Feron tecturnarum Kinsey, 1920

Cuesta-Porta, Victor, Melika, George, Nicholls, James A., Stone, Graham N. & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2023, Re-establishment of the Nearctic oak cynipid gall wasp genus Feron Kinsey, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), including the description of six new species, Zootaxa 5366 (1), pp. 1-174 : 135-139

Feron tecturnarum Kinsey, 1920 comb. nov.

Figs 395–408

Andricus tecturnarum Kinsey, 1920: 312 , female, gall. Weld, 1951: 636.

Diplolepis tecturnarum Kinsey : Weld, 1926: 34.

Types examined. The original description mentioned 8 asexual female cotypes without the designation of a holotype. Lectotype female was designated in Ferrer-Suay et al. (2017): “ San Luis Potosi. Mex., Edw. Palmer Coll., loose in box”, “ Q. potosina, Edw. Palmer coll.”, red “ Andricus tecturnarum, Cotype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Additional material. “ Mexico (Code 014), Sierra Fria, (Aguascalientes, AGC), 20º11’51.1’’N 102º35’29.5W, ex Q. potosina , (02-12-2010) 14.ii.2011: 6 asexual females (2 females PHDNRL, 4 females UB), leg. A. Equihua & E. Estrada ”; “ Mexico (Code 025), Carretera Nochistlán-Tlachichila, ( Nochistlán de Mejía , ZAC), 21º27’29.1’’N 102º50’4.2’’W, ex Q. potosina Trell. , (04-12-2010) 15.ii.2011: 13 asexual females (5 females PHDNRL, 8 females UB), leg. A. Equihua & E. Estrada ” .

Diagnosis. Asexual females are part of the group of Feron species characterised by never having the body black; head transversely ovate in frontal view, with the median area of lower face elevated and alutaceous to delicately coriaceous; the gena at least slightly broadened behind the eye; ocelli are not elevated above the frons; OOL at least 2.5× as long as the diameter of the ocellus, inner margins of eyes parallel or very slightly converging ventrally, the transfacial distance is longer than the height of eye; antenna with 12 flagellomeres, sometimes suture between F11 and F12 incomplete; toruli are located above the mid-height of eyes; the eye is less than 3.0× as high as the length of the malar space; lateral ocelli smaller, the pronotum laterally with longitudinal carinae that reach at least half the length of the pronotum; the mesoscutum coarsely reticulated, without piliferous points and the mesopleuron is entirely smooth; as in F. serranoae (asex), F. tetyanae (asex), and some F. tibiale (asex). Feron tecturnarum differs from F. serranoae in having the mesoscutellum only slightly longer than broad and without circumscutellar carina, while F. serranoae has the mesoscutellum 1.3x longer than broad and with a strong circumscutellar carina. The most similar species is the asexual form of F. tetyanae and both differ from F. tibiale in the chestnut or rusty brown body colour, frons not bulging, POL at least 1.4x longer than OOL, the genae not broadened behind the eyes, the mesoscutellar disk smooth or finely rugose and radial cell 3.7x longer than broad, while the F. tibiale within this group are yellowish or light brown, with the frons bulging, POL subequal to OOL, genae broadened behind the eyes, the mesoscutellar disk reticulate-coriaceous and radial cell 4.8x longer than broad. Feron tecturnarum differs from F. tetyanae in the body being uniformly rusty brown, the head of the same colour as the rest of the body, without dark marks, the frons is finely alutaceous, mesoscutellar foveae divided by a triangular elevated coriaceous central carina, while F. tetyanae is chestnut brown with the head darker than mesosoma in frontal view, the frons is coarsely coriaceous and the mesoscutellar foveae are divided by a fine carina.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 395–406 ). Head, mesosoma, metasoma rusty brown, antennae darker distally; legs lighter.

