Synergus abei Melika & Schwéger, 2015

Schwéger, Szabina, Melika, George, Tang, Chang-Ti, Bihari, Péter, Bozsó, Miklós, Stone, Graham N., Nicholls, James A. & Pénzes, Zsolt, 2015, New species of cynipid inquilines of the genus Synergus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) from the Eastern Palaearctic, Zootaxa 3999 (4), pp. 451-497 : 459-462

Synergus abei Melika & Schwéger , new species

Figs 1–15

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: JAPAN (JP577) Minami Chitose, ex Quercus crispula , 10.X.2008., J.Nicholls, ex unknown acorn gall (spJPa2, A36). Nine female and 6 male PARATYPES: 3 females and 1 male: JAPAN (JP577) Minami Chitose, ex Quercus crispula , 10.X.2008., J.Nicholls, ex unknown acorn gall (spJPa2, A36); 2 females and 1male: JAPAN (JP694) Minami Chitose, 10.X.2008., leg J. Nicholls, ex unknown acorn gall (spJPa1, A34) on Quercus crispula ; 2 females and 2 males: JAPAN (JP1398) Minami Chitose, 10.X.2008., leg J. Nicholls, ex unknown bud gall (spJPb1, A33) on Quercus crispula ; 2 females and 2 males: JAPAN (JP1403, JP548) Dazaifu city, nr Fukuoka, 15.X.2008., G. Stone, ex unknown acorn gall (spJPa3, A51), on Quercus serrata . The female holotype, 6 female and 3 male paratypes are deposited in PHMB, 3 female and 3 male paratypes in USNM.

Etymology. Named in honour of the Japanese cynipidologist, Prof. Yoshihisa Abe (Biosystematics Laboratory, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan).

Diagnosis. This species closely resembles Synergus khazani and S. changtitangi . In Synergus abei the posterior band of micropunctures on the syntergite is narrow, extending to 1/5–1/7 of length of syntergite ( Fig. 15 ), male F1 expanded apically and basally ( Fig. 8 ), while in S. khazani and S. changtitangi the posterior band of micropunctures on the syntergite is broad, extending to 1/3 of length of syntergite (Figs 42, 105, 106), male F1 expanded only apically ( Figs 36 , 98 ).

Description. FEMALE. Head and mesosoma black or dark brown; antenna light brown, mouthparts, maxillary and labial palps yellowish; legs yellowish brown except black coxae and black hind tibia; wing veins brown; metasoma dorsally black, rest dark brown, hypopygium lighter.

Head coriaceous, covered with short sparse white setae; postgena with dense long whitish setae, especially along hypostoma. Head rounded, 1.2 times as broad as high in frontal view; broader than mesosoma, nearly 2.0 times as broad as long in dorsal view. Eye 1.9´higher than length of malar space in lateral view. Malar sulcus absent, delicate striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye. Clypeus small, coriaceous, with radiating striae, slightly impressed, ventrally straight, not emarginate; epistomal sulcus indistinct; anterior tentorial pits small, indistinct; clypeo-pleurostomal line indistinct. Lower face with distinct striae radiating from clypeus and extending to lower level of toruli and eyes. Frons, dull rugose, with distinct deep punctures and with weak but complete lateral frontal carina. Transfacial distance nearly as long as height of eye; distance between inner margin of eye and torulus equal to diameter of torulus; diameter of torulus 1.5 times as long as distance between toruli. POL 2.0 times as long as OOL and 1.6 times as long as LOL; OOL as long as length of lateral ocellus. Interocellar area elevated, with distinct punctures which smaller than on frons. Vertex narrow, with numerous distinct and deep punctures. Occiput sculptured. Gena coriaceous, setose, not broadened behind eye, invisible in frontal view lateral to eye. Postgenal bridge reduced to long, narrow median strip; postgenal sulci united well before reaching hypostoma; posterior tentorial pits distinct, postocciput well-impressed, smooth. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel 1.3 times as long as broad, F1 1.4 times as long as F2 and 2.75 times as long as pedicel; F2=F3, F12 2.0 times as long as F11.

