Diastrophus wushei Davis & Nastasi 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Davis, Charles K.
name: Nastasi, Louis F.
name: Deans, Andrew R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Cynipidae
Diastrophus
Diastrophus wushei

description: Diastrophus wushei Davis & Nastasi sp. nov.
Material examined. Holotype ♀: Taiwan, Wushe; 7 April 1983; Elevation: 1150m; Coll. Henry Townes; EMUS_ CYN_0021. Paratypes (15 ♀ and 13 ♂)— 3♀, 3♂; same data as holotype; EMUS_CYN_0023; 0027–0031. 10♀, 5♂; same data as holotype but collected 2 April 1983; EMUS_CYN_0032–0046. 1♂; same data as holotype but collected 23 March 1983; EMUS_CYN_0047. 1♂; same data as holotype but collected 16 March 1983; EMUS_ CYN_0048. 2♀; same data as holotype but collected 19 April 1983; EMUS_CYN_0049–0050. 3♂; same data as holotype but collected 13 April 1983; EMUS_CYN_0051–0053.
Diagnosis. Diastrophus wushei can be separated from D. renai by the following characters: antennae 13— segmented in female and 14—segmented in male (14—segmented in female and 15—segmented in male in D. renai); F1 longer than F2 (F1 and F2 equal in D. renai); eye 2.7× as long as malar space (1.5× in D. renai); mesoscutellar foveae subcircular (subtriangular in D. renai); median mesoscutal impression conspicuous (absent in D. renai); infuscated area on marginal cell much larger (infuscation smaller in D. renai).
Diastrophus japonicus Wachi et al. 2013, the only other described Diastrophus known from Asia, can be separated from D. wushei and D. renai by the following characters: in D. japonicus F1–F2 ratio greater (1.3), supraclypeal area transversely strigate, malar space rugose, and marginal cell length to width ratio greater (3.0).
Description. Female (Fig. 1). Body length 3.8–4.1 mm (x̄ = 3.9; n = 3).
Coloration. Antennae brown. Head brown and mesosoma red brown, darker around mesoscutum. Metasoma lighter brown than mesosoma, lighter coloration around second tergite.
Wings infuscated in large areas around R1, 2R, Rs&M, cubital vein. Foreleg completely amber yellow; mid legs brown; hind legs brown except metatibiae yellow.
Antennae (Fig. 3). 13—segmented. F1 1.2× as long as F2. Placodeal sensilla present on F2–F11.
Head (Fig. 4). In dorsal view 0.5× as long as wide; in anterior view 0.8× as tall as wide. POL longer than OOL. Compound eye height to malar space ratio 2.7. Facial radiating striae finely strigulate and not continuing to toruli. Supraclypeal area sculpture coriaceous. Clypeus subquadrate, broadly projected ventrally. Gena in frontal view curved throughout, with punctate setigenous sculpture. Vertex and upper face smooth with setigenous punctures. Upper occiput sculpture alutaceous.
Mesosoma (Figs. 5, 6, 7). Pronotum mostly smooth to coriaceous, with dense setae. Pronotal plate coriaceous, with setae in two dorsolateral patches.
Mesoscutum 0.9× as long as wide in dorsal view; entirely glabrous and smooth. Parapsidal grooves apparent. Anterior parallel lines apparent. Medial mesoscutal impression present as a deep notch over a quarter of the posterior area. Notauli complete, narrow anteriorly to widening posteriorly.
Scutellum 1.2× as long as wide in dorsal view, not projecting apically. Mesoscutellar disc areolate-rugose with interspaces coriaceous; with long setae. Circumscutellar carina absent. Mesoscutellar foveae subcircular, separated by a narrow triangular carina; base of foveae glabrous. Dorsal axilla smooth with sparse setigenous punctures.
Metasoma. Shorter than combined length of head and mesosoma. Second tergite with two dorsolateral setose patches. Micropunctures present on third tergite onwards.
Wings (Fig. 8). Marginal cell open, 2.7× as long as wide. Veins R1 and Rs not reaching wing margin. Rs straight to curved. Areolet present.
Male (Fig. 2). Same as female except the following: Body length 2.4–3.1 mm (x̄ = 2.9; n = 3). Antenna 14— segmented with placodeal sensilla present on F2 onwards. POL longer than OOL.
Biology. Unknown. Given Townes’ record of sampling with Malaise traps, we assume this was the likely method for collection.
Etymology. This species is named after the type locality Wushe Mountain, Taiwan.
description: Published as part of Davis, Charles K., Nastasi, Louis F. & Deans, Andrew R., 2024, Description of two new species of Diastrophus Hartig, 1840 from Taiwan, Diastrophus renai and D. wushei (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Diastrophini), pp. 367-374 in Zootaxa 5541 (3) on pages 368-370, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5541.3.7, http://zenodo.org/record/14241122