A Taxonomic Review of the Gall Wasp Genus Saphonecrus Dalla-Torre and Kieffer and other Oak Cynipid Inquilines (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) from Mainland China, with Updated Keys to Eastern Palaearctic and Oriental Species
Author
Lobato-Vila, Irene
Author
Wang, Yiping
Author
Melika, George
Author
Guo, Rui
Author
Ju, Xiaoxue
Author
Pujade-Villar, Juli
text
Zoological studies
2021
Zool. Stud.
2021-03-22
60
10
1
25
journal article
54166
10.6620/ZS.2021.60-10
019ebe88-8ba2-41c9-a3aa-348729ac083a
PMC8315927
34386095
8070439
Saphonecrus fabris
Pujade-Villar, Wang, Guo
and Chen, 2014
Saphonecrus fabris
Pujade-Villar, Wang, Guo and Chen
in
Pujade-Villar et al. (2014)
. Zool. Sys. 39(3): 420. Type material:
ZAFU
(
holotype
),
paratypes
in
ZAFU
and
UB
.
Material examined
(83 and 68): Deposited in
ZAFU
and
UB
with the following data: West Tianmu Mountain (
Zhejiang
), Ex undetermined gall found on the main vein of leaves of
Q. stewardiana
, (
07.ix.2010
)
11.ix.2010
, Rui Guo leg. (63 and 38 deposited in
ZAFU
, 23 and 18 deposited in
UB
); Dashuwang, Tianmu Mountain (
Zhejiang
), Ex unknown gall,
Q. ciliaris
, (
24.iv.2013
)
08.v.2013
, Shijun Wang leg. (28 deposited in
UB
).
Diagnosis
:
Saphonecrus fabris
belongs to a group of species (
S. albidus
,
S. lithocarpi
,
S. nantoui
and
S. taiwanensis
) with a strong and complete lateral pronotal carina, simple tarsal claws (without a basal lobe), complete notauli, and the radial cell of the fore wing at most 3.0x as long as wide. The differences between
S. fabris
and
S. albidus
have already been commented (see the diagnosis of
S. albidus
).
Saphonecrus fabris
differs from
S. lithocarpi
and
S. taiwanensis
by having F1 1.3–1.4x as long as F
2 in
females and
1.5–1.6 in
males (F1 just slightly longer than F
2 in
both sexes in these two species) and the scutellar foveae separated by a narrow carina (separated by a wide septum in these two species). Furthermore,
S. fabris
associates with galls on
Quercus
(on
Lithocarpus
in these two species).
Saphonecrus fabris
is close to
S. nantoui
, from which differs by the malar space being 0.7–0.8x as long as height of eye (
0.6 in
S. nantoui
), the scutellar foveae with smooth and shining bottom (with some wrinkles on a smooth bottom in
S. nantoui
) and female syntergite slightly incised dorsodistally (strongly incised in
S. nantoui
). See also the key to species below.
Description
:
Male
: Similar to female, except for the body length 1.3 (
n
= 3); antennae 15-segmented (4.5: 3: 6: 4: 4: 4: 4: 4: 4: 4: 3.5: 3:5: 3: 2.5: 3.5); F1 medially incised, thin and long, slightly expanded apically and basally; F1 1.5x as long as F2; POL: OOL: LOL = 6: 3: 2.5, and diameter of lateral ocellus 2.0; and transfacial distance about as long as height of eye.
Distribution
: Mainland
China
.
Zhejiang Province
(
Pujade-Villar et al. 2014
; this work, see the material examined).
Biology
:
Saphonecrus fabris
was associated with galls of
Andricus flavus
Pujade-Villar, Wang, Guo and Chen
on
Quercus fabri
(
Pujade-Villar et al. 2014
)
, but this association appeared to be incorrect (see remarks). The new material presented here was reared from unknown galls on the main vein of leaves of
Quercus stewardiana
A. Camus
, and from unknown galls on
Q. ciliaris
C.C. Huang and Y.T. Chang
(=
Cyclobalanopsis gracilis
(Rehd. and Wils.) W.C. Cheng and T. Hong
).
Remarks
: According to the original description (
Pujade-Villar et al. 2014: 420
), the type series of
S. fabris
is composed exclusively of females: the
holotype
(deposited in
ZAFU
) and
five paratypes
(four deposited in
ZAFU
and one deposited in
UB
); males were unknown. However, a posterior re-examination of the type series revealed that one of the
paratypes
is, in fact, a male. Currently, the
holotype
and
three female
paratypes
are deposited in
ZAFU
, while a female
paratype
and the only male
paratype
are deposited in
UB
. Since we identified more males of
S. fabris
among the material deposited in
ZAFU
, we described them here for the first time.
Pujade-Villar et al. (2014)
report that
Saphonecrus fabris
was reared from galls of
A. flavus
on
Q. fabri
. The gall-maker adults that were presumably related to these galls were confirmed to be
Andricus mairei
(Kieffer)
(=
A. flavus
); however, the galls mentioned in
Pujade-Villar et al. (2014)
do not correspond to
A. mairei
, but to an undetermined gall wasp species (
Pujade-Villar et al. 2020b
). Furthermore, the host tree of
A. mairei
is not
Q. fabri
, but
Q. serrata
(=
Q. glandulifera
var.
brevipetiolata
(A.DC.) Nakai
) (
Pujade-Villar et al. 2020b
). According to the new material examined herein and to the determination conflict addressed by
Pujade-Villar et al. (2020b)
, the biology of
Saphonecrus fabris
(at least of its
type
material) is doubtful.