Andricus ahmeti 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 : 242-246

Andricus ahmeti Melika, Mutun & Dinç , new species

Figs 1–11 , 12–15

Type material: HOLOTYPE female: TURKEY, Manisa Demirtaş, N 39° 260.82´; E 27° 892.89´; 413 m a.s.l.; ex Q. infectoria ; coll. 2011.08.18., leg. S. Mutun & S. Dinç. PARATYPES: 4 females with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype and 2 paratypes are deposited at the PHMB, 2 paratypes at the AIBU collection.

Material examined. 10 galls were collected from Manisa Demirtaş Village, N 39° 260.82´, E 27° 892.89´, 413 m a.s.l., 21. 09.2012; 5 galls—from Uşak Çorum Village, N 38° 483.48´, E 29° 528.80´, 1046 m a.s.l., 0 3. 0 8. 2012; 3 galls—from Amasya Taşova, N 40° 828.15´, E 36° 189.32´, 735 m a.s.l., 26. 0 8. 2012, 3 galls—from Amasya Mahmatlar Village, N 40° 564.24´, E 35° 895.21´, 568 m a.s.l., 0 2.09.2012 and 3 galls—from Kayseri Büyükgümüşgün Village, N 38° 697.57´, E 36° 442.65´, 1578 m a.s.l., 0 8. 0 9. 2012.

Etymology. In honour of Serap Mutun’s father who recently passed.

Diagnosis. The gall of A. ahmeti most closely resembles the gall of A. askewi Melika & Stone and A. quercustozae (Bosc) . However, the morphology of adults is quite distinct. In A. askewi the head and mesosoma are uniformly reddish-brown; the radial cell of the forewing 4.4–4.5 times longer than broad; metasomal tergite 2 with dense setae at the base; subsequent tergites with white dense setae only on the lateroposterior 1/3 of the tergite only; the prominent part of the ventral spine of the hypopygium short, 3.0 times longer than broad, while in A. ahmeti the head and mesosoma are brown with black areas; the radial cell of the forewing only 3.8 times longer than broad; all metasomal tergites with very dense white setae laterally; the prominent part of the ventral spine of the hypopygium much longer, 6.0 times longer than broad. In A. quercustozae the clypeus is quadrangular, slightly broader than high, ventrally strongly emarginate and incised medially; the mesoscutum coriaceous-granulose, with no piliferous punctures; the radial cell of the forewing long, 5.1 times as long as broad, while in A. ahmeti the clypeus is rectangular, nearly twice broader than high, ventrally straight, not emarginate, not incised medially; the mesoscutum with distinct numerous dense punctures in the internotauli area and area between the parapside and notaulus; the radial cell of the forewing much shorter, only 3.8 times as long as broad. See also Comments for the DNA-based diagnosis.

