Antistrophus laurenae Nastasi & Tooker & Davis & Smith & Frey & Hatfield & Presnall & Hines & Deans 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Nastasi, Louis F.
name: Tooker, John F.
name: Davis, Charles K.
name: Smith, Cecil N.
name: Frey, Timothy S.
name: Hatfield, M. J.
name: Presnall, Tara M.
name: Hines, Heather M.
name: Deans, Andrew R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Cynipidae
Antistrophus
Antistrophus laurenae

description: Antistrophus laurenae Nastasi sp. nov.
Fig. 5
Material examined.
Holotype (deposited at PSUC). USA • ♀; Illinois, Ford and Iroquois Counties, Paxton Railroad Prairie; 40.359, - 88.106; galled plant material collected 11 November 2020; JF Tooker and AR Deans leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May or June 2021; PSUC _ FEM _ 248174.
Paratypes (24 ♀ and 25 ♂). Deposited at PSUC: USA • 2 ♂; same data as for holotype; PSUC _ FEM _ 248338–248339 • 1 ♀ and 4 ♂; Illinois, Iroquois County, Loda Cemetery Prairie; 40.528, - 88.074; galled plant material collected 10 November 2020; JF Tooker and AR Deans leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May or June 2021; PSUC _ FEM _ 248173 • 5 ♀ and 4 ♂; Illinois, McLean County, Weston Cemetery Prairie; 40.725, - 88.606; galled plant material collected 11 November 2020; JF Tooker and AR Deans leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May or June 2021; PSUC _ FEM _ 248178; 248325–248327; 248329–248330; 248333; 248336 • 2 ♀ and 2 ♂; Iowa, Story County, Grant, intersection of I- 35 and E 13 th St. prairie restoration; galled plant material collected 28 November 2020; MJ Hatfield leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in June 2021; PSUC _ FEM _ 248176; 248331; 248334; 248337.
Deposited at USNM: USA • 1 ♀; Illinois, McLean County, Weston Cemetery Prairie; 40.725, - 88.606; galled plant material collected 11 November 2020; JF Tooker and AR Deans leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May or June 2021; PSUC _ FEM _ 248332 • 1 ♀ and 2 ♂; same data as for holotype; PSUC _ FEM _ 248175; 248335; 248340.
Deposited at WIRC: 2 ♀ and 1 ♂; Iowa, Delaware County, Dyersville West; 42.48564, - 91.15425; galled plant material collected 2 May 2009; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171299–00171301 • 2 ♀ and 1 ♂; Iowa, Delaware County, Dyersville West Prairie; 42.47330, - 91.138372; galled plant material collected 2 May 2009; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171267–00171268; 00171283 • 1 ♀ and 2 ♂; Iowa, Marshall County, Twinkle Hill Restoration; 42.064396, - 92.854943; galled plant material collected 2 May 2009; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171284; 00171306–00171307 • 1 ♀; Wisconsin, Columbia County, Goose Pond Jill’s Pr.; galled plant material collected 3 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00171314 • 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, Anthony Branch F. A.; 42.896072, - 89.340018; galled plant material collected 4 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00171322 • 2 ♀ and 2 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, Badger Pr. Park - North; 42.896072, - 89.340018; galled plant material collected 3 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00170523; 00170837; 00171315; 00171331 • 1 ♀; Wisconsin, Dane County, Black Earth Prairie; 43.140146, - 89.773011; galled plant material collected 5 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00170838 • 1 ♀ and 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, E-way at Mooreland; 43.030588, - 89.349114; galled plant material collected 4 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00170524; 00171329 • 1 ♀ and 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, Festge Roadside; 43.118267, - 89.683665; galled plant material collected 18 Apr 2009; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171227; 00171289 • 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, Garfoot Road; galled plant material collected 5 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00171337 • 2 ♀ and 2 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, Gov Nelson 1997; 43.137321, - 89.437257; galled plant material collected 3 Apr 2012; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in Apr 2012; WIRC 00170839; 00171303; 00171330; 00171341 • 2 ♀ and 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Dane County, TNC Waubesa Wetland; galled plant material collected 22 Nov 2008; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171271; 00171274; 00171286 • 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Iowa County, TNC / Lease; 42.97357, - 89.88900; galled plant material collected 17 Apr 2009; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171287 • 1 ♂; Wisconsin, Iowa County, Underwood Prairie; galled plant material collected 9 May 2009; DNR Study SSGB leg.; reared from stems of Silphium integrifolium, emerging in May 2009; WIRC 00171298.
Diagnosis.
See diagnosis to Antistrophus jeanae Tooker & Hanks, 2004.
Description.
