Feron vitreum Kinsey, 1937

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 : 160-167

Feron vitreum Kinsey, 1937 comb. rev.

Figs 489–513

Feron vitreum Kinsey, 1937: 76 , female, gall.

Feron validum Kinsey, 1937: 73 , syn. nov. Figs 502–513 .

Andricus vitreus (Kinsey) Weld. 1952a: 311 .

Andricus validus (Kinsey) Weld, 1952a: 310 .

Types examined. For Feron vitreum : HOLOTYPE: Asexual female “Mex(City) D.F. 9200’, Mex. Gall 1.12.32, 100 fms. 3.10.32”, “ Q. rhodophlebia, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Xyst. vitreum , Holo- Paratype ”. PARATYPES (4 asexual females) with the same labels as the holotype. For Feron validum : HOLOTYPE: Asexual female “Cuernavaca Mor 8700’, Mex. Gall 1-7-32, 41 fms. 4-10-32”, “ Q. texcocana, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Xyst. validum , Holo- Paratype ”. Holotypes and 4 paratype asexual females with the same labels as the holotype, deposited in the AMNH were examined by GM. In the general collection of AMNH a large number of paratypes are also deposited.

Additional material. 28 asexual females: “MEX-326, Mexico, Morelos, Coajomulco , ex Q. rugosa , (04. x.2016) 15-30.iv.2017: 27 females, leg. E. Castillo ”; “MEX-421, Mexico, Ciudad de Mexico, Santa Fe, ex Q. rugosa , (16.i.2018) 17-31.i.2018: 1 female, leg. D. Cibrián-Tovar & U. Barrera-Ruíz ” .

Diagnosis. Asexual females belong to the group of Feron species without a black body; the head is quadrangular or ovate in frontal view, with ocelli elevated above the frons; inner margins of eyes parallel or very slightly converging ventrally; the transfacial distance is equal to or longer than the height of the eye; toruli are located above the mid-height of eyes; the eye is less than 3.0× as high as the length of malar space; lateral ocelli are large, OOL subequal or maximum 1.7× as long as the diameter of ocellus; the pronotum laterally with longitudinal carinae; the mesoscutum alutaceous to coriaceous, rugose-reticulate, reticulate, without piliferous points; as in F. splendens (asex) and F. verutum (asex). Feron vitreum differs from these two species in having the F1 distinctly longer than scape+pedicel and the transfacial distance being equal to or slightly shorter than the height of the eye.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 489–500 , 502–513 ). Body, including mouthparts, antenna, legs uniformly light brown; antenna from F5 dark brown.

Head quadrangular, 1.1× as broad as high in frontal view, with sparse setae; 2.1× as broad as long in dorsal view; head narrower than mesosoma in frontal view. Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye and with parallel sides in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye at ventral end in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, with a few delicate striae radiating from clypeus but not reaching eye; eye 2.4× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 2.5× as long as OOL, OOL slightly shorter than diameter of lateral ocellus and LOL slightly longer than OOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance slightly shorter than height of eye; torulus located above mid height of eye, frons shorter than height of lower face, diameter of antennal torulus 1.2× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye slightly shorter than diameter of torulus; lower face delicately coriaceous with white setae; slightly elevated median area delicately coriaceous with a few setae. Clypeus rectangular, broader than high, alutaceous, glabrous, with setae along ventral edge; ventrally straight, not emarginate and without median incision; anterior tentorial pit rounded, distinct, epistomal sulcus distinct, clypeo-pleurostomal line well impressed. Frons coriaceous, without striae and with a few setae, small triangular area under central ocellus coriaceous; areas between toruli and between torulus and eye delicately coriaceous; interocellar area coriaceous. Vertex, occiput, postgena, smooth, with sparse white long setae; postocciput smooth, with concentric lines around occipital foramen and postgenal bridge; posterior tentorial pit large, elongate, area below impressed, glabrous; occipital foramen as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus; postgenal sulcus bent strongly outwards, reaching posterior tentorial pit; postgenal bridge unusually broad. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than broad; F1 2.4× as long as pedicel, much longer than scape+pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2; F2 nearly equal to F3, F3=F4=F5, F6 slightly longer than F7, F8 slightly longer than F9, F9=F10, F10=F11, F12 shorter than F11; placodeal sensilla indistinct, visible on F4–F12.

