Cycloneuroterus gilvus Melika & Tang

Tang, Chang-Ti, Sinclair, Frazer, Hearn, Jack, Yang, Man-Miao, Stone, Graham N., Nicholls, James A., Schwéger, Szabina & Melika, George, 2016, Eight new species of Cycloneuroterus Melika & Tang gallwasps from Taiwan and mainland China (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), Zootaxa 4088 (4), pp. 451-488 : 467-470

Cycloneuroterus gilvus Melika & Tang , new species

Figs 56–70

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex Quercus gilva , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 109), 24.797997ºN, 121.416308ºE 977m, ex clusters of red integrated leaf galls (AGWP- Morpho41), adult em. 30.III.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse. Four female and 3 male PARATYPES: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex Quercus gilva , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 109), 24.797997ºN, 121.416308ºE, 977m, ex clusters of red integrated leaf galls (AGWP-Morpho41), adult em. 31.III.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse.

The female holotype, 1 female and 1 male paratypes are deposited in NMNS, 2 female and 1 male paratypes in PHMB, 1 female and 1 male paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. This species is named after the host plant, Quercus gilva .

Diagnosis. See the Diagnosis to C. abei .

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Head dark brown to black, except for yellowish mandibles, mouthparts, maxillary and labial palps; scape and pedicel light brown, flagellomeres progressively darker till last one, mesosoma and metasoma black to dark brown except lighter tegulae; legs yellow, tibia and tarsi of hind legs darker.

Head 1.96× as broad as long in dorsal view, 1.2× as high as broad in frontal view, slightly narrower than mesosoma. Gena delicately alutaceous, not broadened behind eye, 0.5× as broad as cross diameter of eye. Malar area alutaceous, without striae, 0.17× as high as height of eye. Eyes converging ventrally. POL 1.2× as long as OOL; OOL 1.7× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, elongated, same size and shape. Transfacial distance nearly as long as height of eye; diameter of torulus 1.7× as long as distance between toruli, 1.5× as long as distance between torulus and eye; area between torulus and eye with sparse white setae. Lower face alutaceous, setose, median area alutaceous, slightly higher than lateral part. Clypeus alutaceous, elevated above lower face, trapezoid, flat; ventrally emarginate, with slight median incision. Anterior tentorial pit distinct; epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons and interocellar area delicately alutaceous, smooth, glabrous; interocellar area with few white setae. Vertex and occiput delicately alutaceous. Postocciput and postgena smooth, glabrous, with few white setae. Posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below not impressed. Height of postgenal bridge shorter than height of occipital and oral foramen. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, longer than head+mesosoma; pedicel subglobose, 1.5× as long as broad, nearly equal in length to scape; F 1 1.2 × as long as F2, 2.2×as long as pedicel, F2=F3; F4–F11 progressively shorter; F 12 1.7 × as long as F11; placoid sensillae on F1–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high in lateral view. Pronotum smooth, glabrous, short dorsally; without parallel striae laterally; strongly impressed along anterior rim. Propleuron alutaceous, glabrous, with smooth central area. Mesoscutum smooth, with few white setae; 1.2× as broad as long (largest width measured across mesoscutum on the level of the base of tegulae). Notaulus distinct in anterior 1/3 of mesoscutum length, anterior notaular pit present. Anterior parallel and parapsidal lines absent, even rows of setae do not indicate them; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina broad, extending to the point where notaulus reaches pronotum. Mesoscutellum trapezoid, longer than wide, broadest in posterior 1/4, smooth, with few setae; foveolate along lateral and posterior margins, slightly overhanging metanotum. Scutellar foveae absent, semilunar transverse depression present anteriorly, with smooth, glabrous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, glabrous, without setae, impressed along acetabular carina; mesopleural triangle smooth, glabrous, without setae. Dorsoaxillar area reticulate, with few white setae; lateroaxillar area alutaceous, without setae. Subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, posteriorly as high as height of metanotal trough. Postalar process with parallel delicate striae. Metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus slightly above 1/2 of its height. Metascutellum uniformly coriaceous, metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, without setae; ventral impressed area equal in height to metascutellum, smooth, without striae. Central propodeal area broad, glabrous, with few strong rugae radiating from nucha; lateral propodeal carina strong, high, strongly curved outwards in middle height; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with few setae and piliferous points. Nucha with irregular rugae.

Radial cell of fore wing 4.0× as long as broad. Rs+M distinct along 2/3 of its length, its projection reaches basalis in lower half of its height. Areolet large, triangular, distinct. Wing margin with long cilia. Rs and R1 reach wing margin.

Metasoma shorter than length of head+mesosoma, longer than high in lateral view; second metasomal tergite with few white setae laterally, occupying nearly half of metasoma length in dorsal view; all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, glabrous. Ventral spine of hypopygium short, prominent part nearly 2.5× as long as broad in ventral view, with few white setae, slightly extending beyond apex of spine. Body length 1.9–2.1 mm (n=2).

MALE. Similar to female but head and mesosoma light brown to dark brown, with much darker mesoscutum and mesoscutellum; metasoma black to dark brown; antennae light brown. Eye larger than female; cross diameter of eye 7.8× as broad as width of gena. Diameter of lateral ocellus 1.4× as long as in female. Antenna with 13 flagellomeres, nearly equal to body length; F1 curved and slightly swollen apically, 1.2× as long as F2; F2–F12 progressively shorter, F12=F13; placoid sensillae on all flagellomeres. Body length 1.8–2.1 mm (n = 2).

Gall ( Figs 69–70 ). Galls with a single larval chamber, hollow or blister-like on folded or unfolded young leaves. Usually numerous galls develop on one leaf, pinkish or rusty in color. Galls are 3.0– 4.7 mm in diameter and 2.2–4.8 mm in height (n =16).

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known. The gall development coincides with host sprouting in mid- March, followed by the mature gall stage when the host leaves are wholly expanded. Adult wasps emerge immediately after collection, from late March to early April under laboratory conditions.

Distribution. Currently known only from Taiwan: Hsinchu County, Jianshih Township, and Taoyuan County, Fuhsing Township.

Figures

FIGURES 56 – 63. Cycloneuroterus gilvus, new species. 56 – 58, head, female: 56, frontal view, 57, dorsal view, 58, posterior view. 59 – 61, head, male: 59, frontal view, 60, dorsal view, 61, posterior view. 62 – 63, antenna: 62, female, 63, male.

FIGURES 64 – 67. Cycloneuroterus gilvus, new species, female: 64, mesosoma, lateral view, 65, mesosoma, dorsal view (no, notaulus; anp, anterior notaular pit), 66, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 67, mesosoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 68 – 70. Cycloneuroterus gilvus, new species. 68, fore wing, female. 69 – 70, galls (photos by C. - T. Tang).