Description of a New Species of Diastrophus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: “Aylacini”) from Colombia: The First Herb Gall Wasp Native to the Neotropical Region

Abstract

We describe Diastrophus colombianus Nieves-Aldrey sp. nov., a gall inducer on Rubus glaucus Bentham (Rosaceae) in Colombia. This is the first reliable record of a species of Diastrophus Hartig, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) and of an herb gall wasp (Cynipidae: “Aylacini”) native to the Neotropical region. The phylogenetic relationships among the members of Diastrophus—D. colombianus and the species considered by a previous study—were inferred from adult morphological and gall characteristics. Our results suggest that D. colombianus is more closely related to a clade composed of Diastrophus austrior Kinsey, Diastrophus rubi (Bouché), Diastrophus fragariae Beutenmüller, and Diastrophus tumefactus Kinsey.

Primera cita del género <em>Neuroterus Hartig</em> (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Cynipini) para América Central, con descripción de tres especies nuevas de Panamá y Costa Rica

“…In the Neotropical region, an increasing sampling effort in countries such as Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia has yielded rich Cynipini fauna, for the most part undescribed. These studies have extended the geographical distribution of genera of gall wasp such as Amphibolips Reinhard, Disholcaspis Dalla Torre & Kieffer, Loxaulus Mayr, Odontocynips Kieffer, Bassettia Ashmead, Diastrophus Hartig, Andricus Hartig, Callirhytis Förster and Melikaiella PujadeVillar (Pujade-Villar, 2008;Medianero & NievesAldrey, 2011;Nieves-Aldrey et al, 2013;Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey, 2014;Pujade-Villar & Rodríguez, 2015). At the same time, new genera endemic to this region have been described, for example Agastoroxenia Nieves-Aldrey & Medianero, Coffeikokkos Pujade-Villar & Melika, Barucynips Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey and Zapatella PujadeVillar & Melika (Nieves-Aldrey & Medianero, 2010;Pujade-Villar et al, 2012a, 2012b.…”

A new species of Periclistus Foerster, 1869 from China and review of the tribe Diastrophini (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Cynipidae)

“…Among the five genera included in Diastrophini, the genera Diastrophus Hartig, 1840 and Xestophanes Foerster, 1869 consist of gall makers only. Diastrophus is widely distributed in the Holarctic and has one known species from Mesoamerica (Nieves-Aldrey et al 2013) and its members induce galls on species of Rubus, Fragaria, and Potentilla (Palaearctic and Nearctic) (Schick et al 2003;Melika 2006;Abe et al 2007) while Xestophanes is endemic to Europe in the western Palearctic and the two known species of the genus induce galls on Potentilla spp. (Nieves-Aldrey 1994, 2001Melika 2006).…”

Discovery of Xestophanopsis gen. n. from China and taxonomic revision of two species misplaced in Ceroptres Hartig, 1840 (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea: Cynipidae)

“…Compared to the other gall wasps that induce galls on herbaceous or bush host plants, members of Diastrophus (on Rubus) and Xestophanes (on Potentilla) differ in having a basal lobe on tarsal claws. Diastrophus is widely distributed in the Holarctic (Palaearctic and Nearctic) (Schick et al 2003, Melika 2006, Abe et al 2007 and Neotropical areas (Nieves-Aldrey et al 2013). The 18 currently known species of the genus all induce galls on host plants in the family Rosaceae (Potentilla, Fragaria and Rubus), with one exception, D. smilacis Ashmead, 1896, which induces galls on the monocotyledonous Smilax (Smilaceae) (Ashmead 1896, Schick et al 2003.…”