Female (Fig. 5 A) – Body length: 1.8–2.6 mm (x ̄ = 2.2 mm; n = 25; holotype = 2.6 mm). Color: Antenna color: red brown throughout, at most slightly darker distally than proximally. Head color: vertex and occiput dark red brown, mandibles red brown basally to darker red brown apically, rest of head red brown throughout. Mesosoma color: pronotum and propodeum red brown laterally to dark red brown medially, mesoscutum dark red brown, scutellum dark red brown, and mesopleuron dark red brown dorsally and ventrally but red brown medially. Wing membrane color: hyaline throughout. Wing vein color: light brown. Leg color: red brown throughout, except for apical tarsomere which is conspicuously darker. Metasoma color: red brown to dark red brown. Antennae (Fig. 5 B): Antennomere count: 13. F 1 length: 2.2 × as long as wide. F 2 length: 3.3 × as long as wide. F 2: F 1 length ratio: 1.4. Placodeal sensilla on F 2: absent; sensilla present only on F 3 and following antennomeres. Head (Fig. 5 C): Upper frons sculpture: reticulate. Gena posterolateral projection in anterior view: distinctly projecting past compound eyes. Facial radiating striae: distinct and complete, reaching compound eyes. Supraclypeal area sculpture: reticulate. Supraclypeal area projection: slightly projecting. OOL vs POL: OOL distinctly longer. OOL vs LOL: OOL greater than twice LOL. POL vs LOL: POL greater than twice LOL. LOL vs DLO: LOL longer. Vertex sculpture: reticulate throughout. Clypeus sculpture: reticulate. Mesosoma (Figs 5 D – F): Pronotum pilosity: densely pilose along anterior margin and with only sparse setae elsewhere. Pronotum excluding pronotal plate sculpture: reticulate. Pronotal plate sculpture: reticulate. Mesopleuron excluding speculum sculpture: reticulate with fine intermediate striae. Speculum sculpture: reticulate. Mesopleuron pilosity: ventral margin and mesopleural triangle densely pilose and bare elsewhere. Mesoscutum pilosity: sparsely pilose. Mesoscutum sculpture: reticulate. Apparent length of anterior parallel lines: reaching one third across mesoscutum. Morphology of anterior parallel lines: narrow, distinct throughout perceptible length. Apparent length of parapsidal grooves: reaching halfway across mesoscutum. Morphology of parapsidal grooves: narrow, distinct throughout perceptible length. Morphology of median mesoscutal impression: apparent as a shallow impression extending across most of mesoscutum. Notauli completeness: incomplete, distinct posteriorly to indistinct in anterior third. Morphology of notauli: appearing as wide indentations with sloping edges throughout distinct portions. Metapleural sulcus: meeting posterior mesopleuron at about one third of its height. Lateral propodeal carinae: distinct and subparallel. Metapleuron sculpture: reticulate. Mesoscutellar foveae distinction: distinct, relatively deep anteriorly to shallower and inconspicuously delimited posteriorly. Mesoscutellar foveae sculpture: reticulate. Mesoscutellar disc sculpture: rugose-reticulate, primarily reticulate, but with distinct rugose-reticulate sculpture seemingly restricted to outer margins. Mesoscutellar foveae length: long, reaching about one third across mesoscutellar disc. Mesoscutellar foveae shape: subquadrate, about as wide as long, separated by a narrow linear carina. Mesoscutellar disc shape: subcircular, about as wide as long. Wings: Marginal cell length: 3.1 × as long as wide. Fore wing distal fringe of marginal setae: absent. Metasoma: Punctation of metasomal terga: T 3 punctate only in posterior third and with T 4 and following punctate throughout.
Male (Fig. 5 G) – Same as female except for the following: Body length: 1.3–2.1 mm (x ̄ = 1.8; n = 25). Antennae: Antennomere count: 14. F 1 length: 2.3 × as long as wide. F 2 length: 3.2 × as long as wide. F 2: F 1 length ratio: 1.5. Placodeal sensilla on F 2: present. Wings: Fore wing distal fringe of marginal setae: present. Metasoma: Metasoma size: conspicuously smaller than in female.
Etymology.
Named for Lauren Ahlert, a biology teacher at Wayne Valley High School in Wayne, New Jersey, USA, who has served as a tremendous source of inspiration and passion for the author of this species.
Biology.
Antistrophus laurenae induces inconspicuous, externally imperceptible galls in stems of Silphium integrifolium (Fig. 5 H).
Distribution.
Material examined in this study reveals that this species occurs in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin (USA; see Suppl. material 1: table 1). A verified iNaturalist record (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/136446787) also suggests that this species occurs in Mississippi. Known and potential distribution are summarized in Fig. 9.
description: Published as part of Nastasi, Louis F., Tooker, John F., Davis, Charles K., Smith, Cecil N., Frey, Timothy S., Hatfield, M. J., Presnall, Tara M., Hines, Heather M. & Deans, Andrew R., 2024, Cryptic or underworked? Taxonomic revision of the Antistrophus rufus species complex (Cynipoidea, Aulacideini), pp. 399-439 in Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97 on pages 399-439, DOI: 10.3897/jhr.97.121918