Cyclocynips tumorvirgae Melika &Tang

Melika, George, Tang, Chang-Ti, Sinclair, Frazer, Yang, Man-Miao, Lohse, Konrad, Hearn, Jack, Nicholls, James A. & Stone, Graham N., 2013, A new genus of oak gallwasp, Cyclocynips Melika, Tang & Sinclair (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), with descriptions of two new species from Taiwan, Zootaxa 3630 (3), pp. 534-548 : 541-544

Cyclocynips tumorvirgae Melika &Tang , new species

Figs 11–23

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN, New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding District, ex Quercus glauca , 25.III.2011 (field code TAI 119), 24.967203ºN, 121.619744ºE, 678m, ex small stem swelling (field code TWTs7), adult em. 5.IV.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse. PARATYPES: 27 females: 10 female paratypes with the same label data as the holotype; 5 female paratypes: TAIWAN, New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding District, ex Quercus glauca , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 119), 24.967203ºN, 121.619744ºE, 678m, ex small stem swelling (TWTs7), adult em. 2.IV.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse; 1 female paratype: TAIWAN, New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding District, ex Quercus glauca , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 119), 24.967203ºN, 121.619744ºE, 678m, ex small stem swelling (TWTs7), adult em. 10.IV.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse; 6 female paratypes: TAIWAN, New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding District, 24º58’2.22” N, 121º37’10.97” E, 678 m, ex stem welling galls on Quercus glauca (TWTs7), gall collected 22.III.2012 (TWT611), adult emerged 28.III.2012, leg. C. T. Tang; 5 female paratypes: TAIWAN, New Taipei City, Mt. Erge, Shihding District, 24º58’2.22” N, 121º37’10.97” E, 678 m, ex stem welling galls on Quercus glauca (TWTs7), gall collected 22.III.2012 (TWT611), adult emerged 29.III.2012, leg. C. T. Tang. The female holotype, 9 female paratypes are deposited in NMNS, 7 female paratypes in BPDL, 3 female paratypes in USNM, 8 female paratypes in NCHU.

Etomology. The species name, “ tumorvirgae ”, in Latin means “tumor (swelling) on twig”.

Diagnosis. In C. tumorvirgae : POL 1.2x longer than OOL; OOL 1.6x and 2.0x longer than length of lateral ocellus and LOL; genae smooth, glabrous; F1 slightly longer than F2, 1.6x longer than the pedicel, F12 2.0x longer than F11; scutellar foveae narrower, slightly broader than high, separated by a much broader median carina. In Cyclocynips uberis : POL nearly equal OOL; OOL 2.3x and 2.0x longer than length of lateral ocellus and LOL; genae microreticulate; F1 equal F2, 1.6x longer than the pedicel, F12 1.5x longer than F11; scutellar foveae nearly 2.0x wider than high, separated by a narrow median carina;

Description. Asexual female.

Surface colouration is as for C. uberis .

Head alutaceous to reticulate, with some white setae, denser on lower face and postgena; 2.1x broader than long from above, 1.3x broader than high, broader than mesosoma in anterior view. Gena microreticulate, broadened behind eye, 0.6x cross diameter of eye; malar area microreticulate, with some delicate striae and without malar sulcus, 0.3x height of eye. Inner margins of compound eyes parallel. POL 1.2x longer than OOL; OOL 1.6x and 2.0x longer than length of lateral ocellus and LOL; all ocelli of same size, ovate. Transfacial distance shorter than height of eye; diameter of antennal toruli 2.0x broader than distance between them, distance between torulus and inner margin of eye slightly longer than diameter of torulus. Lower face glabrous, shiny, with dense white setae and striae radiating from clypeus and extending to eye margins and nearly reaching toruli, median elevated area microreticulate, without striae. Clypeus rectangular, slightly broader than high, without median incision ventrally, glabrous; anterior tentorial pits distinct, large, rounded, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons alutaceous, with some white setae; interocellar area alutaceous to microreticulate. Vertex and occiput alutaceous; postocciput glabrous, shiny; postgena smooth, shiny, with dense setae and numerous delicate parallel longitudinal striae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; height of occipital foramen nearly equal to height of coriaceous postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; longer than head+mesosoma; pedicel longer than broad; F1 slightly longer than F2, 1.6x longer than pedicel; F3 shorter than F2; F2–F10 progressively shorter; F12 2.0x longer than F11; placodeal sensilla present on F2–F12, absent on F1.

