Cycloneuroterus tumiclavus Tang & Melika

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 : 480-483

Cycloneuroterus tumiclavus Tang & Melika , new species

Figs 116–124

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN: Taichung City, Lineng logging road, Heping District, ex Quercus glauca , 26.III.2011 ( TAI 123), 24.164114ºN, 120.957922ºE, 740m, ex small catkin swelling cause catkin to bend (AGWP-Morpho48), adult em. 29.III.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse. Three female and 1 male PARATYPES: 1 male and 2 females with the same labels as the holotype; 1 female: TAIWAN: Taichung City, Lineng logging road, Heping District, ex Quercus glauca , 26.III.2011 ( TAI 123), 24.164114ºN, 120.957922ºE, 740m, ex small catkin swelling cause catkin to bend (AGWP-Morpho48), adult em. 31.III.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse.

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

Etymology. The species is named after the swelling, which the gallwasp induces on the catkin spike.

Diagnosis. Cycloneuroterus tumiclavus resembles C. globosus ; however, in C. tumiclavus the entire head is coriaceous, while in C. globosus vertex and occiput delicately coriaceous, and postocciput and postgenae smooth. In C. tumiclavus POL 1.29× as long as LOL, OOL 2.1× as long as length of lateral ocellus, 1.7× as long as LOL ( Fig. 117 ); female F 1 0.9 × as long as F2. In C. globosus POL 0.97× as long as OOL, OOL 3.0× as long as length of lateral ocellus, 2.3× as long as LOL ( Fig. 72 ); female F1 nearly equal to F2 ( Fig. 75 ).

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Head, mesosoma, and metasoma dark brown; mandibles, mouthparts, labial and maxillary palps light brown; antenna yellow to dark brown; legs yellowish.

Head 2.0× as broad as long in dorsal view, 1.26× as broad as high in frontal view, as broad as mesosoma. Gena delicately alutaceous, not broadened behind eye, invisible in frontal view behind eye, 0.62× as broad as cross diameter of eye; malar space alutaceous, without striae, 0.3× as long as height of eye. Eyes slightly converging ventrally. POL 1.29× as broad as OOL; OOL 2.1× as long as length of lateral ocellus and 1.7× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, similar in size. Transfacial distance 1.28× as long as height of eye; diameter of torulus 1.1× as long as distance between toruli, distance between torulus and eye 1.4× as long as diameter of torulus. Lower face alutaceous, with dense white setae and piliferous points; median elevated area narrow, delicately coriaceous. Clypeus elevated above lower face, quadrangular, flat, alutaceous to glabrous; ventrally emarginate, median incision absent; anterior tentorial pit large and distinct, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons and interocellar area delicately uniformly alutaceous, without white setae. Vertex and occiput coriaceous. Postocciput and postgena coriaceous, with some delicate rugae; postgena with few setae and few parallel longitudinal striae, extending from occipital foramen and reach hypostoma; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below not impressed; height of postgenal bridge slightly shorter than occipital foramen and height of oral foramen. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, slightly longer than head+mesosoma; pedicel subglobose, as long as broad; F 1 0.9 × as long F2, 1.67× as long as pedicel; F2–F8 progressively shorter; F 9 1.06 × as long as F8, F9 = F10; F 11 0.9 × as long as F10, F 12 1.35 × as long as F11; placoid sensillae on all flagellomeres.

Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view. Pronotum smooth, glabrous, short dorsally, without parallel striae and setae laterally; strongly impressed along anterior rim; propleuron alutaceous, glabrous, with smooth central area. Notaulus, 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 ovate, longer than broad, with nearly parallel sides, smooth, glabrous, 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 and transverse striae, impressed along acetabular carina; mesopleural triangle alutaceous, glabrous. Dorsoaxillar area reticulate, with few white setae; lateroaxillar area alutaceous, without setae. Subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, most posterior part as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus in upper 1/3 of its height. Metascutellum uniformly alutaceous, metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, without white setae; ventral impressed area equal in height to height of metascutellum, smooth, without striae; central propodeal area broad, smooth, glabrous, lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, strongly curved outwards in middle part; lateral propodeal area alutaceous, glabrous, with white setae and piliferous points. Nucha without irregular rugae.

Radial cell of forewing 4.4× as long as broad; Rs+M distinct and reaches basalis in lower half of its height, wing margin with long cilia.

Metasoma shorter than head + mesosoma, as high as long in lateral view; second metasomal tergite occupying 0.4 of metasoma length in dorsal view, without setae laterally, all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, glabrous. Ventral spine of hypopygium short, prominent part 1.2× as long as broad in ventral view, with sparse, white subapical setae, extending beyond apex of spine. Body length 1.7–1.8 mm (n=3).

MALE. Similar to female but eye and ocelli larger; antenna with 13 flagellomeres, slightly longer than body length, F1 curved and swollen apically, slightly longer than F2, and longer than pedicel; F13 nearly equal in length to F12; placoid sensillae on all flagellomeres. Body length 1.3 mm (n=1).

Gall ( Fig. 124 ). Galls are yellow green, oval-shaped swellings densely covered with hairs at adaxial end of the catkin spike, 3.0– 3.5 mm in length and 1.5–2.0 in width (n=3). Galls are monolocular.

Biology. Only the sexual generation of this species is known, inducing galls on Q. glauca . Mature galls were collected in late March. Adults emerged under laboratory conditions immediately after the galls were transferred to the laboratory for rearing.

Distribution. Currently known only from Taiwan: Heping District, Taichung City.

Figures

FIGURES 116 – 122. Cycloneuroterus tumiclavus Tang & Melika, new species.

FIGURES 123 – 124. Cycloneuroterus tumiclavus Tang & Melika, new species.

FIGURES 71 – 77. Cycloneuroterus globosus, new species. 71 – 73, head, female: 71, frontal view, 72, dorsal view, 73, posterior view. 74, head, male, frontal view. 75 – 76, antenna: 75, female, 76, male. 77, fore wing, female.