Mesosoma 1.3 longer than high in lateral view. Side of pronotum sharply angled in dorsal view; pronotum dull rugose, laterally with strong striae, area between them coriaceous; lateral pronotal carina strong, complete, reaching lateral edge of pronotum. Propleuron alutaceous, with some transverse striae. Mesoscutum dull rugose, with few short white setae, with interrupted transverse rugae, area between them smooth. Notaulus complete, extending to anterior margin of mesonotum, uniformly broad prolongs entire length, with smooth bottom. Anterior parallel lines present in anterior 1/3–1/4 of mesoscutum, indicated by smooth glabrous surface. Parapsidal lines narrow, extending to half length of mesoscutum; distinct parascutal carina present along side of mesoscutum, reaches pronotum; median mesoscutal line strongly impressed, extending 1/2–2/3 of mesoscutum length. Dorsoaxillar area coriaceous. Mesoscutellum 1.2 times as long as broad in dorsal view, uniformly dull rugose, laterally rounded, without emargination laterally. Scutellar foveae ovate, with coriaceous bottom, distinctly delimited posteriorly from disk of mesoscutellum, separated by distinct median carina. Mesopectus smooth with parallel longitudinal striae. Metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus in upper 1/3 of its height. Propodeum coriaceous, glabrous, with dense short white setae aside smooth shiny, delicately coriaceous central propodel area; lateral propodeal carina distinct, uniformly thin, straight; central propodeal area without setae with complete but weak central longitudinal carina. Metascutellum indistinct, much shorter than ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, with few setae; propodeal spiracle with strong raised carina along anterior border. Nucha with longitudinal parallel rugae.

Fore wing veins brown, well traceable; margin with cilia; radial cell closed, 2.3 times as long as broad; Rs and R1 slightly curved, areolet present. Legs with short white setae, tarsal claws with distinct basal lobe.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma and 1.2 times as long as high in lateral view. First metasomal tergite with longitudinal parallel rugae. Syntergite with few white setae anterolaterally, smooth, glabrous; posterodorsally not incised, posterior band of micropunctures narrow, dorsally extending to 1/6–1/7 of syntergite length; subsequent tergites and hypopygium with delicate micropunctures; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium short and slender. Body length 2.8–3.7 mm (n =10).

MALE. Similar to female but antenna with 13 flagellomeres, F1 slightly curved and broadened apically, only very slightly broadened basally, 1.6 times as long as F2. Body length 2.4–2.9 mm (n = 5).

Biology. This species was reared from undescribed acorn galls on Quercus crispula Blume and Q. serrata Murray (spJPa1, A34; spJPa2, A36; Figs 153, 156 ) and unknown bud galls (spJPb1, A33; Figs 154–155 ) collected from Q. crispula . Adults emerged under laboratory conditions during October.

Distribution. Currently known only from Japan (Hokkaido and Kyushu).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Synergus abei, new species: 1 – 4, head, female: 1, frontal view, 2, dorsal view, 3, posterior view. 4, lateral view, 5 – 6, head, male: 5, frontal view, 6, dorsal view. 7 – 8, antenna: 7, female, 8, male.

FIGURES 9 – 15. Synergus abei, new species, female: 9, pronotum and propleuron, frontal view, 10, mesosoma, lateral view, 11, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 12, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 13, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 14, fore wing, part, 15, metasoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 30 – 36. Synergus changtitangi, new species, 30 – 32, head, female: 30, frontal view, 31, dorsal view, 32, lateral view, 33 – 34, head, male: 33, frontal view, 34, dorsal view. 35 – 36, antenna: 35, female, 36, male.

FIGURES 91 – 98. Synergus khazani, new species, 91 – 94, head, female: 91, frontal view, 92, dorsal view, 93, posterior view, 94, lateral view. 95 – 96, head, male: 95, frontal view, 96, dorsal view. 97 – 98, antenna: 97, female, 98, male.

FIGURES 145 – 157. Host oak galls of newly described Synergus spp.: 145, Andricus kashiwaphilus, asexual gall, 146, A. mukaigawae, asexual gall, 147, A. hakonensis (= A. symbioticus), asexual galls, 148, Trichagalma formosana, asexual galls, 149, Belizinella sp., asexual gall, 150, Ussuraspis sp., asexual gall, 151, undescribed leaf gall (RUl 5), 152, undescribed leaf gall (RUl 1), 153, undescribed acorn gall (JPa 2), 154, undescribed bud gall (JPb 1), 155, undescribed bud gall (JPb 1), 156, undescribed acorn gall (JPa 1) (photos by G. Csóka). 157, undescribed stem swelling-like gall (TWTs 13) (photos by Chang Ti Tang).