Andricus turcicus Melika, Mutun & Dinç, 2014

Mutun, Serap, Dinç, Serdar, Bozsó, Miklós & Melika, George, 2014, Four new species of Andricus Hartig oak gallwasp from Turkey (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini), Zootaxa 3760 (2), pp. 241-259 : 254-258

Andricus turcicus Melika, Mutun & Dinç , new species

Figs 45–54 , 55–58

Type material: HOLOTYPE female: TURKEY, Manisa Demirtaş Village, N 39° 260.82´, E 27° 892.89´, 413 m. a.s.l. ex Q.infectoria ; leg. S. Mutun & S. Dinç, coll. 21. 0 9.2012. PARATYPES: 1 female with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype is deposited at the PHMB, 1 paratype at the AIBU collection.

Material examined. Three galls were colllected from Adıyaman Güneykaş Village, N 37° 752.12´, E 37° 847.11´, 742 m a.s.l. 15. 09.2012; 2 galls—from Adıyaman Yukarıçöplü Village, N 37° 765.16´, E 37° 719.31´, 870 m a.s.l., 15. 09.2012; 4 galls—from Adıyaman Yarbaşı Village, N 37° 772.87´, E 37° 684.76´, 905 m a.s.l., 15. 09.2012; 2 galls—from Konya Yeşildağ, N 37° 549.39´, E 31° 462.94´, 1135 m a.s.l., 19. 0 9. 2012; 1 gall—from Manisa Demirtaş Village, N 39° 260.82´, E 27° 892.89´, 413 mt, 21. 0 9.2012.

Etymology. Named after the country, Turkey, where it was collected.

Diagnosis. Andricus turcicus resembles A. truncicolus (Giraud) and A. megatruncicolus Melika. In A. turcicus the lower face is uniformly delicately coriaceous, without any striae; F2=F3; the malar space 0.2 times as long as height of eye, coriaceous, without striae; the mesoscutum uniformly and entirely reticulate; scutellar fovea transversely ovate, 2.2 times as broad as high, with delicately coriaceous bottom; the radial cell of the forewing 3.4 times as long as broad. In A. truncicolus the lower face is coriaceous, with striae radiating from clypeus and extending to 1/3 height of lower face; the malar space 0.4 times as long as height of eye, coriaceous, with numerous distinct strong striae radiating from clypeus and extending to half distance to lower edge of eye; F2 longer than F3; the mesoscutum coriaceous anteriorly and reticulate posteriorly in the internotauli area only, scutellar foveae nearly rounded, as broad as high, with shiny, smooth bottom; the radial cell of the forewing narrower, 4.8–5.0 times as long as broad. A. turcicus differs also from A. megatruncicolus : in A. turcicus the body predominantly black; OOL 2.1 times as long as LOL and 2.4 times as long as diameter of lateral ocellus; the diameter of the antennal torulus 3.4 times as long as the distance between them; the clypeus only slightly broader than high; the mesoscutum uniformly reticulate; the mesoscutellum delicately uniformly coriaceous; scutellar foveae are separated by a narrow median carina; the radial cell of the forewing only 3.4 times as long as broad while in A. megatruncicolus the body predominantly is reddish brown; OOL 2.8 times as long as LOL and 2.8 times as long as the length of the lateral ocellus; the diameter of the antennal torulus only 2.5 times as long as the distance between them; the clypeus at least 2.0 times as broad as high; the mesoscutum uniformly delicately coriaceous, with some distinct punctures in the anterior half; the mesoscutellum with more dull rugose sculpture along sides and more delicate on the disk center; scutellar foveae are separated by a broad delicately reticulate median carina; the radial cell of the forewing 4.0 times as long as broad.

The gall, induced by this species, is unique in its shape and no other species known to induce galls like this. The outer shape of the gall resembles somewhat the Iranian shape of Andricus coriarius (Hartig) galls (Tavakoli et al. 2008, Fig. 166), however, its inner structure is absolutely different and it is a monolocular gall, while A. coriarius is multilocular.

Based on the mitochondrial cytB gene sequence most closely resembles A. quercustozae and A. caputmedusae (see Comments below).

Description. ASEXUAL female (holotype) ( Figs 45–54 ). Head brown, occiput, ocelli and postgenal bridge black, with mandibles and stripe along attachment line of mandibles and oral foramen black. Antenna black. Pronotum, propleuron, mesopleuron, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, lateral propodeal area and metasoma brown; anterior rim of pronotum, propleura along sides, mesoscutum along anterior parallel lines with two black stripes extending to 2/3 of mesoscutum length, scutellar foveae, metascutellum, metanotal trough, central propodeal area, mesosoma ventrally black. Coxae, trochanters, femurs brown, with dense white setae, tibiae and tarsi dark brown to black. Head, mesosoma and metasoma with uniformly very dense long white setae.

