Callirhytis afion Melika, Mutun & Dinç, 2020

Mutun, Serap, Dinç, Serdar & Melika, George, 2020, Two new species of oak gall wasps from Turkey (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae Cynipini), Zootaxa 4890 (3), pp. 428-438 : 432-436

Callirhytis afion Melika, Mutun & Dinç , sp. nov. ( Figs 15–35 )

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Type material: HOLOTYPE female: ” TURKEY, Afyon- Denizli Road N 38.70496, E 30.31752; 1165 m a.s.l., ex Q. cerris . Leg. S. Mutun & S. Dinc, Coll. 2017.09.03, adults emerge 2017.10.02 ” . PARATYPES: 2 females and 3 males with the same labels as the holotype. The holotype, 2 paratype females and 3 paratype males are deposited in BAIBU .

Material examined. Twenty seven galls were collected from Afyon- Denizli Road, near Ahmet Paşa village , N 38.70496, E 30.31752, 1165 m a.s.l., 2017.09.03 .

Representative DNA sequence. MT 782065 (cyt b gene)

Etymology. Named after Afyon, the city in Turkey where the species was collected.

Diagnosis. Phylogenetic reconstruction, based on molecular data, places the new species in the Callirhytis clade ( Fig. 36 ). All known Callirhytis species have a distinct malar sulcus and the mesoscutum transversely rugose, but both of these character states are absent in C. afion sp. nov. Based on molecular data, this species is most closely related to C. erythrosoma Dettmer and C. erythrocephala (Giraud) , both of which have incomplete notauli ( Nicholls & Pujade-Villar, 2020), while in C. afion the notauli are complete. The diagnostic characters of Callirhytis afion vary between the asexual and sexual generations of Callirhytis species. In the sexual generation of Callirhytis species the head is rounded or higher than broad in frontal view, with less dull sculpture; the mesoscutum with more delicate transverse striae, the radial cell of the forewing 3.5x as long as broad, notauli complete reaching pronotum, galls are formed on twigs. However, in the sexual generation of C. afion , the head is broader than high in frontal view, and galls are formed in acorns. Two species, in the sexual generation, have complete notauli, C. comantis Belizin & Maisuradze and C. rufescens (Mayr) . Callirhytis comantis is only known from Azerbaijan and induces acorn galls on Q. castaneifolia ( Maisuradze 1961) . In C. comantis the central propodeal area has a distinct median carina and the body is yellowish-red, while in C. afion the central propodeal area lacks a median carina and the body is predominantly black. Callirhytis rufescens is a widespread Western Palaearctic species, also present in Turkey, however, the sexual generation induces cryptic galls beneath the bark of branches and shoots.

Description. SEXUAL female ( Figs 15–18, 23 , 26–32 ). Head and mesosoma dark brown to black; mandibles dark brown; maxillary and labial palpi yellow; antennae light brown; tegula yellow; legs light brown, with coxae slightly darker at the base; metasoma chestnut brown, dorsally darker.

Head dull rugose, with scattered white setae; 1.3x as broad as high and slightly broader than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.0x as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena coriaceous to rugose, broadened behind eye, visible in frontal view behind eye, as broad as cross diameter of eye in lateral view; malar space with strong striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye; eye 2.7x as high as length of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 2.5x as long as OOL, OOL slightly longer than length of lateral ocellus, equal to length of LOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance as long as height of eye; diameter of antennal torulus 1.7x as long as distance between them distance between torulus and eye slightly shorter than diameter of torulus; lower face dull rugose, with sparse white setae; slightly elevated median area rugose. Clypeus quadrangular, broader than high, slightly elevated in the middle, with some transverse delicate parallel striae, glabrous; ventrally emarginate, without median incision; anterior tentorial pit, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line distinct, deep. Frons, interocellar area, vertex, occiput dull rugose with scattered white setae. Postocciput with net of delicate striae, forming parallel transverse cells between occiput and occipital foramen; strong postoccipital carina present anterior to occipital foramen and continuing distally to half height of gular sulci; postgena smooth, glabrous in the middle part to dull rugose along hypostoma; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, deep, area below impressed; occipital foramen as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate and do not continuing into gular sulci; gular sulci absent. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, slightly longer than mesosoma; pedicel longer than broad, F1 2.1x as long as pedicel and as long as F2, F2 1.2x as long as F3, F3 slightly longer than F4, F5 to F7 nearly equal in length, F19 to F12 nearly equal in lengt; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12, absent on F1–F2.

