Kokkocynips panamensis Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey 2021, n. sp.

Kokkocynips panamensis Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey n. sp. (Figs. 2–4)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: E13D9C76-C63B-4413-B22C-184CD247B663

Type material. Holotype ♀ (Fig. 4B) (in MNCN, Madrid, Spain), card-mounted. PANAMA, Chiriquí, Boquete, El Salto, 8º 47’ 32.08” N, 82º 27’ 37.09” W, 1,431 m; ex gall of twigs of Quercus salicifolia Née (Fagaceae) (Fig. 4E); gall collected 21.x.2008; insect emerged xi.2008, E. Medianero leg. Paratypes: 1♀, same data as holotype. 2♀, same data as holotype but collected 25-x-2008; insect emerged xi-2008. 7♀ PANAMA, Chiriquí, Volcán Barú, 8°47´50.8” N, 82°29´35.9” W, 1,800 m; ex gall of twigs of Quercus salicifolia Née (Fagaceae); gall collected 5-xi-2018; insect emerged xi-2018, E. Medianero leg. 3♀, paratypes in Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá (MEUP).

Etymology. The species name refers to Panama, the country of origin of the new species.

Diagnosis

The new species differs from the type species of the genus, K. doctorrosae, by the absence of reticulate sculpture on the metasomal terga. It is easily distinguished from the other species transferred here to Kokkocynips by having mesoscutellar foveae with distinct posterior margins and inner margins that are widely separated by a broad septum (Fig. 3B). The gall morphology of the new species is similar to K. coxii, and this similarity is reflected in the phylogenetic analysis, with both species falling into the same clade that is sister to the remaining Kokkocynips species (Fig. 1).

General Description

Body length, 3.5 mm (range 3.23-3.70 mm; N = 6) for females.

Head, mesosoma and metasoma predominantly reddish-amber; frons above clypeus, parapsidal furrows and anterior parallel lines, transscutal fissure, scutellar foveae, sides of mesoscutellum and postero-lateral parts of mesopleuron brown to black. Antennae brown; legs the same colour as body, except for brown metatibia and metatarsi. Forewing very slightly infuscate.

Asexual Female

Head, with frons, face and genae coriaceous. Face with radiating striae from clypeus very short, barely distinctive, that do not reach across half the malar space. Face slightly carinate below torulus. Face and occiput moderately pubescent. Head in dorsal view 2.5x as wide as long (Fig. 2C). POL 1.5x longer than OOL; posterior ocellus separated from inner orbit of eye by 2.0x its longest diameter (Fig. 2C). Head in anterior view generally oval (Fig. 2A), 1.3x as wide as high. Genae slightly expanded behind eyes. Clypeus trapezoidal, 2.4x as wide as high, coriaceous, moderately pubescent, ventral margin moderately sinuate and clearly projected over mandibles. Anterior and posterior tentorial pits large and very deeply impressed and distinctive; epistomal line strongly curved, clypeopleurostomal lines distinct. Malar space 0.3x height of compound eye, malar (subocular) sulcus weak but present in the form of a shallow impressed area from compound eye almost reaching to the base of the mandible. Distance between antennal rim and compound eye 1.0x width of antennal socket including rim. Ocellar plate raised. Head, posterior view (Fig. 2B) with coriaceous sculpture and with moderately long setae at the sides. Gular sulci widely separated at hypostomata; distance between occipital and oral foramina as long as the occipital foramen. Without an occipital carina.

Mouthparts (Fig. 2A). Mandibles strong and exposed, moderately pubescent; right mandible with three teeth, left with two teeth. Cardo of maxilla visible, maxillary stipes approximately 2.0x as long as wide. Maxillary palp five-segmented. Labial palp three-segmented (Fig. 2B).

Antennae (Fig. 2E) as long as 1/2 body length, with 14 segments; flagellum not broadening toward apex, with short, erect setae and elongate placodeal sensilla visible only on flagellar segments 2–12. Relative lengths of antennal segments 20:15:50:35:26:26:22:22:18:17:17:16:15:29. Pedicel globose, small, 0.7 times as long as scape; F1 1.4x as long as F2 (Fig. 2E); F12 2.6x longer than wide and 1.9x as long as F11 (Fig. 2F).