Mesosoma slightly longer than high, with sparse white setae, with denser setae on lateral propodeal area. Pronotum smooth, with sparse setae, with delicate parallel concentric striae laterally; propleuron smooth, with sparse long white setae. Mesoscutum delicately coriaceous, smooth, glabrous in between posterior half of notauli, longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum level with base of tegulae), with sparse white setae in anterior 1/3 of mesoscutum length. Notaulus complete, distinctly impressed along entire length, with smooth, glabrous bottom, converging strongly posteriorly with a short distance between notauli posteriorly; anterior parallel line in the form of a bare, smooth stripe, extending to 1/3 length of mesoscutum; parapsidal line distinct, marked with broad smooth glabrous stripes; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum trapezoid, longer than broad; disk of mesoscutellum uniformly dull rugose, overhanging metanotum, with a few scattered setae. Mesoscutellar foveae ovate, slightly longer than high, with smooth, glabrous bottom, divided by broad elevated smooth triangular area. Mesopleuron entirely smooth, glabrous, with setae in anteroventral 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, invisible, lower part of sulcus separating smooth area, with dense setae. Metascutellum smooth, glabrous with delicate longitudinal parallel striae, higher than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth with dense setae; central propodeal area lyre-shaped, smooth, glabrous, with a few short parallel striae in posterolateral part; lateral propodeal carinae strong, bent outwards in posterior 1/3; lateral propodeal area smooth, with long dense white setae. Nucha without sulci dorsally, with sulci only laterally. Tarsal claws with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, hyaline, with short dense cilia on margin, veins brown, radial cell open, 4.8× as long as broad; R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin; areolet indistinct, Rs+M distinct along half of distance between areolet and basalis, its projection reaching basalis at half of its height.

Metasoma longer than head+mesosoma, longer than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergum extending to 4/5 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with numerous white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures; subsequent terga and hypopygium smooth, glabrous, without micropunctures; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 4.1× as long as broad in ventral view, with a few short setae ventrally.

Body length 1.2–2.8 mm (n = 10).

Gall ( Fig. 501 ). Individual galls long and slender, uniformly cylindrical or flaring at the top, fairly well covered with distinctly crystalline processes all of which are broad and blunt, filamentous, none of which are fine or hair-like. Galls clustered, forming a spiny mass in which the individual galls are quite prominent, the clusters up to 55 mm in diameter and 17 mm high. Bright purple rose and straw colour when fresh, darkening with age ( Kinsey 1937).

Biology. Only the asexual generation is known, which induces galls in October-January, on section Quercus , subsection Leucomexicana oaks: Q. deserticola Trel. (= Q. texcocana Trel. ), and Q. rugosa (= Q. rhodophlebia ), adults emerge in April.

86 Feron tetyanae 54 100 Feron tibiale Feron tecturnarum Feron amphorus 99 99 Feron roberti Feron s.str. 100 Feron splendens clade 98 Feron sulfureum 100 Feron vitreum Feron tubifaciens Feron crystallinum 100 Feron rucklei 91 Feron stellare 100 Feron kingi 100 Feron gigas Feron spangle 100 100 Feron Feron discale caepula galler clade 100 Feron izabellae 72 Feron pattersonae Feron atrimentum Feron parmula parmula clade 95 100 Dros perlentum Dros sessile 97 100 Prokius cambrai Prokius lisethiae 100 Phylloteras rubinum 100 Phylloteras sp. Phylloteras poculum Andricus cinnamomeus 100 Andricus quercusradicis Andricus Andricus quercusutriculus s.str. Andricus wiltzae 100 Andricus balanaspis 99 Callirhytis carmelensis 100 Callirhytis quercussuttoni Kokkocynips imbricariae 95 54 Andricus quercuscalifornicus 100 60 Andricus quercusstrobilanus Andricus rhizoxenus 100 Trichoteras coquilletti 56 Trichoteras vacciniifoliae Dryocosmus castanopsidis Amphibolips quercusjuglans Heteroecus pacificus 0.1 subs/site Zapatella davisae 100 Acraspis erinacei 100 78 Burnettweldia plumbella 100 Disholcaspis quercusomnivora Disholandricus truckeensis 100 100 Druon ignotum 100 Druon pattoni 100 100 Striatoandricus sanchezi Kinseyella lapiei 100 99 Cynips douglasii 100 Cynips heldae 87 Atrusca bella Sphaeroteras pulchripennis Neuroterus vesicula 100 Melikaiella tumifica Neuroterus saltatorius Aphelonyx persica

Kinsey (1937) described another species, F. validum , which we consider is morphologically consistent with Kinsey’s series of specimens of F. vitreum and simply represents a geographical variant of that species; hence we synonymise the name in this study. Distribution. Mexico: Luis Potosi, Guanajuato ( Kinsey 1937).

Figures

FIGURES 489–494. Feron vitreum, comb. rev., asexual female. 489–492, head: 489, frontal view, 490, dorsal view, 491, posterior view, 492, lateral view; 493, antenna. 494, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 495–498. Feron vitreum, comb. rev., asexual female. 495, mesosoma, lateral view, 496, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 497, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 498, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 499–501. Feron vitreum, comb. rev., asexual generation. 499–500, asexual female: 499, fore wing, part, 500, metasoma, lateral view. 501, galls.

FIGURES 502–507. Feron validum, syn. of Feron vitreum, comb. rev., asexual female. 502–505, head: 502, frontal view, 503, dorsal view, 504, posterior view, 505, lateral view; 506, antenna. 507, propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 508–511. Feron validum, syn. of Feron vitreum, comb. rev., asexual female. 508, mesosoma, lateral view, 509, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 510, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 511, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 512–513. Feron validum, syn. of Feron vitreum, comb. rev., asexual female. 512, fore wing, 513, metasoma, lateral view.