Synergus oaxaquensis 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 : 69-72

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

( Figures 26– 27 , 42o )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:111AE88E-3AFD-4E12-A23B-1C019FDC7C14

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀ deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the following labels: ‘ MEX: Clark-49, Universidad de la Sierra Sur ( UNSIS) ( Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz , OAX), 16°20’34.646’’N, 96°35’10.007’’W’ (white label) / ‘ Ex. Undetermined gall, 1573m, Q. obtusata , (01.vi.2018) 20.viii.2018, Clark leg.’ (white label) / ‘ Holotype ♀ Synergus oaxaquensis Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2020’ (red label). PARATYPES (1♂ & 11♀) with the same data as the holotype (1♀ deposited in USNM; the rest deposited in JP-V coll.) .

Etymology. Named after the state of Oaxaca ( Mexico), from which this new species was collected.

Diagnosis. Synergus oaxaquensis , sp. nov. belongs to a group of species characterized by having the mesopleuron entirely sculptured, including the speculum; hyaline wings and radial cell of fore wing at least 2.7 times as long as wide; POL as long as OOL or longer; antenna 13-segmented in females and F1 longer than F2; mesoscutum with transversal carinae; notauli complete, reaching the posterior margin of pronotum; median mesoscutal line weak but visible, reaching 1/3–1/2 of the mesoscutal length; tarsal claws bidentate; first metasomal segment completely sulcate dorsally and laterally; syntergum posteriorly without micropunctures or with a small patch; body almost completely black in females, face of males somewhat lighter. Synergus oaxaquensis , sp. nov. is morphologically close to S. ramoni (see below), from which differs by having the transfacial line 1.3 times as long as height of eye ( Fig. 27a ) (equal in S. ramoni ); frons and vertex coriaceous, with a few small piliferous punctures and some weak wrinkles between ocelli ( Fig. 27 a–b) (deeply punctate in S. ramoni ); F1 2.0 times as long as F 2 in females ( Fig. 27c ), 2.3 in males ( Fig. 27d ) (1.5 in both sexes of S. ramoni ); areolet of fore wing very small or absent ( Figs 26 a–b; 27e) (well defined and pigmented in S. ramoni ); in females, antenna with 13 segments (14 in S. ramoni ); in males, face and gena dark brown ( Fig. 26b ) (yellowish in S. ramoni ), among others (see the identification key).

Description

FEMALE. Length. Body length 3.0 mm (n = 12).

Color ( Fig. 26a ). Body mainly black. Head black, somewhat dark brown at sides of the oral fovea. Antenna yellow, scape infuscate. Mesosoma black, tegulae yellow. Metasoma black, ventrally and hypopygium, dark brown. Legs with all coxae and femorae at least basally, black; femorae distally, tibiae and tarsi (except metatarsi, which are infuscate), yellow. Wings hyaline, veins yellowish brown.

Head. In frontal view ( Fig. 27a ) rounded, about 1.2 times as wide as high, gena broadened behind eye. Face faintly pubescent, lower face with irregular and dense striae radiating from clypeus, reaching eyes and toruli; medial striae also present; lower face somewhat protruded medially seen from the lateral view. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin almost straight, not projected over mandibles. Malar space about 0.7 times as long as height of eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial line almost 1.3 times as long as height of eye. Toruli situated under mid-height of eyes; distance between torulus and eye about as long as diameter of toruli; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons coriaceous, with scarce small piliferous punctures; frontal carinae inconspicuous; instead, multiple fine, outwards-curved striae run from the posterior margin of toruli towards lateral ocelli. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 27b ) is 2.0 times as wide as long. Vertex coriaceous, with some punctures and weak wrinkles between ocelli. POL: OOL: LOL = 7: 5.5: 3.5, and diameter of lateral ocelli, 2.5. Occiput coriaceous, with some weak wrinkles dorsally and some punctures.

Antenna ( Fig. 27c ). 13-segmented (7: 4: 10: 5: 5: 5: 5: 4: 4: 3.5: 3: 7: 3); short, not reaching the mesoscutellum; filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F2–F11. Pedicel about 1.3 times as long as wide; F1 2.0 times as long as F2, F2 as long as F3. Last flagellar segment almost 3.0 times as long as wide and 2.3 times as long as F10.

Mesosoma. About 1.3 times as long as high in lateral view including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence ( Fig. 27i ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.35. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum coriaceous to weakly wrinkled or reticulated; lateral carina absent, pronotum rounded seen from above. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 27h ) about 1.1 times as wide as long, strongly and densely discontinuously carinated, interspaces alutaceous to coriaceous; anterior parallel lines weakly impressed, reaching somewhat more than 1/3 of the mesoscutal length; notauli complete and deep, interrupted by carinae, wider and slightly convergent posteriorly; median mesoscutal line shallow but visible, reaching almost the half of the mesoscutum, more impressed posteriorly; parapsidal lines well impressed, surpassing tegulae. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 27h ) rounded, about as long as wide, carinated medially, wrinkled anteriorly and laterally, interspaces alutaceous to coriaceous; circumscutellar carina inconspicuous; scutellar foveae deep anteriorly but not well defined posteriorly, large, ovate, strongly sculptured bottom and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 27g, i ) with fine and dense striae medially and in the speculum, finely reticulated anteriorly, irregularly striated basally; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaches about 4/5 parts of mesopleural height. Propodeum weakly sculptured; propodeal carinae straight and parallel. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a strong basal lobe ( Fig. 27f ).

Wings. Fore wing pubescent with short marginal setae, about as long as mesosoma plus metasoma ( Fig. 26a ). Radial cell closed, about 2.7 times as long as wide; areolet very small or absent ( Figs 26a , 27e ). Rs+M visible, not reaching the basal vein. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. Shorter than head plus mesosoma and about as long as high in lateral view, at most 1.1 times as long as high ( Figs 26a , 27j ). First metasomal segment sulcate dorsally and laterally. Syntergum smooth, with an anterolateral pubescence composed of a few setae and posterodorsally with a small patch of micropunctures visible on its very tip ( Fig. 27j, k ); not dorsodistally incised, pointed. Hypopygial spine about 2.0 times as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae ( Fig. 27j ).

MALE ( Fig. 26b ). Similar to female, except for the following: body length 2.5 mm (n = 1). Antenna 15-segmented (6: 4: 11.5: 5: 5: 4: 4: 4: 3.5: 3.5: 3.5: 3: 3: 3: 3.5) ( Fig. 27d ); F1 about 2.3 times as long as F2; F1 curved, more broadened apically than basally, long, weakly incised medially. POL: OOL: LOL = 7: 4: 3.5, and diameter of lateral ocelli, 2. Malar space 0.6 times as long as height of eye. Metasoma shorter than head plus mesosoma. Lower face not as black, dark brown.

Distribution. Mexico: Oaxaca.

Biology. Reared from galls of an undetermined genus of gall wasps, may be Andricus or Loxaulus ( Fig. 42o ), on twigs of Q. obtusata .

Figures

FIGURE 26. Synergus oaxaquensis Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov.: a) female lateral habitus; b) male lateral habitus.

FIGURE 27. Synergus oaxaquensis Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. Female: a) head in frontal view; b) head in dorsal view; c) antenna; e) radial cell of the fore wing; f) tarsal claw; g) mesopleuron; h) mesosoma in dorsal view; i) mesosoma in lateral view; j) metasoma in lateral view; k) detail of the syntergum punctuation. Male: d) antenna.

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).