Mesosoma 1.2x longer than broad, flattened dorsoventrally, not concaved. Pronotum impressed along anterior margin, rugose dorsally and laterally, with multiple short irregular striae posterolaterally, dorsally broad, visible both sides of mesoscutum; propleuron alutaceous, shiny, with smooth area centrally ( Fig. 15 ). Mesoscutum delicately coriaceous between notauli, microreticulate aside from notauli and along anterior parallel lines, with few white setae; slightly broader than long (largest width measured across mesoscutum on level of base of tegulae). Notauli complete, reaching pronotum, deeply impressed in posterior 2/3 of mesoscutum; parapsidal lines present, in the form of glabrous, shiny stripes; median mesoscutal line absent, anterior parallel lines indicated by glabrous stripes; parascutal carina usually broad, extending to the point where notaulus reaches pronotum. Mesoscutellum quadrangular, uniformly rugose, with irregular strong rugae, as long as broad, slightly overhanging metanotum, with brownish setae denser than on mesoscutum; scutellar foveae distinct, transversely ovate, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom, separate by distinct elevated broad microreticulate median carina. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, shiny, with some delicate striae anteromedially only, with setae posteroventrally only; dorsal axillar area reticulate, with white setae; lateral axillar area alutaceous, with some setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shiny, most posterior part broader than height of metanotal trough; postalar process with parallel delicate striae; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron slightly above half of its height. Metascutellum uniformly coriaceous, metanotal trough smooth, shiny, without setae; ventral impressed area as high as height of metascutellum, smooth; central propodeal area broad, with numerous longitudinal rugae on smooth shiny bottom; lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, strongly bent outwards in middle part; lateral propodeal area rugose, with dense long, white setae. Nucha glabrous, with numerous parallel rugae.

Tarsal claws simple, without basal lobe. Forewing longer than body, hyaline, with brown veins, distinct long, dense cilia on margin, radial cell with parallel sides, 6.2x longer than wide; R1 reaching wing margin, Rs nearly straight, reaching wing margin; areolet large, triangular, closed and distinct. Rs+M indistinct, reaching basalis in its lower half.

Metasoma slightly shorter than head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite smooth, occupying nearly 1/3 length of metasoma in dorsal view, with some white setae laterally, all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, shiny, with rare delicate micropunctures on posterior part of tergite. Prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 4.5x longer than broad, subapical setae not extending beyond apex of spine; 5–8 long white setae located along ventral part of hypopygium. Body length 2.3–2.4 mm (n = 4).

Gall ( Fig. 23 ). Galls develop as multichambered swellings within twigs of Quercus glauca (subgenus Cyclobalanopsis ), similar to those induced by C. uberis . Larval chambers are 2.1–2.6 mm long and 1.2–1.6 mm in diameter. They always appear to be close to the twig surface and orientated along its axis, unlike those of C. uberis that can occur at varying depths and orientations.

Biology. As for C. uberis , adult females of this asexual generation emerge during March when Quercus glauca is experiencing a flush of growth. No matching sexual generation has yet been identified.

Distribution. Currently known only from Shihding District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The only recorded host plant species— Q. glauca —occurs throughout East Asia.

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 16. Cyclocynips tumorvirgae, new species, female: 11 – 13, head: 11, anterior view, 12, dorsal view, 13, posterior view. 14, antenna, 15, pronotum and propleura, anterior view, 16, forewing.

FIGURES 17 – 21. Cyclocynips tumorvirgae, new species, female: 17 – 18, mesosoma: 17, lateral view, 18, ventral view. 19, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 20, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 21, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 22 – 23. Cyclocynips tumorvirgae, new species: 22, metasoma, female, lateral view. 23, gall (photos by Chang-Ti Tang).