Cycloneuroterus uraianus 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 : 483-486

Cycloneuroterus uraianus Tang & Melika , new species

Figs 125–138

Type material. HOLOTYPE female: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex Castanopsis uraiana , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 112), AGWP-Morpho42, ex small green chamber within bud, em. IV.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse. Ten female and 6 male PARATYPES: 4 females with the same labels as the holotype; 1 male and 1 female: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex Castanopsis uraiana , 25.III.2011 ( TAI 112), 24.797997ºN, 121.416308ºE, 977m, ex small green chamber within bud (AGWP-Morpho42), em. IV.2011, leg. C. T. Tang, F. Sinclair, J. Hearn, K. Lohse; 3 females and 1 male: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex multilocular bud gall on Castanopsis uraiana (AGWP-Morpho42), 24.475244ºN, 121.25127ºE, 937 m, gall collected 27.III.2012 (TWT593), adult emerged 1.IV.2012, leg. C. T. Tang, Y. K. Zuo; 2 females: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex multilocular bud gall on Castanopsis uraiana (AGWP-Morpho42), 24.475244ºN, 121.251271ºE, 937 m, gall collected 27.III.2012 (TWT593), adult emerged IV.2012, leg. C. T. Tang, Y. K. Zuo; 4 males: TAIWAN: Taoyuan Co., Xiaowulai, Fuhsing Township, ex multilocular bud gall on Castanopsis uraiana (AGWP-Morpho42), 24.475244ºN, 121.251271ºE, 937 m, gall collected 27.III.2012 (TWT593), adult emerged 4.IV.2012, leg. C. T. Tang, Y. K. Zuo. The female holotype, 3 female and 2 male paratypes are deposited in NMNS, 3 female and 2 male paratypes in PHMB, 4 female and 2 male paratypes in NCHU.

Etymology. The species is named after the host plant, Castanopsis uraiana .

Diagnosis. Cycloneuroterus uraianus closely resembles C. globosus and C. ergei with its dark brown to black body. However, in the female and male C. uraianus and C. ergei the clypeus is ventrally incised ( Figs 43 , 125 ), while in C. globosus the clypeus is not incised ventrally ( Fig. 71 ). In C. ergei and C. globosus the mesopleuron with transverse striae going across the whole mesopleuron ( Figs 51 , 79 ), while in C. uraianus the transverse striae extending only to about half width of the mesopleuron ( Fig. 135 ). In C. ergei the metascutellum is not overhanging the propodeum ( Figs 51, 53 ), while in C. globosus and C. uraianus the metascutellum overhanging the propodeum ( Figs 79, 81 , 135–136 ).

Description. SEXUAL FEMALE. Head dark brown to black; clypeus, mandibles, mouthparts, labial and maxillary palps light brown; scape and pedicel yellow, flagellomeres progressively darker till last one, mesosoma and metasoma black to dark brown, tegulae lighter; legs yellow, base of coxae darkish brown.

Head 1.7× as broad as long in dorsal view, 1.2× as broad as high in frontal view. Gena delicately alutaceous, slightly broadened behind eye, 0.58× as broad as cross diameter of eye; malar space alutaceous, without striae, 0.26× as long as height of eye. Eyes slightly converging ventrally. POL nearly 1.3× as broad as OOL; OOL 2.2× as long as length of lateral ocellus and 1.6× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, elongated, same size and shape. Transfacial distance only 1.07× as broad as height of eye; diameter of torulus 1.13× as long as distance between toruli, distance between torulus and eye 1.4× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, with scattered white setae and piliferous points; median elevated area narrow, delicately coriaceous. Clypeus elevated above lower face, quadrangular, flat, glabrous; ventrally emarginate, without median incision; anterior tentorial pit small, distinct, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons and interocellar area delicately alutaceous, with few white setae. Vertex and occiput alutaceous to delicately coriaceous. Postocciput smooth, glabrous, without setae, impressed around occipital foramen; postgena coriaceous, with few white setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below not impressed; height of postgenal bridge equal to height of occipital foramen but shorter than height of oral foramen. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; slightly longer than head + mesosoma; pedicel subglobose, 1.26× as long as broad. F 1 1.35 × as long as pedicel, 1.1× as long as F2; F2=F3; F3–F11 progressively shorter; F 12 1.52 × as long as F11; placoid sensillae on F2–F12, absent on F1.

