Allorhogas gallifolia Samacá-Sáenz, Zaldívar-Riverón et Egan, 2020

Samacá-Sáenz, Ernesto, Egan, Scott P. & Zaldívar-Riverón, Alejandro, 2020, Species Diversity in the Braconid Wasp Genus Allorhogas (Doryctinae) Associated With Cynipid Galls on Live Oaks (Quercus: Fagaceae) Using Natural History, Phylogenetics, and Morphology, Insect Systematics and Diversity 4 (2020), No. 3, pp. 1-20 : 9-11

Allorhogas gallifolia Samacá-Sáenz, Zaldívar-Riverón et Egan sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 A–F).

( urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0E96FE78-47BD-47D5-ADF9-8B5AFCE2E771 ).

Diagnosis. This species is morphologically similar to Al. belonocnema sp. nov., which was also obtained from Be. treatae galls, but from a different locality in south Texas over 560km away (McAllen, Texas, United States). Interestingly, this distance crosses a clear break in the genetic structure observed between lineages of the live oak host plants ( Cavender-Bares et al. 2015), but not the gall wasp Belonocnema ( Driscoe et al. 2019) . However, it can be distinguished from the latter and the remaining described species associated with cynipid galls in southeastern United States by 1) its smaller body size (1.6–1.9 mm as compared to 2.1–4.1 mm in the other species) and 2) the acinose sculpture of the mesoscutal lobes, which is coriaceus in the remaining species. In addition to its association to the leaf galls of Be. treatae on Q. fusiformis in central Texas, Al. gallifolia was also reared from leaf galls of An. quercuslanigera on Q. virginiana in southeast Texas.

Female. Body size 1.8 mm ( Fig. 5A ), forewing 1.5 mm. Color: body color honey yellow; legs whitish-yellow; wings hyaline, stigma and veins light brown; ovipositor sheaths dark brown to black, ovipositor honey yellow.

Head: distinctly transverse in dorsal view, 2.0 times wider than its median length ( Fig. 5B ), and 0.8 times wider than high; occipital carina complete and reaching hypostomal carina; POL as longer than OD, 0.3 times OOL; frons, vertex and gena pilose-coriaceous, frons excavation distinct, without sharp lateral margins; eye 1.2 times longer than wide; eye width 2.0 times longer than temple in dorsal view; malar space 0.5 times eye height and as long as width of hypoclypeal depression; mandibles bidentate; broken antenna with nine flagellomeres, first flagellomere about 5.0 times longer than wide, 1.1 times longer than second one.

Mesosoma: 1.6 times longer than high ( Fig. 5C ) and 1.7 times longer than wide; pronotal collar very short, visible in dorsal view, pronotal lobe scrobiculate; mesoscutum transverse in dorsal view, its median length 0.6 times its width; median lobe of mesoscutum with a median, rugose furrow; mesoscutal lobes acinose with rugose-areas surrounding notauli; notauli present, complete and rugose-scrobiculate, running along the end of mesoscutum in a posterior rugose median area; scutellum coriaceous; prescutellar furrow with four transverse carinae; propodeum entirely rugose-areolate, including basal areas delimited by distinct carinae; mesopleuron mainly coriaceous; subalar sulcus scrobiculate; precoxal sulcus wide deep and scrobiculate, running along the end of mesopleuron.

Wings: forewing 3.1 times longer than wide ( Fig. 5D ). Pterostigma 2.6 times as long as wide and 0.8 times as long as R. Vein r 0.8 as long as 3RSa, 0.2 times as long as 3RSb, as long as r-m. Vein 2RS interstitial with m-cu, vein RS+Mb not distinguishable. Hind wing vein M + CU 0.7 times as long as 1 M, m-cu slightly curved towards wing apex.

Legs: fore tibia with a row of spines along anterior margin. Hind coxa with a small basoventral tooth. Hind femur 3.2 times longer than wide.

Metasoma: first tergite wider than long, 0.6 times as long as its apical width, longitudinally costate-coriaceous, anterior delimited by a transverse carina ( Fig. 5E ). Second and third tergite longitudinally costate-coriaceous; suture between second and third tergites distinct and slightly sinuate. Fourth tergite slightly costate-coriaceous basally, remaining area smooth slightly punctate. Remaining tergites slightly punctate. Ovipositor about 0.9 times as long as metasoma.

Variation. Body color honey yellow. Body size 1.6–1.9 mm.Antennae broken. Prescutellar furrow with four transverse carinae.

Male. Similar to female. Body size 1.4–1.8 mm ( Fig. 5F ). Antennae broken. Hind femur swollen, about 2.4 times longer than wide.

Biology. Reared from leaf galls of the asexual generation of Be. treatae and An. quercuslanigera on Q. fusiformis and Q. virginiana in Rice University in southeast Texas and Devil’s Backbone in central Texas. Gall harvest was made on 31-X-2014; emergence occurred approximately 10 d after being collected, on 10-XI-2014.

Etymology. The name of this species refers to its association to leaf galls.

Material Examined. HOLOTYPE (IB UNAM): one female, Rice University, TX, 10-XI-2014, ex. galls of An. quercuslanigera on Quercus virginiana, The Egan Lab at Rice University, DNA voucher number CNIN3389. PARATYPES (IB UNAM): one female, two males, same data, DNA voucher number CNIN3388 and CNIN3950- 51. One male, Devil’s Backbone, TX, ex. galls of Belonocnema treatae on Quercus fusiformis, J.R. Ott, DNA voucher number CNIN3946.

Figures

Fig. 5. Allorhogas gallifolia sp.nov. Female, Holotype: (A) habitus, lateral, view; (B) head and mesosoma, dorsal view; (C) head and mesosoma, lateral view; (D) forewing; (E) metasoma, dorsal view. Male, Paratype: (F) habitus, lateral view.