Description. ASEXUAL female (holotype) ( Figs 1–11 ). Head brown, occiput, ocelli and postgenal bridge black, with mandibles and stripe along attachment line of mandibles black. Antenna darkish brown to black. Pronotum, propleuron, mesopleuron, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and lateral propodeal area brown; mesoscutum in mid height between notauli, scutellar foveae, metascutellum, metanotal trough, central propodeal area, mesosoma ventrally and 2nd metasomal tergite dorsally black. Coxae, trochanters, femora 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, 2.3 times as broad as long from above, 1.4 times as broad as high in anterior view and narrower than width of mesosoma. Gena alutaceous to coriaceous, broader than cross diameter of eye, strongly broadened behind eye, well visible in anterior view behind eye. Malar space coriaceous, without striae and malar sulcus, 0.4 times as long as height of eye. POL 1.75 times as long as OOL; OOL 1.3 times as long as LOL and 2.5 times as long as diameter of lateral ocellus, ocelli slightly ovate, black, equal in size and shape. Transfacial distance 1.5 times as long as height of eye and 2.1 times as long as height of lower face (distance between antennal rim and ventral margin of clypeus); diameter of antennal torulus 1.3 times as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye margin 1.3 times as long as diameter of torulus. Lower face delicately coriaceous, with elevated median area and very dense setae. Clypeus coriaceous, rectangular, nearly twice broader than high, with parallel sides, impressed, flat, ventrally not emarginate, straight, not incised medially, with distinct deep anterior tentorial pits, distinct epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line. Frons delicately coriaceous, with impression above antennal socket and under median ocellus. Vertex, occiput and interocellar area uniformly delicately coriaceous. Postocciput around occipital foramen impressed, smooth, without surface sculpture. postocciput glabrous, shiny; postgena smooth, shiny, with dense setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; height of occipital foramen nearly equal to height of postgenal bridge which coriacaeous centrally, with numerous parallel vertical wrinkles; hypostomal carina emarginate, postgenal sulcus indistinct between numerous wrinkles. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, as long as head+mesosoma; pedicel nearly 2.5 times shorter than scape, longer than broad, F1 2.9 times as long as pedicel, 1.2 times as long as F2, F3 1.3 times 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 and some punctures in laterodorsal part. Anterior rim of pronotum narrow, emarginate; propleuron delicately coriaceous, with white dense setae, strongly concave in mediocentral part. Mesoscutum longer than broad (width measured across base of tegulae); with distinct numerous dense puctures in internotauli area and area between parapside and notaulus, area between punctures shiny, smooth. Notauli distinct, complete, reaching pronotum, well-impressed; median mesoscutal line hardly traceable, present in a form of short triangle; anterior parallel lines distinct, extending to half 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, 2.0 times as broad as high and 5.6 times as broad as width of elevated median carina separating foveae, with shiny, smooth bottom. 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 in upper 1/3rd; 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, covered with very dense long white setae. Metascutellum black, delicately coriaceous, nearly 2.5 times as high as height of smooth, shiny ventral impressed area. Lateral propodeal carinae subparallel, delimiting smooth black central area with few delicate irregular wrinkles, with very dense white setae; lateral propodeal area uniformly coriaceous, with very dense white setae; nucha very short, without striae.

Forewing longer than body, with dark brown veins, margin with dense, short cilia; radial cell 3.8 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 and 3; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium slender, needle-like, around 6.0 times longer than broad, with two ventral rows of dense setae directed downwards.

Body length 4.6–5.1 mm (n=6).

Gall ( Figs 12–15 ). The gall is 10–25 mm in diameter, monolocular, found often as a single gall attached to the lateral buds. The mature gall is reddish brown. The surface of the gall is smooth and slightly sticky in the early gall development and after maturation. Irregular spherical shape with a crevice at the apex of the gall. The parenchyma of the gall with a corky texture, the larval chamber located near the centre of the gall and larval chamber is not free.

Biology. Only the asexual females are known to induce galls on Q. infectoria and Q. petraea which are common oak species and distributed from Europe, through Turkey, to Iran ( Yaltırık 1984; Govaerts & Frodin 1998). The gall develops through the summer and matures from the beginning of September and till the late October. Adults emerged from galls in late September.

Comments. The mitochondrial Cytb gene sequence most closely resembles that of A. quercustozae (query cover 92%, max. identity 98%, accession # JQ229050.1), A. caputmedusae (Hartig) (query cover 92%, max. identity 98%, accession # JQ229011.1) and A. askewi (query cover 92%, max. identity 98%, accession # EU552423.1).

Distribution. Currently known only from the vicinities of Manisa, Amasya, Uşak and Kayseri cities of Turkey.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Andricus ahmeti, new species, asexual female: 1 – 4, head: 1, anterior view, 2, dorsal view, 3, posterior view, 4, lateral view. 5, antenna.

FIGURES 6 – 11. Andricus ahmeti, new species, asexual female: 6, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 7, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 8, mesosoma, lateral view, 9, forewing, part, 10, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 11, metasoma, part, lateral view.

FIGURES 12 – 15. Andricus ahmeti, new species, gall.