Mesosoma longer than high in lateral view. Pronotum smooth, glabrous; dorsally short, with few white setae; without parallel striae laterally; strongly impressed along anterior rim. Propleuron alutaceous, glabrous, with smooth central area. Mesoscutum smooth, glabrous, with few white setae, 1.24× as broad as long. Notaulus, anterior parallel, parapsidal and median mesoscutal lines absent; parascutal carina broad, extending to the point where notaulus reaches pronotum. Mesoscutellum ovate, longer than broad, broadest in posterior 1/3, smooth, glabrous, with few setae, foveolate along lateral and posterior margins, slightly overhanging metanotum. Scutellar foveae absent, semilunar transverse depression present anteriorly, with glabrous bottom. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, glabrous, with few setae; mesopleural triangle alutaceous, smooth, with few setae. Dorsoaxillar area smooth, glabrous, with few white setae; lateroaxillar area alutaceous, without setae. Subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, in most posterior part shorter than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaches posterior margin of mesopectus in upper 1/3 of its height. Metascutellum coriaceous; metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, without white setae; ventral impressed area smooth, without striae, higher than height of metascutellum; central propodeal area broad, smooth, glabrous, with few delicate, longitudinal rugae extending from nucha to 1/3 height of central propodeal area; lateral propodeal carina high, strongly curved outwards in mid-height; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with few setae and piliferous points. Nucha with irregular rugae.

Radial cell of fore wing 4.1× as long as broad; Rs+M distinct on 3/4 of distance to basalis and reaches basalis in lower 1/3 of its height. Areolet large, triangular, closed and distinct; wing margin with long cilia; Rs and R1 reach wing margin.

Metasoma as long as length of head+mesosoma, as high as long in lateral view; second metasomal tergite occupying nearly half of metasoma length in dorsal view, with few white setae laterally, all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, glabrous. Ventral spine of hypopygium short, prominent part nearly 2.5–3.0× as long as broad in ventral view, with sparse, white subapical setae, extending beyond apex of spine; 4–5 long white setae present along ventral part of hypopygium. Body length 1.4–1.6 mm (n=5).

MALE. Similar to female. Eye and ocelli larger; antenna with 13 flagellomeres, slightly longer than length of body, F1 curved and swollen apically, 1.14× as long as F2, slightly longer than scape+pedicel; F2–F4 equal in length, 1.16× as long as F5–F8; F10 slightly longer than F9; F11=F12, F 13 1.1 × as long as F12; placoid sensillae on all flagellomeres. Body length 1.3–1.5 mm (n=5).

Gall ( Fig. 138 ). Galls are cryptic and embedded in buds with 2–15 (n=10) cells clustered together. Infected buds remain their intact appearance; the presence of galls can only be determined through dissections or observation of emergence holes.

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known, which induces galls on Castanopsis uraiana . Mature galls were collected in late March, and adults emerged under laboratory conditions immediately after collecting and through until early April.

Distribution. Currently known only from Taiwan: Taoyuan County, Fushing Township.

Comments. All previously described Cycloneuroterus species are associated with Quercus subgenus Cyclobalanopsis species with the exception of C. formosanus Tang & Melika that galls Lithocarpus (Tang et al. 2011a, Ide et al. 2012, Abe et al. 2014b). The herein described C. uraianus induces galls on the genus Castanopsis , expanding the host range for Cycloneuroterus to three host genera within the Fagaceae .

Figures

FIGURES 125 – 132. Cycloneuroterus uraianus Tang & Melika, new species

FIGURES 133 – 138. Cycloneuroterus uraianus Tang & Melika, new species.

FIGURES 43 – 50. Cycloneuroterus ergei, new species. 43 – 45, head, female: 43, frontal view, 44, dorsal view, 45, posterior view. 46 – 48, head, male: 46, frontal view, 47, dorsal view, 48, posterior view. 49 – 50, antenna: 49, female, 50, male.

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.

FIGURES 51 – 55. Cycloneuroterus ergei, new species, female: 51, mesosoma, lateral view, 52, mesosoma, dorsal view, 53, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view, 54, fore wing. 55, gall (photo by C. - T. Tang).

FIGURES 78 – 84. Cycloneuroterus globosus, new species. 78 – 81, female: 78, pronotum and propleura, frontal view, 79, mesosoma, lateral view, 80, mesosoma, dorsal view, 81, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view. 82 – 84, galls (photos by C. - T. Tang).