Druon serretae Pujade-Villar, Cuesta-Porta & Melika, 2022

Cuesta-Porta, Victor, Melika, George, Nicholls, James A., Stone, Graham N. & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2022, Re-establishment of the Nearctic oak cynipid gall wasp genus Druon Kinsey, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), with description of five new species, Zootaxa 5132 (1), pp. 1-92 : 72-74

Druon serretae Pujade-Villar, Cuesta-Porta & Melika , sp. nov.

Figs. 222–233

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:435C9BB9-C603-4EEA-BC7B-2A50F51E4069

Type material. Holotype female “ Mexico, Área Natural Protegida Los Alamitos (Aguascalientes,AGC); 22º10’29.5” N 102º35’34.7” W; Code 029; ex Quercus grisea ; coll. 2010.xii.02, emergence 2011.i.11; leg. A. Equihua & E. Estrada-Venegas ”, deposited in the collection of UB . Paratype females are with the same labels as the holotype: three paratypes are deposited at the UB ; two paratypes at the collection of the PHDNRL.

Etymology. Named in honor of Meritxell Serret i Aleu.

Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the group of dark coloured Druon species ( D. alexandri , D. gregori and D. flocculentum ). In D. gregori the OOL is as long as diameter of lateral ocellus ( Fig. 47 ) while in D. serretae the OOL is 1.5× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus ( Fig. 223 ). It closely resembles to D. alexandri and D. flocculentum but differs in the shape of the head (see the key) and the notaulus is complete ( Fig. 229 ), while incomplete in D. alexandri and D. flocculentum ( Figs. 7 , 18 ). Also differs from D. alexandri by the smooth notaulus furrow ( Fig. 229 ), while in D. alexandri the notaulus furrow is alutaceous ( Fig. 7 ). See the species key also.

Description. Asexual female ( Figs. 222–232 ). Head, mesosoma, metasoma dark brown to black; mouthparts and antenna slightly paler; legs light brown, with darker coxae.

Head alutaceous, with sparse setae, rounded, 1.2× as broad as high and slightly narrower than mesosoma in frontal view; 2.0× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, not or only very slightly broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than cross diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, with delicate striae radiating from clypeus and reaching eye, without malar sulcus; eye 3.3× as high as length of malar space. Eyes slightly converging ventrally. POL 2.1× as long as OOL, OOL 1.5× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and slightly longer than LOL, all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance slightly longer than height of eye; torulus located slightly above the mid height of head, diameter of torulus 1.9× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.5× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, with white setae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous, with few setae. Clypeus rounded, impressed, nearly as broad as high, alutaceous, with few scattered setae; ventrally rounded, not emarginate and without median incision; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, distinct, epistomal sulcus distinct, clypeo-pleurostomal line well impressed. Frons uniformly alutaceous, without striae and setae, interocellar area alutaceous. Vertex, occiput, postocciput, postgena alutaceous; posterior tentorial pit large, elongated, area below impressed; occipital foramen slightly shorter than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulcus which diverge toward occipital foramen, postgenal bridge Vshaped, anteriorly slightly broader than occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than broad; flagellomeres subsequently broadening till apex; F1 1.2× as long as pedicel and at least 1.1× as long as F2; F2 slightly longer than F3; subsequent flagellomeres subequal in length but slightly broader; F11 1.6× as long as F10; placodeal sensilla on F4–F11.

Mesosoma above as long as high, with few white setae, denser along propleuron and on lateral propodeal area; pronotum smooth, glabrous, with numerous delicate parallel striae laterally; propleuron smooth, glabrous, with few sparse setae. Mesoscutum uniformly and entirely reticulate, with few white setae along notauli, slightly longer than broad (largest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, well impressed, notaulus furrow smooth in posterior half, weakly impressed in anterior half with alutaceous bottom; posteriorly strongly converging; in most posterior part distance between notauli shorter than distance between notaulus and side of mesoscutum.Anterior parallel line indistinctly impressed, extending to 1/3 of mesoscutum length; parapsidal line inconspicuous marked with broad slightly impressed area; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum ovate, slightly longer than broad; center of disk alutaceous, glabrous, dull rugose laterally and posteriorly, overhanging metanotum, with sparse long setae; circumscutellar carina present and complete. Mesoscutellar foveae transverse, about 2.0× as broad as high, smooth, glabrous, divided by narrow rugose elevated central carina. Mesopleuron including speculum with delicate interrupted transverse parallel striae, without setae; mesopleural triangle smooth, glabrous, with few strong irregular striae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, glabrous, with sparse setae; axillula with delicate parallel longitudinal striae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, triangular, posteriorly as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half of its height, upper part of sulcus distinct, sulcus separating smooth, glabrous area, with some setae in lower part. Metascutellum coriaceous, slightly shorter or as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough alutaceous, glabrous; lateral propodeal carina complete, bent outwards in posterior 1/3; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with several rugae in posterolateral part; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with sparse setae and piliferous points. Nucha with strong sulci dorsally and laterally. Tarsal claws with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, hyaline, with long dense cilia on margin, veins dark brown, radial cell opened, 3.2× as long as broad; Rs and R1 nearly reaching wing margin; areolet small, triangular, closed and distinct. Rs+M distinct, extending to 2/3 of distance between areolet and basalis, its projection reaching basalis slightly below its half height.

Metasoma longer than head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending to half-length of metasoma in dorsal view, with few white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures; subsequent terga and hypopygium with rare delicate, hardly traceable micropunctures; prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 5.0× as long as broad in ventral view, with few short white setae ventrally. Body length 1.6–1.9 mm (n = 4).

Gall ( Fig. 233 ). Woolly leaf galls that cannot be distinguished from those of D. protagion , D. receptum or D. quercuslanigerum .

Biology. Only the asexual generation is known, which induces woolly leaf galls on Q. grisea (Section Quercus , Series Leucomexicanae). Galls mature in October–November; adults emerge from January of the following year, most emerging in March.

Distribution. Mexico: Aguascalientes.

Figures

FIGURES 222–227. Druon serretae, sp. nov., asexual female. 222–225, head: 222, frontal view, 223, dorsal view, part, 224, lateral view, 225, posterior view. 226, antenna. 227, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 228–231. Druon serretae, sp. nov., asexual female. 228, mesosoma, lateral view. 229–230, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum dorsal view. 231, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 232–233. Druon serretae, sp. nov., asexual female. 232, metasoma, female, lateral view. 233, galls.

FIGURES 46–49. Druon gregori, sp. nov., asexual female. 46–48, head: 46, frontal view, 47, dorsal view, 48, posterior view. 49, antenna.

FIGURES 6–9. Druon alexandri, sp. nov., asexual female. 6, mesosoma, lateral view. 7, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 8, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 9, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 16–19. Druon flocculentum, comb. nov., asexual female. 16, head, frontal view. 17, head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view. 18, head and mesoscutum, dorsal view. 19, mesoscutellum and propodeum, dorsal view. Photos were taken by M. Buffington.