Chrysonotomyia susbelli O'Loughlin, Brandão-Dias, Gates & Egan, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: O'Loughlin, Brendan
name: Brandão-Dias, Pedro F. P.
name: Gates, Michael W.
name: Egan, Scott P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eulophidae
Chrysonotomyia
Chrysonotomyia susbelli

description: Chrysonotomyia susbelli sp. nov.
Figs 1, 2
Diagnosis.
Mesosoma predominantly golden yellow with dark brown markings dorsally. Similar to C. corynata (Hansson, 2004) but differing in hue and dorsal patterning; dorsellum visible in dorsal view; antennae not distinctly clavate; flagellomere five dark brown; gaster with dark brown transverse bands, never more than two complete dorsally.
Description.
Length of body ♀ 1.0– 1.2 mm, ♂ 0.9 mm.
Mesosoma female: Mesoscutum golden yellow with the posterior midlobe occupied by a transverse, metallic brown band flanked by small transverse dark bands on the sidelobes, the metallic brown band may appear metallic green when viewed at certain angles. Axillae golden yellow with 2–3 areas of dark brown coloration. Scutellum golden yellow with median longitudinal dark band, anterior and posterior edges lined with dark transverse bands. Dorsellum golden yellow. Propodeum light yellow with a dark brown transverse band (Fig. 1 A). Pronotum, prepectus, transepimeral sulcus, propodeal callus, lower mesepimeron and ventral mesosoma pale white, creating a distinct countershading between golden yellow dorsally and pale white ventrally. Transepimeral sulcus and lower mesepimeron often with thin, longitudinal bands of dark brown coloration (Fig. 1 B). Mesosoma male: Same as female with dark bands significantly darker in color (Fig. 2 A, B). Legs pale white in both sexes. Wings hyaline. Petiole dark brown.
Female gaster pale yellow with three incomplete dark transverse bands and apical ovipositor sheaths dark brown (Fig. 1 A). Male gaster darker yellow, with two complete dark transverse bands preceded by an incomplete one (Fig. 2 A).
Head light yellow apically, transitioning to pale white below. Eyes pink. Scape pale white, pedicel light yellow with apical two-thirds of inner surface dark brown, flagellomeres 1–4 yellow, flagellomere 5 brown (Figs 1 C, 2 C). Occiput light yellow, male sometimes with large dark macula.
Both male and female antennae with pale white verticillate setae (Figs 1 C, 2 C). Vertex with weak reticulation inside ocellar triangle, smooth outside triangle. Frontal suture weakly curved dorsad. Occipital margin carinate. Ratios of HE / MS / WM ♀ 2.5 / 1.5 / 1.0, ♂ 2.7 / 1.0 / 1.2; POL / OOL / POO ♀ 1.0 / 1.1 / 1.5, ♂ 4.9 / 2.7 / 1.0; WH / WT 1.1.
Mesoscutum and scutellum with weak and small meshed reticulation. Dorsellum small, convex, and smooth (Fig. 1 A, 2 A). Forewing with speculum closed below; without stigmal hair lines; radial cell bare. Ratios of LW / LM / HW 2.0 / 1.0 / 1.1; PM / ST 0.5.
Female gaster ovate. Ratio of MM / LG ♀ 1.0 / 1.1, ♂ 1.0 / 1.0
Biology.
Known to parasitize Neuroterus nr. bussae (Fig. 3), a cynipid which forms galls on Quercus virginiana. Preliminary genetic data and biogeographic patterns in this system suggest that the form of Neuroterus bussae present in Houston may not be the same species as the ones described from Florida, but this requires additional work. Thus, we conservatively refer to the insect host as Neuroterus nr. bussae (Egan lab, unpublished data). Live females were observed under both lab and field conditions. Adults always moved in a zigzag pattern, both in captivity and the wild. In the field, females were observed moving back and forth on upper leaf surfaces (Suppl. material 1). We hypothesize that this movement represents gall-searching behavior. Currently the species is only known from the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas, USA, but it likely follows the distribution of its host, Neuroterus nr. bussae on Quercus virginiana.
Material examined.
Holotype • United States: Houston, Harris County; 29.7179 ° N, 95.4048 ° W; 4. v. 2022. ex. gall on Quercus virginiana; coll. Pedro Brandão-Dias (1 ♀; USNMENT 01928159). Syntype • same data as holotype; 10. v. 2022 (1 ♂; USNMENT 01928158). Paratypes • (1 ♀; USNM) same data as syntype; 25. iv. 2022 • (1 ♀ 1 ♂; USNM) same data as syntype; 29. iv. 2022 • (1 ♀; USNM) same data as syntype, 2. v. 2022 • (5 ♀; USNM) same locality as holotype; 20. iv. 2023 – 18. v. 2023; on leaves of Quercus virginiana, coll. Brendan O’Loughlin.
Molecular barcodes.
The three mtDNA-COI sequences were, on average, 99.4 % identical to each other and, on average, 91.1 % identical to Chrysonotomyia sp. PLACZ 361-20 from Guanacaste, Costa Rica in the BOLD database. The sequences can be accessed through GenBank accession numbers PP 468569, PP 468570, and PP 468571. See Suppl. material 2 for the exact mtDNA-COI sequences.
Phenology.
Adult C. susbelli sp. nov. were observed emerging from galls in the lab from 18 April to 10 May 2022, and we made additional observations of adult C. susbelli sp. nov. on the leaves of the southern live oak (Q. virginiana) from 20 April to 18 May 2023.
Etymology.
From Latin sus belli, roughly translating to “ warpig ”, in reference to the mascot of the Rice University dormitory Wiess College where the first author currently resides, whose official color is similar to the golden yellow of the dorsal mesosoma. Wiess College is named for Harry Carothers Wiess (1887–1948), one of the founders and one-time president of Humble Oil, whose generosity, with time, mind, and resources, greatly shaped the expansion of Rice University.
description: Published as part of O'Loughlin, Brendan, Brandão-Dias, Pedro F. P., Gates, Michael W. & Egan, Scott P., 2024, Description of a new species of Chrysonotomyia Ashmead from Houston, Texas, USA (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae), pp. 241-254 in ZooKeys 1212 on pages 241-254, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1212.127537