Synergus weldi 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 : 99-103

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

( Figures 40– 41 , 42s )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:768998BB-893F-48E9-990A-6A10D86CB593

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀ deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the following labels: ‘ MEX: P038, Cerro del Cubilete ( Silao , GTO), 21°0’41.389’’N, 101°22’11.872’’W’ (white label) / ‘ Andricus sp., 2512m, Q. mexicana , (27.vii.2011) 19.viii.2011, E. Estrada & A. Equihua leg.’ (white label) / ‘Holotype ♀ Synergus weldi Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar , IL-V desig-2020’ (red label). PARATYPES (3♀) deposited in JP-V coll. ( UB) with the same data as the holotype.

Etymology. Named in honor of Mr. Lewis Hart Weld (1875–1964), an American entomologist who greatly contributed to the knowledge of gall wasps from over the world, but especially from America.

Diagnosis. Synergus weldi , 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 2.8–3.2 times as long as wide; gena slightly broadened behind eye; malar space 0.5–0.6 times as long as height of eye; transfacial line as long as height of eye; lateral frontal carinae entirely or distally branched; POL longer than OOL and OOL at most 1.4 times as long as diameter of lateral ocelli; F1 at least 1.2–1.3 times as long as F2; antenna 14-segmented and filiform in females; mesoscutum coriaceous or with weak to strong discontinuous and dense transversal carinae; notauli complete, reaching the posterior margin of pronotum; syntergum posteriorly with a conspicuous band of micropunctures extended laterally 1/4–1/3 of its length; and legs entirely yellow. Synergus weldi differs from the rest of species of this group ( S. medianeroi and S. pseudofilicornis ) by having lateral pronotum alutaceous to finely coriaceous, without carinae nor wrinkles ( Fig. 41g ) (imbricated to weakly carinated or wrinkled in these species); mesoscutum alutaceous to finely coriaceous, with small piliferous punctures, posteriorly sometimes with a few very weak transversal elements not forming true carinae ( Fig. 41j ) (strongly coriaceous with weak transversal elements to strongly and densely transversely carinated in these species); and circumscutellar carina strong, slightly upturned and projected ( Fig. 41g, j ) (weak or inconspicuous to absent, not projected nor upturned in these species).

Description

FEMALE. Length. Body length 3.5–4.0 mm (n = 4).

Color ( Fig. 40 ). Black and yellow. Lower face and gena yellow, except for a medial black stripe between and below toruli; frons and vertex medially, and occiput, black. Basal half of antenna dark brown, progressively lighter towards the tip. Mesosoma black; tegulae pale yellow. Metasoma black dorsally (less widespread posterodorsally), yellow to yellowish orange laterally, lighter basally. Legs yellow, coxae pale yellow. Wings hyaline, veins brownish.

Head. In frontal view ( Figs 40b , 41a ) trapezoid, about 1.1 times as wide as high, gena slightly 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 slightly distinct, 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 about as long as height of eye. Toruli situated slightly under mid-height of eyes; distance between torulus and eye shorter than diameter of toruli; distance between toruli shorter than diameter of toruli. Frons coriaceous, with a few small piliferous punctures; frontal carinae weak, narrow and branched in their whole length, almost reaching lateral ocelli. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 41b ) is about 2.0 times as wide as long. Vertex coriaceous, with some small piliferous punctures. POL: OOL: LOL = 7: 4: 3.5 and diameter of lateral ocelli, 3. Occiput coriaceous, with some broad punctures.

Antenna ( Fig. 41c ). 14-segmented (8: 4.5: 13.5: 11: 11: 11: 9.5: 8: 7: 6: 5.5: 5: 4.5: 8); filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F3–F12. Pedicel about 1.5 times as long as wide; F1 1.2 times as long as F2, F2 as long as F3. Last flagellar segment about 3.2 times as long as wide and 1.6 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. 41g ). Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.25. Pronotal plate indistinct. Lateral pronotum alutaceous to finely coriaceous; lateral carina absent, pronotum rounded seen from above. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 41j ) about 1.2 times as wide as long, coriaceous with small piliferous punctures, posteriorly with very weak transversal elements not forming true carinae; anterior parallel lines clearly visible, smooth, reaching somewhat more than 1/4 of the mesoscutal length; notauli complete and visible in their whole length, narrow, wider and convergent posteriorly, somewhat interrupted by carinae anteriorly; median mesoscutal line absent; parapsidal lines clearly visible, shallow, smooth, surpassing tegulae. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 41j ) rounded, about as long as wide, anteriorly coriaceous, laterally and posteriorly with very weak wrinkles; circumscutellar carina visible, slightly upturned and projected; scutellar foveae subtriangular to ovate, weakly sculptured bottom, shallow but traceable and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 41g ) finely, regularly and densely striated, interspaces finely alutaceous; slightly pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaches about 4/5 parts of mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 41d ) weakly sculptured and densely pubescent; propodeal carinae thick, straight and slightly convergent ventrally. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws with a strong basal lobe ( Fig. 41e ).

Wings. Fore wing pubescent with short marginal setae, longer than body length ( Fig. 40a ). Radial cell closed and somewhat more than 3.0 times as long as wide; areolet visible, but only the posterior vein is well pigmented ( Fig. 41f ). Rs+M pale, almost reaching the basal vein. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma. Slightly longer than head plus mesosoma, almost 1.5 times as long as high in lateral view ( Figs 40a , 41h ). First metasomal segment sulcate dorsally and laterally. Syntergum smooth, with an anterolateral pubescence composed of a few setae and posteriorly with an almost complete narrow band of minute micropunctures extended about 1/4 of its length, less widespread dorsally ( Fig. 41h, i ); strongly dorsodistally incised ( Fig. 41k ). The following segments, which are visible, are conspicuously punctate. Hypopygium punctate; hypopygial spine almost 3.0 times as long as wide and with a few lateral setae; without apical setae.

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico: Guanajuato.

Biology. Reared from tuberous galls induced by an undetermined species of Andricus ( Fig. 42s ) on twigs of Q. mexicana .

Figures

FIGURE 40. Synergus weldi Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. (female): a) lateral habitus; b) head in frontal view.

FIGURE 41. Synergus weldi Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, sp. nov. (female): a) head in frontal view; b) head in dorsal view; c) head in lateral view and antenna; d) propodeum; e) tarsal claw; f) radial cell of the fore wing; g) mesosoma in lateral view; h) metasoma in lateral view; i) detail of the syntergum punctuation; j) mesosoma in dorsal view; k) metasoma in dorsal view.

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).