Table Of ContentPROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
106(4), 2004, pp. 779-783
A NEW SPECIES OF XESTOPHANES FORSTER (HYMENOPTERA:
CYNIPIDAE) FROM AZERBAIJAN
Zhiwei Liu
Center of Insect Systematics, University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ, and Department of
&
Research Conservation, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tuc-
AZ
son, 85743, U.S.A. (e-mail: [email protected])
—
Abstract. A new species of cynipid gall wasp, Xestophanes caspiana, is described
from the Caspian Azerbaijan in western Asia. It differs from the two previously known
species of the genus in having 12 antennal flagellomeres. The discovery of the new species
indicates a much broader distribution for Xestophanes, which was previously known only
from western Europe.
Key Words: new species, gall wasps, Xestophanes, Cynipidae, Aylacini, western Asia
The genus Xestophanes Forster, 1869 is they together with Diastrophus form a
of special interest to studies on the evolu- monophyletic clade deeply nested within
tion of cynipid gall wasps. The genus and the Cynipidae phylogenetic tree (Ronquist
Diastrophus Hartig (the genus Gonaspis 1994, Liljeblad and Ronquist 1998).
Ashmead has recently been synonymized Xestophanes comprises two known spe-
with Diastrophus (Schick et al. 2003)) con- cies, X. bravitarsis (Thomson) and X. po-
stitute a morphologically unique group tentillae (Retzius), and was previously
within the cynipid tribe Aylacini. They dif- known only from western Europe (Nieves-
fer from all other aylacine members in hav- Aldrey 2001). Here I describe a new spe-
ing 1) claws with a distinct basal lobe or cies from Chatshmas, Azerbaijan, in west-
tooth and 2) mesopleuron, mesoscutum, ern Asia.
and vertex smooth and shining. Biological- Methods and Materials
ly, these two genera also differ from other
The type specimen was loaned from the
aylacines in that they induce galls on host
Cynipidae collection at the American Mu-
plants belonging to the family Rosaceae seum of Natural History, New York, NY
(the two known Xestophanes species are as- (AMNH). SEM images were taken from
sociated with the plant genus Potentilla,
uncoated specimen with a Hitachi S4700
and species of Diastrophus make galls on
Field Emission Scanning Electron Micro-
Rubus and Potentilla (Nieves-Aldrey scope (FE-SEM) at AMNH. Structural ter-
1994)), in contrast to the other aylacine minology follows Ronquist and Nordlander
genera making galls on host plants of more (1989) and Ronquist (1995), and sculptural
advanced plant families, such as Apiaceae,
terminology follows Harris (1979).
Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Papaveraceae, Ru-
biaceae, and Valerianaceae (Ronquist and Xestophanes caspiana Liu, new species
Liljeblad 2001). According to recent phy- (Figs. 1-7)
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logenetic studies, Xestophanes and the in- Description. Female: Body length,
quiline tribe Synergini are sister groups and measured from anterior margin of head to
780 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Figs. 1-7. Xestophanes caspiaiia, female. 1, Head, anterior view. 2, Head, dorsal view. 3. Antenna. 4,
Mesonotum. 5, Metatibia. 6. Head and mesosoma, lateral view. 7, Metasoma.
VOLUME NUMBER
106, 4 781
posterior margin of eighth metasomal ter- mostly glabrous, shining, and without hair
gum: 2.3 mm. Length of forewing: 2.0 mm. (Fig. 6).
Head and mesosoma brown, legs and me- Mesosoma (Fig. 4. 6): Scutum glabrous
tasoma bright brown. and shining. Median mesoscutal impression
Head: Anterior view (Fig. 1). Lower barely present, only weakly impressed pos-
face glabrous and not keeled medially; fa- teriorly. Notauli present only in posterior
cial strigae present laterally, radiating from one third, nanow, shallow, and strongly di-
clypeus and reaching to compound eyes and vergent anteriorly. Scutellar foveae shallow
lower margin of antennal sockets. Head in and closed posteriorly. Dorsal surface of
anterior view broader than high; lateral scutellum rugulose. Posterior margin of
margin of gena smoothly rounded, height of scutellum smoothly rounded. Mesopectus
malar space about half height of compound (mesopleuron including subpleuron and
eye. Clypeus trapezoid. Ventral margin of sternum) (Fig. 6). Mesopleuron mostly gla-
clypeus broadly rounded, slightly project- brous and shining, except with sparse pu-
ing from cranial margin. Anterior tentorial bescence in ventral longitudinal impression.
pits small and distinct. Epistomal sulcus Middle part of mesopleuron without hori-
and clypeo-pleurostomal lines weak and zontal impression or carinae. Mesopleural
triangle distinctly impressed, ventral margin
barely detectable. Antennal sockets situated
slightly above middle of compound eye; clearly marked.