Head slightly transverse, ovate in frontal view, broadest part level with halfway up eye, with sparse setae, denser on lower face; 2.0–2.4× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, broadened behind eye in frontal view, slightly broader than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space with a few delicate striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye; eye 2.2× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 1.5× as long as OOL, OOL 2.6× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.6× as long as LOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.3× as long as height of eye; toruli located slightly above mid height of head, frons shorter than height of lower face, diameter of antennal torulus 1.5× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.3× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face smooth, with dense white setae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous, with a few setae. Clypeus rectangular, broader than high, alutaceous, with a few long setae along ventral edge; ventrally rounded, not emarginate and without median incision; anterior tentorial pit rounded, distinct, epistomal sulcus distinct, clypeo-pleurostomal line well impressed. Frons uniformly alutaceous-reticulate, without striae and with a few setae, areas between toruli and between torulus and eye also alutaceous; interocellar area alutaceous-reticulate. Vertex, occiput, postgena alutaceous, with white long setae; postocciput alutaceous-reticulate, with concentric lines around occipital foramen and postgenal bridge; posterior tentorial pit large, elongated, area below impressed; occipital foramen as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci which strongly diverge toward occipital foramen, postgenal bridge anteriorly slightly broader than occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 11 flagellomeres (some specimens with 12 flagellomeres with a distinct suture between F12 and F11), pedicel slightly longer than broad; F1 2.0× as long as pedicel and 1.3× as long as F2; F2=F3=F4, F5 to F10 nearly equal in length, F11 longer than F10; placodeal sensilla on F5–F11.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse white setae, except dense setae on lateral propodeal area. Pronotum alutaceous, with sparse setae, with some delicate striae in dorsoposterior quarter in lateral view; propleuron alutaceous, glabrous. Mesoscutum alutaceous to reticulate, smooth along parapsidal lines with sparse white setae, slightly longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum level with base of tegulae). Notaulus incomplete, deep, bottom smooth, posteriorly broader and slightly converging; at posterior end the distance between notauli shorter than distance between notaulus and side of mesoscutum; anterior parallel line distinct, in the form of a bare, smooth stripe, extending to half-length of mesoscutum; parapsidal line distinct, marked with broad impressed smooth glabrous stripes; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina broad, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum ovate, slightly longer than broad, circumscutellar carina present; disk of mesoscutellum dull rugose, and more coarsely rugose laterally and posteriorly, overhanging metanotum, with dense setae. Mesoscutellar foveae divided by a triangular elevated area, foveae with smooth, glabrous bottom, occupying at least 1/3 of mesoscutellum length. Mesopleuron smooth, with delicate striae on anterior margin, with setae in antero and posteroventral part; mesopleural triangle smooth, with numerous short white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, with dense white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, triangular, as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half of its height, upper part of sulcus indistinct, lower part of sulcus separating smooth, glabrous area, with dense setae. Metascutellum alutaceous to smooth, glabrous, 3.0x as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, with some setae; central propodeal area lyre-shaped, smooth, glabrous, with irregular interrupted rugae at the base in large specimens; lateral propodeal carinae strong, bent outwards in posterior 1/3; lateral propodeal area smooth, with long dense white setae. Nucha with numerous sulci dorsally and laterally. Tarsal claws with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, hyaline, with distinct dense cilia on margin, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 3.8× as long as broad; R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin; areolet small, triangular, closed, and distinct. Rs+M distinct, its projection reaching basalis slightly above mid height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, higher than long than in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergum extending to 2/3 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with short white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures; subsequent terga and hypopygium smooth, glabrous, with almost inconspicuous micropunctures. Prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 5.5× as long as broad in ventral view, with some short setae ventrally which do not extend beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.2–2.4 mm (n = 15).

Gall ( Figs 407–408 ). Reddish-yellow furry leaf gall mass; a gregarious cluster of individual cells, 10–25 galls, placed on the underside of leaf, to 20 mm long projecting from leaf by up to 15 mm.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known, which induces galls on Q. potosina (section Quercus , subsection Leucomexicana). Previous host records for the name Andricus tecturnarum from white oaks found in the southwest of the USA (e.g. Weld 1960, Burks 1979) are almost definitely attributable to the newly described species F. tetyanae , which is newly recognised in this study as being distinct from F. tecturnarum (based on both morphology and DNA sequences). The gall matures in late autumn, adults start emerging the next February.

Distribution. Mexico: San Luis Potosi ( Kinsey 1920, authors).

Figures

FIGURES 395–400. Feron tecturnarum, comb. nov., asexual female. 395–398, head: 395, frontal view, 396, posterior view, 397, dorsal view, 398, lateral view. 399, antenna. 400, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 401–404. Feron tecturnarum, comb. nov., asexual female. 401, mesosoma, lateral view. 402, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 403, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 404, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 405–408. Feron tecturnarum, comb. nov., asexual generation. 405–406, asexual female: 405, fore wing, 406, metasoma, lateral view. 407–408, galls: 407, general view, 408, dissected gall aggregation.