Feron roberti Melika, Nicholls & Stone, 2023

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 : 102-105

Feron roberti Melika, Nicholls & Stone , sp. nov.

Figs 300–310

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2910FEE6-43FD-443C-97DF-9A3963F3043D

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Asexual female “ USA, AZ, Cypress picnic area, Santa Catalina Mtns, AZ226-232 , spAZl4, galltype 80; ex Q. rugosa , 2007.10.28, leg. J.A. Nicholls ” . PARATYPES (28 asexual female paratypes) labeled as the holotype. The female holotype and 10 female paratypes are deposited in the USNM , 18 female paratypes in the PHDNRL .

Etymology. Named after Robert Melika, son of G. Melika.

Diagnosis. Asexual females are members of the group of Feron species characterised by having a body which is never black; the head is rounded or trapezoid to triangular in frontal view, ocelli are not elevated above the frons; inner margins of eyes are parallel or very slightly converging ventrally, the transfacial distance is equal or longer than the height of eye; toruli are located above the mid-height of eyes; the eye is less than 3.0× as high as length of the malar space; lateral ocelli are smaller, OOL at least 2.5× as long as the diameter of the ocellus, if shorter, then the head and mesosoma are not yellowish or light brown; the pronotum laterally with longitudinal carinae; the mesoscutum alutaceous to coriaceous, rugose-reticulate, reticulate, without piliferous points and the mesopleuron is entirely smooth; as in F. caepula (asex), F. rucklei (asex), F. serranoae (asex), F. stellare (asex), F. tecturnarum (asex) and some F. tibiale (asex). Nevertheless, F. roberti differs from all these species in having a trapezoid head; the gena is not broadened behind the eye; the transfacial distance is equal to the height of the eye and the antenna has 11 flagellomeres (see more characters at couplet 39 in the key).

Description. Asexual female ( Figs 300–309 ). Head, antennae, mesosoma, metasoma light brown to brown; mouthparts and legs lighter. Frons, interocellar area, postgena dark brown to black; mesosoma chestnut brown, without black patches on mesoscutum; metasoma dorsally dark brown to black.

Head trapezoid, broadest part above toruli, slightly higher than broad and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, with sparse setae, denser on lower face; 2.2× broader than long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space with a few delicate striae radiating from clypeus and not reaching eye; eye 2.4× as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 2.1× as long as OOL, OOL slightly longer than diameter of lateral ocellus and subequal to LOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance nearly equal to height of eye; toruli located above mid height of head, frons shorter than height of lower face, diameter of antennal torulus 1.6x as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.1× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face smooth, with dense white setae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous, with few setae. Clypeus trapezoid, broader than high, almost smooth, 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 setae, areas between toruli and between torulus and eye also reticulate; interocellar area coriaceous. Vertex and occiput alutaceous, with white long setae; postocciput and postgena glabrous, 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 diverge strongly toward occipital foramen, postgenal bridge anteriorly slightly broader than occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than broad; flagellomeres subsequently broadening towards apical end; F1=F2 and 2.0× as long as pedicel; F2 1.2× as long as F3; F3=F4, F5=F6, F7 to F10 equal in length; F11 slightly longer than F10; placodeal sensilla on F5–F11, absent on F1–F4.

Mesosoma longer than high, with a few white setae, setae denser along propleura and on lateral propodeal area. Pronotum smooth, with delicate parallel striae only in dorso-posterior quarter and with sparse setae laterally; propleuron smooth, glabrous, with delicate transverse parallel striae ventrally. Mesoscutum predominantly reticulate, smooth between notauli on anterior 1/3 and along parapsidal lines; white setae sparse in posterior half, much denser in anterior half of mesoscutum which is slightly longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum level with base of tegulae); piliferous points absent. Notaulus deep, complete, posteriorly converging; at posterior end the distance between notauli shorter than distance between notaulus and side of mesoscutum; anterior parallel line present, smooth; parapsidal line marked with broad smooth, impressed area; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina broad, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum elongated, longer than broad, broadest part in posterior 1/4 of its length, circumscutellar carina present; disk of mesoscutellum reticulate, dull rugose laterally and posteriorly, overhanging metanotum, with sparse long setae. Mesoscutellar foveae in the form of a transverse semilunar impression, only slightly broader than high, with smooth, glabrous bottom, without central carina. Mesopleuron smooth, glabrous, with transverse longitudinal parallel delicate striae only on the most ventral part; mesopleural triangle smooth, with dense, long white setae, hiding the surface sculpture; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, with dense white setae; axillula with delicate parallel longitudinal striae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, with parallel sides, posteriorly as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron in lower 1/3 of its height; upper part of sulcus indistinct; lower part of sulcus delimiting smooth area with dense long white setae. Metascutellum smooth, glabrous, higher than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, with dense white setae; central propodeal area lyre-shaped, smooth, glabrous, without rugae; lateral propodeal carinae distinct, bent slightly outwards in posterior 1/3 of its height; 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 light brown, radial cell open, 4.8× as long as broad; Rs and R1 nearly reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, small, closed and distinct. Rs+M distinct, its projection reaching basalis at half of its height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergum extending to 3/4 length of metasoma in dorsal view, with numerous white setae anterolaterally, smooth, without micropunctures; all subsequent terga and hypopygium smooth, without micropunctures. Prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 6.7× as long as broad in ventral view.

Body length 1.8–2.3 mm (n = 10).

Gall ( Fig. 310 ). Pinkish leaf galls, turret-like with bristles all around, covered with more or less crystalline, fine, hair-like fibers, similar to F. sulfureum , F. tibiale and F. tubifaciens , however, in larger clusters (20+ galls) up to 20 mm wide and 25–30 mm long.

Biology. Only the asexual generation is known, which induces leaf galls on Q. rugosa (section Quercus , subsection Leucomexicana). Galls mature in the autumn dropping only with the leaf; adults emerge next year, in late March–April.

Distribution. USA, Arizona.

Figures

FIGURES 300–303. Feron roberti, sp. nov., asexual female. 300–302, head: 300, frontal view, 301, posterior view, 302, dorsal view; 303, antenna.

FIGURES 304–307. Feron roberti, sp. nov., asexual female. 304, mesosoma, lateral view. 305, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 306, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 307, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 308–310. Feron roberti, sp. nov., asexual generation. 308–309, asexual female: 308, fore wing, part, 309, metasoma, lateral view. 310, gall.