Prokius cambrai Nieves-Aldrey & Medianero 2021, n. sp.
Creators: name: Medianero, Enrique
name: Nicholls, James A.
name: Stone, Graham N.
name: Nieves-Aldrey, José Luis
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Cynipidae
Prokius
Prokius cambrai

description: Prokius cambrai Nieves-Aldrey & Medianero n. sp.
(Figs. 1-2, 5 C-D, 5F, 6A-C)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A0EEEDC4-5B19-4F29-9D03-B1E0728B8DDF
Type material. Holotype female Fig.5D; in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain (MNCN), cardmounted). PANAMA, Chiriquí, Volcán Barú 8°47´50.8” N, 82°29´35.9” W, 1,800 – 2,070 m; ex gall on leaf of Quercus bumelioides Liebm. (Fagaceae), 26.iii.2009, E. Medianero leg.. Paratypes: 2 males and 2 females in MNCN: 1 male, 1 female same data as holotype, collected 15.vi.2008; 1 male and 1 female collected 15.vi.2008, Boquete, Volcancito, 1440 m.; 5 paratypes in Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá (MEUP): 2 males, 1 female in ethanol, Volcán Baru, 1800 m. 15/vi/2008, E. Medianero leg.
Additionally, 1 male and 1 female from the type series were dissected for SEM observation (in MNCN) and are preserved mounted on the stub.
Additional material (excluded from type material, in ethanol), 5 males, 3 females, Volcan Barú (1800-2070 m), Q. bumelioides, 25/x/2008. E. Medianero leg (note: these specimens are darker, predominantly blackish)
Etymology. Named after our colleague and friend Roberto Cambra Torok for his contribution to the development of entomology in Panama.
Diagnosis. Aside from the diagnostic characters of the genus described previously, P. cambrai presents the following diagnostic characters that allow differentiation from the other new species described herein: Frons smooth, without visible sculpture. Antennae with 14 segments in female, 15 in the male. Median mesoscutal impression visible only in posterior one eighth of the mesoscutum. R1 vein strongly pigmented and visible, reaching wing margin. Antero-lateral part of second metasomal tergum with a dense patch of setae. Body coloration dark brown. Galls irregular sub-conical to sub-cylindrical.
Description. Body length 2.3 mm (range 2.1 ‒ 2.5 mm; N = 3) for females; 2 mm (range 1.9- 2.1 mm; N = 3) for males. Body uniformly shiny reddish brown to almost black in some specimens; mouth parts yellow, antennal scape, pedicel and basal flagellomeres yellowish, distal flagellomeres darker. Legs yellowish; tibia and tarsomeres darker. Forewing hyaline with some very light infumation; veins dark brown to black.
Sexual female. Head slightly alutaceous to smooth, with sparse white setae, denser on face and malar space, in dorsal view about 2.5× wider than long. POL 1.5× as long as OOL, posterior ocellus separated from inner orbit of eye by about 2× its greatest diameter. Head in anterior view (Fig. 1A) 1.2× wider than high, gena not expanded behind eyes. Vertex, frons and gena slightly alutaceous. Clypeus more or less trapezoidal, 1.4× wider than high, mostly smooth and slightly pubescent; ventral margin sinuate, slightly projecting over mandibles. Anterior tentorial pits visible; epistomal sulcus apparent, clypeo-pleurostomal lines visible. Malar space 0.2× height of compound eye. Malar (subocular) sulcus weak but present, reaching the base of the mandible. Facial striae radiating from clypeus very short, barely discernible. Toruli situated above mid-height of compound eye; distance between antennal rim and compound eye 0.8× width of antennal socket including rim. Ocellar plate raised. Head in posterior view (Fig. 1B) without occipital carina. Gula short; distance between occipital and oral foramina as high as the occipital foramen. Hypostomal sulci well separated from oral fossa.
Mouthparts (Figs. 1B): mandibles exposed, with setae at base, right mandible with three teeth, left with two teeth. Cardo of maxilla visible, maxillary stipes about 2.0× longer than wide. Maxillary palp five-segmented. Labial palp three-segmented.
Antenna (Fig. 1C) of moderate length, as long as 1/2 body length, with 12 flagellomeres; flagellum not broadening towards apex; with relatively long, erect setae, and elongate placodeal sensilla visible only on flagellar segments 3‒12. Relative lengths of antennal segments: 17:13:34­­:24­­:21:18:15:15:15:13:13:13:12:22. Pedicel subglobose, 0.7× as long as scape; F1‒F11, gradually decreasing in length. F1 1.4­­× as long as F2. F12 2.0× longer than wide, 1.7× as long as F11.