Metanotum: Metapectal-propodeal com-
distance between antennal rim and com-
pound eye twice as broad as distance be- plex (Fig. 6). Metapleural sulcus meeting
anterior margin of metapectal-propodeal
tween inner rims of antennal socket. Gena
complex at about three-quarters height of
not expanded behind eyes (Fig. 1-2, 4).
Dorsal view (Fig. 2). Upper face (see also latter. Metepimeron subrectangular, rela-
tively large. Lateral propodeal carinae sub-
Fig. I) and vertex glabrous; median frontal
parallel, narrow, not flattened above, slight-
carina and lateral frontal carinae absent.
ly higher anteriorly. Nucha short, 2.7 times
Ocellar plate not raised. Occiput (see Fig.
as broad as long, longitudinally carinate,
4) transversely wrinkled. Antenna (Fig. 3)
posterior margin slightly incised medially.
with flagellum with 12 connate articles.
Legs: Procoxa with a weak, but distinct
Length of first flagellomere (F1)1.1 times anterolateral crest. Metacoxa elongate. Lon-
length of second (F2). F3 2.2 times as long gitudinal carina absent on posterior surface
as broad. Ultimate flagellomere 1 .6 times as of metatibia. Claws with a distinct basal
long as penultimate. Elongate placodeal
lobe.
sensilla present on all flagellomeres except Forewing: Clear. Marginal cell open in
Fl. distal two thirds along anterior margin.
M
Pronotum (Figs. 2, 4, 6): Medially long Rs+ arising from middle of basal vein.
(high), ratio of median distance between an- Bulla in Rl+Sc distinctly present. Areolet
terior and posterior margins to lateral dis- triangular and small. Hair fringe along api-
tance between these margins 0.45 (Fig. 6). cal margin short.
Lateral pronotal carinae more or less dis- Metasoma (Fig. 7): Petiolar tergum shin-
tinct, meeting posteroventral pronotal mar- ing smooth and reduced to a small lobular
gin. Submedian pronotal depressions oval, structure above petiolar articulate. Postpe-
small and shallow, open laterally, connected tiolar metasoma laterally compressed, in
by a shallow groove medially (Fig. 1 ). Pos- lateral view as high as long, lenticular. Me-
terior pronotal plate distinctly marked by tasomal terga 3-4 fused to form a large
depressed pronotal surface behind (Fig. 6). syntergum covering almost qntire metaso-
Dorsal pronotal area slightly visible later- ma; fusion between tergum 3 and 4 vaguely
ally (Fig. 4). Lateral surface of pronotum detectable across middle of syntergum. Ter-
782 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
gite 5-8 mostly covered by syntergum, be- logeny-informative, they are of limited
ing exposed only posteroventral to synter- practical use in distinguishing Xestophanes
gum. Syntergum with a few hairs close to from Synergini. It is difficult to create a tax-
base in the middle, otherwise nude. Ex- onomical key to separate Xestophanes from
posed part of terga 7-8 distinctly and all synergine genera. In practice, it is easier
densely micropunctate. Eighth tergum also to separate Xestophanes and Synophromor-
with a dorsal row of fine hairs. Ventral pha from other synergine genera than sep-
spine of hypopygium not projecting, united arating Xestophanes from all synergine gen-
almost to apex with lateral flaps. Hypopy- era including Synophromorpha: both genera
gium ventrally with sparse pubescence to- have a smooth and shining vertex, prono-
ward apex. tum, mesoscutum and mesopleuron (those
Male: Unknown. of all other synergine genera are either
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Type material. Holotype 9, Chatshmas, sculptured or coriarious). Xestophanes can
Transac, Azerbaijan, 1935-V-28, collected be separated from Synophromorpha by the
by Lubischew (AMNH). The specimen was number of antennal flagellomeres: Xesto-
remounted on a retangular cardboard stage; phanes species have either II or 12 flagel-
metasoma and the old small triangular stage lomeres, whereas all known Synophromor-
with leg parts in glue are mounted sepa- pha species have only 10 flagellomeres.
rately on the new stage. Host association data certainly will assist
—
Diagnosis. The new species can be eas- the separation Xestophanes from Synophro-
ily separated from the two known species morpha, which are inquilines exploiting
by the number of antennal flagellomeres: X. galls induced by Diastrophus species on
caspiana has 12 flagellomeres whereas both Rubus host plants.
X. potentillae and X. bravitarsis have only
1 1 flagellomeres. In addition, the new spe- Acknowledgments
cies has the notauli strongly divergent an-
The research was funded by the Center
teriorly and the syntergum covering the en-
for Insect Science through NIH Training
tire post-petiolar metasoma (thus no other Grant #1 K12 Gm00708. SEM images were
tergum than—syntergum is seen from above). taken at the AMNH while the author held
Biology. Unknown. The two known
a Kalbfleisch postdoctoral fellowship there.
species of Xestophanes induce galls on Po-
tentilla. It is likely that the new species is
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