Nuevo género de avispa agallícola del encino, Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar & Melika, gen. n., con descripción de una nueva especies de México (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae)

Abstract

Se describe un nuevo género de cinípido agallícola, Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar & Melika n. gen. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) de México. Se discuten en detalle los caracteres diagnósticos y los límites genéricos de este nuevo género. Las agallas se encuentran en las ramas de Quercus acutifolia Née. Se describen e ilustran los caracteres diagnósticos, su distribución y la biología de la nueva especie.

Re-description and systematic re-appraisal of the genus Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar & Melika, (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), including new combinations of Nearctic species and the description of a new species from Panama

“…One of the diagnostic morphological characters mentioned in the original description in support of a monotypic Kokkocynips was the presence of a striking feature, namely the reticulate sculpture on the metasomal terga (Pujade-Villar et al 2013). A similar morphological feature is present in a group of Andricus species (A. georgei Pujade-Villar, 2011 andA.…”

“…Morphological study of these Nearctic species indicated that they shared the main diagnostic characters of the new species from Panama but not the diagnostic characters as originally defined for Dryocosmus and Callirhytis. Furthermore, specimens of Kokkocynips doctorrosae Pujade-Villar & Melika, 2013, the only species within a recently-described genus from Mexico, also nested within this same clade of mis-placed Dryocosmus, Callirhytis and the new unplaced Panamanian species. These results indicated the need for some generic-level revision.…”

“…Type species: Kokkocynips doctorrosae Pujade-Villar, 2013. Diagnosis. Kokkocynips differs from all other known Cynipini genera by the following combination of characters: Malar (subocular) sulcus absent or sometimes visible in the form of a short and shallow impressed area marked by some irregular striae; rarely complete, but weakly impressed.…”

“…nievesaldreyi Pujade-Villar, 2011), leading to comparison of Kokkocynips with this group. However, as mentioned in Pujade-Villar et al (2013), these species have toothed claws, are associated with white oaks and have recently been moved into their own new genus Striatoandricus (Cuesta-Porta et al 2020). In fact, Kokkocynips is placed in a very different part of the phylogeny to Striatoandricus (see Fig.…”

“…However, in recent years, significant new faunas of oak gall wasps have been discovered in the Neotropical and Oriental regions, leading to the description or re-establishment of 17 genera. Eight of the recently described genera belong to the American fauna; two are endemic to Central America, Coffeikokkos Pujade-Villar & Melika (Pujade-Villar et al 2012b) and Barucynips Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey (Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey 2013); one, Protobalandricus Melika, Nicholls & Stone, is known only from California (Nicholls et al 2018b); and five genera are more widely distributed in North America and Central America: Kinseyella Pujade-Villar & Melika (Pujade-Villar et al 2010), Zapatella Pujade-Villar & Melika (Pujade-Villar et al 2012a), Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar & Melika (Pujade-Villar et al 2013), Melikaiella Pujade-Villar (Pujade-Villar et al 2014) and Striatoandricus Pujade-Villar (Cuesta-Porta et al 2020).…”