Mesosoma 1.3x as long as high in lateral view. Pronotum laterally dull rugose, with irregular strong transversely orientated striae; dorsally smooth, glabrous, with transverse carinated impression along anterior margin; anterodorsal edge of prontum invaginated, foveolate and with dense white setae along entire length. Propleuron coriaceous, glabrous. Mesoscutum reticulate, with sparse white setae along notauli; slightly longer than broad (largest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, posteriorly deep, converging posteriorly, with smooth glabrous bottom; anterior parallel line with more delicate sculpture than mesoscutum, extend to 1/3–1/2 of mesoscutum length; median mesoscutal line deep, extend to 1/3 of mesoscutum length; parapsidal line in a form delicately sculptured stripe. Transscutal articulation deep, distinct. Mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, overhanging metanotum, broadest part in posterior 1/3, uniformly dull rugose, with narrow but distinct longitudinal central carina starting from scutellar foveae and extending nearly till posterior edge of mesoscutellum. Scutellar foveae transverse, broader than long, with smooth, glabrous bottom, separated by narrow but distinct central carina. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, glabrous, with short transverse interrupted delicate striae going across mesopleuron in ventral half, more numerous in anterior half and only few striae posteriorly; with white setae in ventral part; mesopleural triangle rugose, with dense setae; dorsal axillar and lateral axillar areas smooth, glabrous, with few white setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, most posterior part as broad as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus indistinct, reaching mesopleuron at half of its height. Metascutellum smooth, glabrous, metanotal trough smooth, glabrous, with short white setae; smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area nearly as high as height of metascutellum; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with some rugae; lateral propodeal carinae strong, high, subparallel; lateral propodeal area rugose, with dense long, white setae. Nucha short, rugose dorsally and laterally. Tarsal claws with short but distinct basal lobe.

Forewing slightly longer than body, hyaline, margin without cilia, veins pale yellow, indistinct, radial cell opened, 3.5x as long as broad; R1and Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet absent. Rs+M invisible.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, longer than high in lateral view; 2nd metasomal tergite extending to half-length of metasoma in dorsal view, with short white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures; all subsequent tergites without setae, smooth, glabrous, without micropunctures. Hypopygium smooth, without micropunctures, ventral spine of hypopygium needle-like, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 6.0x as long as broad, with short white setae laterally, which never extends beyond the apex of spine. Body length 3.0– 3.2 mm (n = 2).

Male ( Figs 19–22, 24–25 ). Similar to female but head and mesosoma black, metasoma dark brown dorsally, yellowish brown laterally and ventrally; legs yellowish brown with dark brown coxae. Ocelli bigger; antenna yellow, slightly longer than body, with 13 flagellomeres, F1 straight, apically not swollen, 1.3 x as long as F2, placodeal sensilla on F2–F13, absent on F1. Body length 2.3–2.5 mm (n = 3).

Gall ( Figs 33–35 ). Acorn seed gall develops inside testa of the acorns. Size of the gall depends on the acorn size. The young gall fills the entire seed coat, but becomes unattached in the late developmental stage, so that the gall moves freely inside the testa after completing its lignification. The gall is multilocular, with 5–6 larval chambers situated inside the testa. It is almost impossible to distinguish galled acorns from non-galled acorns, except by the presence of the exit hole of adults. Outer surface of the gall is dark brown and lignified when matured.

Biology. Only the sexual generation is known to induce galls within acorns on Q. cerris . Mature galls were collected in October; adults emerged in November.

Distribution. Afyon-Denizli, Turkey.

Comments. The mitochondrial cytb gene sequence analysis places C. afion in the clade with the other Western Palearctic Callirhytis Foerster species, and specifically as a sister species to C. erythrosoma (Dettmer) . Callirhytis erythrosoma was a synonym of C. erythrocephala (Giraud) ; its species status was recently re-established, based both on morphological traits and molecular analyses ( Nicholls & Pujade-Villar 2020).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Maximum parsimony tree for cytochrome b sequences indicating the relationships of Cynips izzetbaysali sp. nov. and Callirhytis afion, sp. nov. to other Cynipini species. GenBank Accession number for each species used in the analysis is given with the species names. Two new species included in the analysis are coloured in red. Numbers above nodes indicate posterior probability support values.

FIGURES 15–25. Callirhytis afion, sp. nov., sexual generation. 15–18, head, female: 15, anterior view, 16, dorsal view, 17, posterior view, 18, lateral view. 19–22, head, male: 19, anterior view, 20, dorsal view, 21, posterior view, 22, lateral view. 23–25, antenna: 23, female, 24–25, male.

FIGURES 26–31. Callirhytis afion, sp. nov., sexual generation, female: 26, mesosoma, lateral view, 27, pronotum, dorsal view, 28, mesosoma and propleura, anterior view, 29, mesoscutum, dorsal view, 30, mesoscutellum, dorsal view, 31, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 32–35. Callirhytis afion, sp. nov., sexual generation: 32, female metasoma, lateral view. 33, first year acorn of Q. cerris, 34, dissected acorn with gall chambers inside, 35, dissected larval chambers.