Mesosoma. Smooth, moderately pubescent, in lateral view 1.1× as long as high, strongly convex dorsally. Pronotum smooth, moderately pubescent, with long setae (Fig. 1F). Pronotum short medially, ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally = 0.2. Pronotal plate indistinct dorsally (Fig. 2A).
Mesonotum (Fig. 1E). Mesoscutum smooth, barely pubescent with scattered setae anteriorly and laterally, with setae scattered along the notauli. Notauli complete, smooth, broad, deep and convergent posteriorly, median mesoscutal impression present but very short, without anteroadmedian signa and parapsidal signa. Transscutal fissure clearly visible, deeply impressed and nearly straight. Scutellar foveae well differentiated, deep, internally the foveae not separated by a septum, their posterior margins indistinct. Mesoscutellum (Fig. 1E), rectangular to slightly trapezoidal, marginated, surrounded by distinct carina, about 0.7× length of mesoscutum, 0.8× as long as wide, smooth and moderately pubescent; in lateral view extended posteriorly over dorsellum. Axillula moderately pubescent, their anterior margins marked and posterior margins indistinct. Mesopleuron smooth, speculum glabrous; mesopleural triangle moderately pubescent (Fig. 1F).
Metanotum (Fig. 1F, 2B). Metapectal-propodeal complex. Metapleural sulcus reaching posterior margin of mesopectus at about mid-height of metapectal-propodeal complex (Fig. 1F). Lateral propodeal carinae distinct, bent outwards distinctly at mid height, central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, lateral propodeal area smooth, with dense white setae (Fig. 2B). Nucha rugose.
Legs. Moderately pubescent; metatarsal claws without a basal lobe (Fig. 2C).
Forewing (Fig. 5F) slightly longer than body; basal cell with some rows of setae; radial cell 4.0× longer than wide; open along anterior margin; areolet triangular, closed and distinct. R1 and Rs nearly straight, reaching wing margin. Rs+M reaching basalis at its mid-height. 2r well pigmented, angulate and projecting slightly medially. Apical margin of wing with a fringe of short hairs.
Metasoma (Fig. 2D) large, as long as head and mesosoma combined, in lateral view as wide as high. Second metasomal tergum covering about 2/3 of metasoma, with a patch of dense setae on its anterior end. Projecting part of hypopygial spine short (Fig. 2E), shorter than basal height of spine; in ventral view, of the same width along its entire length with a blunt cleft apex (Fig. 2F); the hypopygial spine bearing long and thick setae, arranged in pairs perpendicular to spine margins and only just extending beyond apex of spine.
Male (Fig. 5C). Similar to female except as follows: Head almost black; antennal scape and pedicel yellow, flagellum entirely dark yellowish, metatibia distally brown. Antenna with 13 flagellomeres (Fig. 1D); F2 slightly curved at base. Placodeal sensilla present on flagellomeres 1–13. Relative length of antennomeres: 13:13:27:23:20: 15:15:14:14:13:13:12:12:11:14. Metasoma smaller than in female; second tergum 0.7× total metasoma length.
Host plant. Quercus bumelioides Liebm. (Fagaceae, Quercus sect. Quercus).
Gall (Figs. 6 A-C). Galls are irregularly cylindrical with a smooth surface, measuring 5 × 2 mm, with a single internal larval chamber. Galls develop singly or more frequently in close clusters of 2‒5 galls, on the upper side of the leaf blade; the presence of a gall is indicated on the lower side of the leaf by a circular impression (Fig. 6C). The galls are green to red when fresh (Fig. 6A) and black when mature. Galls are relatively abundant on the host plant at Volcán Barú in Panama.
Distribution. Prokius cambrai sp. nov. was found between 1,440 – 2,070 m a.s.l. at Volcán Barú, Chiriqui, Panama.
Biology. Only the sexual generation is known, inducing galls on Quercus bumelioides. Freshly growing galls are present on new leaves in November during the rainy season. Adult insects emerge in May.
description: Published as part of Medianero, Enrique, Nicholls, James A., Stone, Graham N. & Nieves-Aldrey, José Luis, 2021, A new genus of Neotropical oak gall wasp, Prokius Nieves-Aldrey, Medianero & Nicholls, gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), with description of two new species from Panama, pp. 203-222 in Zootaxa 5081 (2) on pages 207-213, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5081.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5771693