the mesoscutal length; notauli narrow and shallow, but complete, anteriorly interrupted by the sculpture, wider and slightly convergent posteriorly; median mesoscutal line absent; parapsidal lines shallow, surpassing tegulae. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 9h ) rounded, as long as wide, strongly wrinkled; circumscutellar carina weak but visible, obscured by wrinkles; scutellar foveae large, ovate, shallow but well defined, weakly sculptured bottom and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 9g ) finely, regularly and densely striated, except for a smooth spot medially on the speculum; interspaces smooth; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaches 3/4 parts of mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 9d ) weakly sculptured and densely pubescent; propodeal carinae straight and convergent posteriorly. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a strong basal lobe ( Fig. 9e ).

Wings. Fore wing pubescent with short marginal setae, longer than body length ( Fig. 8a ). Radial cell closed, about 2.8 times as long as wide; areolet visible, but basal vein not well pigmented ( Fig. 9f ). Rs+M inconspicuous, not reaching the basal vein. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. Slightly longer than head plus mesosoma, 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 9j ), strongly compressed laterally ( Fig. 9i ). First metasomal segment sulcate dorsally and laterally. Syntergum smooth, with an anterolateral pubescence composed of a few setae and posteriorly with an incomplete and interrupted band of minute micropunctures extended about 1/4-1/5 of its length, less widespread dorsally ( Fig. 9j , dot line; 9k); dorsodistally incised ( Fig. 9i ), not pointed; following segments micropunctate. Hypopygial spine about as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae ( Fig. 9j ).

MALE. Similar to female, except for the following: body length 2.3 mm (n = 1). Antenna 15-segmented (6: 4: 10: 10: 9.5: 7: 6: 5: 5: 4.5: 4: 4: 3.5: 3.5: 6) ( Fig. 8b ); F1 about as long as F2; F1 straight, weakly incised medially, slightly broadened apically and basally. POL: OOL: LOL = 6: 4: 3, and diameter of lateral ocelli, 2.5. Mesopleuron more strongly sculptured anteriorly. Mesoscutum more strongly sculptured, with some weak transversal elements. Propodeal carinae narrower. Metasoma less laterally compressed. Mesosoma and metasoma, black; antenna lighter, yellowish.

Distribution. Mexico: Puebla.

Biology. Reared from tuberous galls probably induced by Andricus ( Fig. 42b ) on Q. crassifolia .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Synergus compressus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov.: a) female lateral habitus; b) male antenna.

FIGURE 9. Synergus compressus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. (female): a) head in frontal view; b) head in dorsal view; c) antenna; d) propodeum; e) tarsal claw; f) radial cell of the fore wing; g) mesosoma in lateral view; h) mesosoma in dorsal view; i) metasoma in dorsal view; j) metasoma in lateral view; k) detail of the syntergum punctuation.

FIGURE 42. a) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P141); b) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P230); c) Melikaiella bicolor (Ref.: MEX: 044, 049, P026, P071); d) Sphaeroteras sp. (Ref.: MEX: P024); e) Undetermined genus (Ref.: MEX: P184); f) Neuroterus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P386, P388); g) Disholcaspis sp. (Ref: MEX: P398); h) Femuros nr repandae (Ref.: P187, P227, 2797); i) Femuros repandae (Ref.: MEX: P313, 255, 256); j) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P314); k) Disholcaspis sp. (Ref.: MEX: P140); l) Undetermined genus (Ref.: MEX: P259); m) Neuroterus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P381); n) Loxaulus hyalinus (Ref.: MEX: 333); o) Undetermined genus (Ref.: Clark-49); p) Atrusca sp. (Ref.: P317, P318); q) Atrusca sp. (Ref.: MEX: P183); r) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P394); s) Andricus sp. (Ref.: MEX: P038).