Ceroptres mexicanus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, 2019

Lobato-Vila, Irene & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2019, Revision of world Ceroptresini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) with the description of a new genus and five new species, Zootaxa 4685 (1), pp. 1-67 : 37-39

Ceroptres mexicanus Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar sp. nov.

( Figures 10g, k ; 14 a–h; 18g)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:71493566-D78D-4F26-9D00-36D3821A26FC

Type material. HOLOTYPE (♀) deposited in UB with the following labels: ‘ MEX: 266, Plateros-Arenales (San Felipe del Progreso, EDO. MEX.), 19°41’20.912’’ N, 99°55’12.697’’ W’ (white label) / ‘Ex. unknown leaf gall, 2600m, Quercus sp., (18.xii.2013) 10.i.2014, Delia leg.’ (white label) / ‘ Holotype ♀ Ceroptres mexicanus Lobato- Vila & Pujade-Villar, IL-V desig-2019’ (red label). PARATYPES (2♀) deposited in UB with the same data as the holotype .

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

Diagnosis. This species can be separated from the rest of Ceroptres by the following combination of morphological traits: female antenna 12-segmented and filiform (males unknown); last flagellar segment almost 4.0 times as long as wide; OOL about 2.0 times as long as diameter of the lateral ocelli; vertical carinae on the lower face incomplete and weak, short; mesoscutum alutaceous with some weak discontinuous transversal elements and with some small piliferous punctures; notauli shallow and almost complete, but faint in the anterior 1/3; median groove visible at most in the posterior 1/3 of the mesoscutum; mesoscutellum strongly and densely wrinkled, especially posteriorly and laterally, interspaces coriaceous; radial cell 2.4 times as long as wide; metasoma without micropunctures; body mainly black, legs testaceous with infuscate areas. Ceroptres mexicanus is morphologically very similar to Ceroptres nigricrus sp. nov., from which can be distinguished by the length of the radial cell (2.7 in C. nigricrus sp. nov.), the length of the last flagellar segment (about 4.0 times as wide as long in C. mexicanus , 2.7 in C. nigricrus sp. nov.) and the shape of antennae (subclavate in C. nigricrus sp. nov.) (see the descriptions of both species and the key to valid species of Ceroptres ).

Description. Female. Length. Body length 2.2–2.3 mm (n=3).

Color ( Fig. 10g ). Mainly black. Head, mesosoma and metasoma black, tegulae yellow. Hypopygium testaceous. Antennae light brown to testaceous, tips somewhat darker. Legs testaceous; coxae, basal half of femorae of the first and second pair of legs, and whole metafemorae, dark. Wings hyaline, veins yellow.

Head. In anterior view ( Fig. 14a ) round-shaped, about 1.1 times as wide as high, genae not expanded behind compound eyes.Face with moderately long and dense pubescence,lower face with short striae radiating from sides of clypeus and almost reaching ventral margin of compound eyes; medially without striae;vertical carinae incomplete and weak, short, running just a little from inner ventral margin of the toruli (1/3 at most) and delimiting a small depressed area, slightly bulged above the clypeus. Clypeus distinct, ventral margin not projected over mandibles. Malar space about 0.5 times as long as height of compound eye. Anterior tentorial pits visible; pleurostomal sulcus absent, epistomal sulcus slightly marked. Transfacial line about as long as height of compound eye. Toruli situated mid-height of compound eye; distance between torulus and compound eye as long as the diameter of the toruli; distance between the toruli clearly shorter than diameter of the toruli. Front finely coriaceous, shiny, with neither punctures nor frontal carinae. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 14b ) is about 2.4 times as wide as long. Vertex finely coriaceous, shiny, without punctures. POL:OOL:LOL = 13:7:6 and diameter of the lateral ocelli, 3.5. Occiput finely coriaceous, shiny and without punctures.

Antennae ( Fig. 14h ). 12-segmented (8: 6: 9: 10: 10: 10: 10: 10: 9: 8: 7: 16); filiform, not broadened apically; pubescence dense and short; placodeal sensilla visible on flagellar segments F2–F10. Pedicel about 1.7 times as long as wide; F1 0.9 times as long as F2, F2 and F3 subequal. Last flagellar segment about 4.0 times as long as wide and 2.3 times as long as F9.