Mesosoma (Figs. 3 A-C). Mesonotum as long as high in lateral view, strongly convex dorsally (Fig. 3C). Pronotum, moderately pubescent; with long and dense white setae, lateral surface of pronotum with longitudinal wrinkles (Fig. 3C). Pronotum short medially, ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally = 0.2. Anterior part of pronotal plate with a posterolateral tooth-like section present; dorsal part of pronotal plate distinctly offset, with anterolateral corners, ventral and lateral margins marked (Fig. 3A).

Mesoscutum finely coriaceous; only slightly pubescent with scattered setae anterior and laterally, with a row of setae along the notauli. Notauli percurrent, deep, smooth, well impressed along entire length, reaching pronotum, convergent posteriorly. Median mesoscutal impression present but very short. Anteroadmedian signa clearly visible. Parapsidal signa broad, smooth. Transscutal fissure narrow; distance between the fissure and the anterior margin of scutellar foveae wide (Fig. 3B). Scutellum (Fig. 3B), rounded, approximately 0.4x as long as mesoscutum, coriaceous with some lateral carinae, posterior margin not emarginate, scutellar foveae well differentiated, deep, smooth and quite widely separated, the space between them being almost as wide as a fovea. Scutellum overlapping the dorsellum posteriorly in lateral view. Axillula barely pubescent, their anterior margins and posterior marked. Mesopleuron medially with a longitudinal band of coriaceous sculpture and with some shallow longitudinal rugae; the upper and low parts of the mesopleuron without sculpture; the mesopleural triangle, moderately pubescent (Fig. 3C).

Metanotum (Figs. 2D and 3C). Metapectal-propodeal complex. Metapleural sulcus reaching posterior margin of mesopectus at mid-height of metapectal-propodeal complex (Fig. 3C). Lateral propodeal carinae distinct, slightly divergent dorsally and curved ventrally. Median propodeal area wide and bare, with only some weak rugae. Lateral propodeal area moderately pubescent. Nucha rugose.

Legs (Fig. 3D). Moderately pubescent, Metatarsal claws simple, without acute basal lobes or teeth (Fig. 3F).

Forewing (Fig. 4A). As long as body; veins strongly pigmented. Radial cell 3.4x as long as wide, open along anterior margin, areolet large, triangular, closed. Rs nearly straight, reaching wing margin. R1 slightly bowed not reaching wing margin. M nearly straight, not reaching wing margin. Rs+M reaching basalis at mid-height. First abscissa of radius (2r) slightly angled. Basal cell pubescent. Apical margin of wing with moderately long hair fringe.

Metasoma rounded (Fig. 3E). Large, as long as head and mesosoma combined, 1.1x as long as high in lateral view. Second metasomal tergite about 0.5x length of metasoma, with a group of sparse setae latero-basally, following tergites finely but densely micropunctate (Fig. 3E). Projecting part of hypopygial spine long, about 4.5x as long as wide in ventral view, laterally with some setae, basal setae longer, the apical ones short and not reaching apex of the spine (Fig. 3G).

Gall (Figs. 4C–E, 11H)

Kokkocynips panamensis induces an elongated multilocular swelling gall in young stems, oval to spindleshaped, with the same colour and surface texture as the bark of twigs (Figs. 4D & E). The galls have an average length of 35 mm (range 20 to 60 mm) and diameter 51 mm (range 30 to 85 mm) (n = 12). The internal structure of the gall is highly lignified and is multilocular, containing several larval cells (Figs. 4C, 4D and 11H). The outer layers crack and peel in older galls.

The gall of Kokkocynips panamensis resembles those induced by Kokkocynips coxii (Bassett, 1881), Protobalandricus spectabilis (Kinsey, 1922) and Dryocosmus asymmetricus (Kinsey, 1922) from North America, Andricus costaricensis Pujade-Villar & Melika, 2009 from Costa Rica and some galls of Plagiotrochus species (e.g., P. gallaeramulorum (Boyer de Fonsc., 1832)) and Pseudoneuroterus macropterus (Hartig, 1843) from Europe; however, the morphology of the adults is very different as are the Quercus hosts.

Host plant: Quercus salicifolia Née (Fagaceae, Quercus sect. Lobatae).

Distribution: Kokkocynips panamensis was found from 1,400 –1,800 m above sea level at Volcán Barú and El Salto, Chiriquí Province, Panama.

Biology: only the asexual generation of Kokkocynips panamensis is known. The galls are found between October and November, during the rainy season. The adult insects emerge from mature galls in November.