Head delicately coriaceous, 2.4 times as broad as long from above, 1.4 times as broad as high in anterior view and narrower than width of mesosoma. Gena delicately coriaceous, broader than cross diameter of eye, strongly broadened behind eye, well visible in anterior view behind eye. Malar space short, coriaceous, without striae and malar sulcus, 0.2 times as long as height of eye. POL 1.2 times as long as OOL; OOL 2.1 times as long as LOL and 2.4 times as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, ocelli slightly ovate, black, equal in size and shape. Transfacial distance 1.3 times as long as height of eye and 1.8 times as long as height of lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus); diameter of antennal torulus 3.4 times as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye margin nearly equal to diameter of torulus. Inner margins of eyes parallel. Lower face delicately coriaceous, with elevated median area and very dense setae. Clypeus coriaceous, rectangular, 1.3 times broader than high, with parallel sides, impressed, flat, ventrally straight, not emarginate, not incised medially, with distinct deep anterior tentorial pits, distinct epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line. Frons delicately coriaceous, with shiny, glabrous impression under median ocellus. Vertex, and interocellar area uniformly delicately coriaceous; occiput with interrupted subparallel delicate wrinkles; postocciput around occipital foramen impressed, smooth, without surface sculpture, glabrous, shiny; postgena with piliferous points, densense setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; height of occipital foramen slightly longer than height of postgenal bridge which coricaeous centrally, with vertical parallel numerous wrinkles; hypostomal carina emarginate, postgenal sulcus indistinct between numerous wrinkles. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, longer than head+mesosoma; pedicel nearly 2.5 times shorter than scape, longer than broad, F1 2.3 times as long as pedicel, F1= F2, F3 slightly shorter than F2, from F4 all subsequent flagellomeres slightly shorter; F12 slightly longer than F11; placoid sensillae on F3–F12, in numerous rows, absent on F1–F2.

Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view; with uniform, dense white setae. Pronotum uniformly delicately coriaceous, with uniform dense white setae. Anterior rim of pronotum narrow, blasck, emarginate; propleuron delicately coriaceous, with white dense setae, strongly concave in mediocentral part. Mesoscutum longer than broad (width measured across base of tegulae); reticulate, with dense setae. Notauli distinct, complete, reaching pronotum, well-impressed; median mesoscutal line hardly traceable, present in a form of short triangle; anterior parallel lines long, distinct, shiny, glabrous, extending to 2/3 length of mesoscutum; parapsidal line indicates by smooth glabrous stripes. Mesoscutellum delicately uniformly coriaceous, rounded, nearly as broad as long, very slightly overhanging metanotum. Scutellar fovea transversely ovate, 2.2 times as broad as high, with delicately coriaceous black bottom, separated with narrow elevated median carina. Mesopleuron, including speculum, and mesopleural triangle uniformly delicately coriaceous, both with dense white setae, hidden the surface sculpture. Metapleural sulcus distinct, delimiting area with very dense white setae, reach mesopleuron at its half height; preaxilla coriaceous; dorsoaxillar and lateral axillar areas delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae; axillar carina broad, smooth, shiny with longitudinal striae; axillula slightly ovate, with very dense white setae hidden sculpture; subaxillular bar smooth, shiny, black. Metascutellum black, delicately coriaceous, nearly 2.2 times as high as height of smooth, shiny ventral impressed area. Lateral propodeal carinae subparallel, delimiting smooth black central area with some delicate irregular wrinkles, with very dense white setae along carinae; lateral propodeal area uniformly delicately coriaceous, with dense white setae; nucha very short, without striae dorsally, with some wrinkles laterally.

Forewing longer than body, with dark brown veins, margin with dense, short cilia; radial cell 3.4 times as long as broad, R1 and Rs nearly reach wing margin; Rs+M distinct in distal 3/4, its projection reach basalis at half height, areolet large, triangular, well-delimited. Anterior surface of fore tibia with long oblique setae. Tarsal claws with strong acute, deep basal lobe.

Metasoma longer than head+mesosoma, slightly higher than long in lateral view, smooth, shiny. All metasomal tergites with very dense white setae laterally, which absent dorsally on tergites 2 only; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium slender, needle-like, around 7.0 times longer than broad, with two ventral rows of dense setae directed downwards.

Body length 4.7–5.1 mm (n=2).

Gall ( Figs 55–58 ). Gall resembles Andricus truncicolus with patterned surface, monolocular inner chamber and similar coloration. On the other hand patterned plates consist of prickly protrusions and gives maze-like appearance. Gall develops over the branch of lateral and terminal buds, 9–11 mm in diameter, including the spines; in the center is the larval chamber. Galls have spiny extensions.

Comments. The mitochondrial Cytb gene sequence most closely resembles that of A. truncicolus (query cover 95%, max. identity 97%, accession # DQ218002.1), A. curtisii (Müller) (query cover 95%, max. identity 96%, accession # AF539566.1) and A. hartigi (Hartig) (query cover 95%, max. identity 96%, accession # AJ228454.1).

Biology. Only the asexual females are known to induce galls on Q. infectoria and Q. petraea , with preferring lateral branches. The gall develops through the summer and matures at the beginning of September and till late October. Our wasps emerged from galls at the beginning of September.

Distribution. Currently known from the vicinities of Adıyaman, Konya and Manisa cities of Turkey.

Figures

FIGURES 45 – 48. Andricus turcicus, new species, asexual female: 45 – 49, head: 45, anterior view, 46, lateral view, 47, posterior view, 48, dorsal view. 49, antenna.

FIGURES 50 – 54. Andricus turcicus, new species, asexual female: 50, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 51, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 52, mesosoma, lateral view, 53, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 54, metasoma, part, lateral view.

FIGURES 55 – 58. Andricus turcicus, new species, gall: 55 – 56, mature gall, 57, gall with partially removed outer part, arrow showing the inner larval chamber, 58, outer parts of the gall.