Mesosoma. About 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view ( Fig. 14d ), including nucha, with short and not dense pubescence. Ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally: 0.37. Dorsal part of pronotal plate complete, with two distinct and moderately spaced foveae. Lateral pronotum finely coriaceous to alutaceous, without lateral carina. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 14c ) 1.1 times as wide as long, alutaceous with some weak discontinuous transversal elements and with some small piliferous punctures; anterior grooves very shallow, extending at most 1/3 of the mesoscutal length. Notauli almost complete, but faint in the anterior 1/3, shallow, wider posteriorly. Parapsidal grooves very shallow, surpassing tegulae. Median groove visible at most in the posterior 1/3 of the mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 14c ) rounded, about as long as wide, strongly and densely wrinkled, especially laterally and posteriorly, interspaces coriaceous; circumscutellar carina absent; scutellar foveae ovate, shallow, not well defined, weakly sculptured and separated by a narrow carina. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 14d ) smooth and shiny; little pubescent basally. Metapleural sulcus reaching about 4/5 parts of the mesopleural height. Propodeum ( Fig. 14f ) pubescent and smooth; propodeal carinae straight and slightly branched in the posterior 1/3. Nucha weakly sulcate dorsally and laterally.

Legs. Tarsal claws bidentate, with a small basal lobe ( Fig. 14g ).

Wings ( Fig. 10k ). Forewings pubescent with short marginal setae, longer than mesosoma plus metasoma. Radial cell closed, about 2.4 times as long as wide; areolet not well defined, anterior and basal veins inconspicuous. Rs+M inconspicuous. Basal cell with sparsely spaced setae.

Metasoma ( Figs 10g , 14e ). About as long as head plus mesosoma and longer than high in lateral view. First metasomal tergum crescent-shaped and smooth. Second metasomal tergum short and free, 0.3 times as long as the metasomal length and with a dense hair patch anterolaterally. Metasoma without micropunctures and not dorsodistally incised. Hypopygium somewhat projected above the upper surface of the metasoma. Prominent part of the hypopygial spine about 2.0 times as long as wide and slightly projected.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico. State of México.

Biology. Reared from an unknown leaf spherical gall on Quercus sp. ( Fig. 18g ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. New species of Ceroptres described from Mexico: a) female lateral habitus of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; b) male lateral habitus of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; c) female antenna of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; d) forewing of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; e) first segments of male antenna of C. junquerasi sp. nov.; f) female lateral habitus of C. lenis sp. nov.; g) female lateral habitus of C. mexicanus sp. nov.; h) female lateral habitus of C. nigricrus sp. nov.; i) female lateral habitus of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.; j) male lateral habitus of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.; k) forewing of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.; l) first segments of male antenna of C. quadratifacies sp. nov.

FIGURE 14. Ceroptres mexicanus sp. nov.: a) female head in anterior view; b) female head in dorsal view; c) mesosoma in dorsal view; d) mesosoma in lateral view; e) female metasoma in lateral view; f) propodeum; g) tarsal claws; h) female antenna.

FIGURE 18. Some of the galls mentioned in this study: a) an undescribed species of Andricus (ref. 069); b) Sphaeroteras nr pulchripennis (ref. 103); c) Dros perlentum (ref. 123); d) Neuroterus eugeros (ref. 182); e) Andricus georgei (ref. 206); f) unknown leaf gall of Neuroterus (ref. 225); g) unknown leaf spherical gall (ref. 266); h) Andricus sphaericus (ref. 303); i) Andricus sphaericus (ref. 307); j) Andricus group georgei (ref. 312); k) Melikaiella amphibolensis (ref. 338); l) an undescribed species of Andricus on leaves (ref. P015); m) Atrusca sp. (ref. P149); n) unknown (P225); o) unknown undetachable leaf gall (ref. P233); p) unknown gall inside secondary leaf nerves (ref. P307); q) Atrusca pictor (ref. P322); r) Atrusca sp. (ref. P328); s) unknown (ref. 2B10, 13B6); t) unknown, a mix of galls (ref. 2840); u) unknown leaf petiole gall (ref. P366); v) unknown twig gall (ref. P308).