Synergus ruficephalus 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 : 89-92

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

( Figures 35–36 , 42r )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:96CB9BFA-ADEB-4A56-BE07-17E1CEEAB31C

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀ deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the following labels: ‘ MEX: P394, El Sundhó, Calpulalpan (Jilotepec, EDO. MEX.), 20°3’37.2’’N, 99°38’4.293’’W’ (white label) / ‘Ex. Andricus sp., 2688m, Q. crassipes , (26.ii.2019) 20.iii-13.vi.2019, Chagoyán-García leg.’ (white label) / ‘Holotype ♀ Synergus ruficephalus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2020’ (red label). PARATYPES (3ϐ & 1♀) deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the same data as the holotype.

Etymology. From the Latin term ‘ rufus’ for redhead and the Ancient Greek term ‘ cephale’ for head, regarding the color of females’ head of this species, which is dark orange, in contrast to the rest of their body, which is black.

Diagnosis. Synergus ruficephalus , sp. nov. belongs to a group of species characterized by having the mesopleuron entirely sculptured, covered with fine, regular and dense transversal striae, the speculum medially finely aciculate to almost smooth; hyaline wings and radial cell of fore wing at least 2.5 times as long as wide; gena not broadened behind eye; frons and vertex finely coriaceous with some small punctures, sometimes also with very weak wrinkles, and frontal carinae absent; F1 at least 1.3 times as long as F 2 in females, almost 2.0 times in males; mesoscutum coriaceous, imbricated or weakly and densely transversely carinated; notauli incomplete, not reaching the posterior margin of pronotum; scutellar foveae visible and traceable, either well defined or shallow; first metasomal segment completely sulcate dorsally and laterally; syntergum with a posterodorsal patch of micropunctures; in both sexes, body entirely or almost entirely black. Synergus ruficephalus , sp. nov. keys out near S. ebenus , whose main differences have already been treated (see the diagnosis of S. ebenus ).

Description

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

Color ( Fig. 35a ). Head orange, except for a black spot in the ocellar area (the black surface is sometimes extended to the frons) and the occiput, which are black. Antenna mostly dark brown, except the distal 1/3, which is yellowish orange. Mesosoma black, except for the mesopleural triangle, which is orange, and tegulae, which are brownish orange. Metasoma black, dark chestnut to rufous ventrally. Legs black, except metatarsi and joints, which are orange, and tibiae of the first pair, which are dark brown. Wings hyaline, veins dark brown.

Head. In frontal view ( Fig. 36a ) 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 short to absent. Clypeus indistinct, ventral margin straight, not projected over mandibles. Malar space almost 0.7 times as long as height of eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal and epistomal sulcus absent. Transfacial line 1.2 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 small piliferous punctures; frontal carinae inconspicuous or absent. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 36b ) is about 2.1 times as wide as long. Vertex coriaceous, with a few weak wrinkles and some small piliferous punctures. POL: OOL: LOL = 8: 5.5: 4, and diameter of lateral ocelli, 3. Occiput finely coriaceous, with small piliferous punctures.

Antenna. 14-segmented (9: 4: 13: 7: 7: 7: 7: 7: 6: 5.5: 5: 4.5: 4: 7.5) ( Fig. 36c ); filiform, 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 almost 2.0 times as long as F2, F2 as long as F3 ( Fig. 36e ). Last flagellar segment about 3.0 times as long as wide and almost 2.0 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma. About 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence ( Fig. 36i ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.25. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum imbricated to weakly carinated, interspaces coriaceous; lateral carina absent, pronotum rounded seen from above. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 36l ) about 1.1 times as wide as long, with dense discontinuous weak carinae, interspaces alutaceous; anterior parallel lines weakly impressed, almost inconspicuous, reaching about 1/4 of the mesoscutal length; notauli almost complete, faint before reaching the pronotal margin, narrow, interrupted by carinae, slightly convergent posteriorly; median mesoscutal line absent or just appearing as a small incision; parapsidal lines shallow, almost inconspicuous, reaching tegulae. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 36l ) rounded, about as long as wide, weakly carinated to wrinkled, interspaces alutaceous; circumscutellar carina weak but visible; scutellar foveae ovate, well impressed and defined, bottom with longitudinal carinae and separated by a wide septum. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 36i ) finely and weakly striated, speculum finely aciculate to smooth medially, dorsally finely aciculate; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaches about 3/4 parts of mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 36f ) weakly wrinkled and densely pubescent; propodeal carinae narrow, straight and parallel. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a small basal lobe ( Fig. 36g ).

Wings. Fore wing pubescent with short marginal setae, about as long as body length. Radial cell closed, about 3.0 times as long as wide ( Fig. 36h ); areolet large, well pigmented. Rs+M weakly pigmented, not reaching the basal vein. Basal cell densely setose.

Metasoma. Longer than head plus mesosoma and about 1.4 times as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 36j ). 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 on its very tip ( Fig. 36j , dot line; 36k); dorsodistally incised ( Fig. 36m ), not pointed; following segments and hypopygium, micropunctate. Hypopygial spine about as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae.

MALE. Similar to female, except for the following: body length 2.5 mm (n = 3). Antenna 15-segmented (7: 3: 11: 6: 5.5: 5: 5: 5: 5: 5: 4: 4: 4: 4: 5); F1 slightly curved, moderately medially incised, more broadened apically than basally ( Fig. 36d ). Metasoma shorter than head plus mesosoma. Antenna yellowish orange; lateral pronotum, mesopleural triangle and tegulae, yellowish orange; mesopleuron, brown or partially yellowish; legs yellow, except metatibiae and all tarsi, which are infuscate ( Fig. 35b ).

Distribution. Mexico: México.

Biology. Reared from tuberous galls induced by an undetermined species of Andricus ( Fig. 42r ), probably A. quercuslaurinus Melika & Pujade-Villar, 2009 , on Q. crassipes .

Figures

FIGURE 35. Synergus ruficephalus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov.: a) female lateral habitus; b) male lateral habitus.

FIGURE 36. Synergus ruficephalus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov.. Female: a) head in frontal view; b) head in dorsal view; c) antenna; e) detail of the first antennal segments; f) propodeum; g) tarsal claw; h) radial cell of the fore wing; i) mesosoma in lateral view; j) metasoma in lateral view; k) detail of the syntergum punctuation; l) mesosoma in dorsal view; m) metasoma in dorsal view. Male: d) detail of the first antennal segments.

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).