Prozercon tataroglui, Karaca, 2025

Prozercon tataroglui sp. nov.

Specimens examined. Holotype (♀): soil, litter and moss samples under oak ( Quercus sp. ), 41º21'N, 26º58'E, 31 m a.s.l., vicinity of Akarca and Kadriye villages, Pehlivanköy county (Kırklareli province), 23.03.2014 GoogleMaps . Paratypes: (2 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂) same data as holotype GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. On podonotum, setae j2–6, z2, z4–5, s1 and s4 smooth, other podonotal setae plumose with various lenghts. On opisthonotum, marginal setae R3–7 smooth and thorn-like, other opisthonotal setae plumose with various lenghts. Seta S4 absent. Gland pore gdS2 located on the line connecting setae Z1 and Z2, gdZ3 more obvious than other opisthonotal gland pores, located on the line connecting setae J4 and Z4, closer to Z4. Dorsal cavities weakly developed. Podonotum covered by reticulate pattern, opisthonotum with alveolar pits and irregular dots.

Description

Female (n=3)

( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 10–12 )

Dorsal idiosoma. Length (without gnathosoma) and width in holotype 378 and 274, respectively. Measurement of two paratypes: length 352–364, width 241–256. Ornamentation of idiosomal shields were illustrated in Fig. 11 View FIGURES 10–12 . Dorsal cavities uniform, equal in size, saddle-like and weakly sclerotized, two in the middle are closer to each other. Podonotal shields with 20 pairs of setae, including six pairs in j row (j1–6), five pairs in z row (z2–6), six pairs in s row (s1–6), and three pairs in r row (r2 and r4–5). Setae r1 and r3 inserted ventrally, on peritrematal shields. Setae j1, z3, r4–5, s3 and s6 markedly elongate, densely plumose, brush-like and apically rounded. Setae j2–6, z2, z4–5, s1 and s4 short, smooth and thorn-like. Setae z6, s2, s5 and r2 partly short, but plumose. All smooth podonotal setae about the same size. Podonotal shield covered with reticulate pattern with irregular pits in the crossing points on its central and posterocentral surface. Opisthonotal shields with 21 pairs of setae, including five pairs in J row (J1–5), five pairs in Z row (Z1–5), four pairs in S row (S1–3 and S5), and seven pairs in R row (R1–7). All opisthonotal setae (except marginal) located on enlarged raised bases. Except setae R3–7, all the others plumose. Setae J1–5 and Z2–4 similar in appearance. Setae Z1 and S2–3 unilateral plumose in contrary of other plumose setae. Setae Z5, S1 and S5 densely plumose, brush-like and apically rounded. Seta S4 absent. Marginal setae S1 and R1–2 plumose, S1 longer than the others. Setae R3–7 short, smooth and thorn-like. Only seta J3 reaching the insertions of the following seta in the same row. None of setae reaching the insertions of the following seta in Z and S rows. Setae Z5 and S5 reaching beyond margin of opisthonotum. The range between Z5–Z5 74–81 and Z5–JV5 42–48, respectively. Opisthonotal shield covered with relatively large alveolar pits in anterior parts and irregular dots in the middle parts ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 10–12 ). Gland pore gds1 located on the line connecting setae j2 and j3, gdj4 located on the line connecting setae j4 and z4, closer to z4, gds4 located on the line connecting setae s4 and s5, closer to s4, gdZ1 located above the insertion of seta Z1, gdS2 located on the line connecting setae Z1 and Z2, closer to Z2, gdZ3 located on the line connecting setae J4 and Z4, closer to Z4, and more obvious than other opisthonotal gland pores, gdS5 located below the insertion of seta S5 ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 10–12 ).

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 2 View FIGURES 2–5 ). Posterolateral tips of peritrematal shield reaching the level of setae R2. Chaetotaxy and ornamentation of peritrematal shield characteristical for Prozercon species. Peritrematal shield with two pairs of setae (r1 and r3), both short, smooth and needle-like. Peritreme slightly twisted anteriorly, and gland pore gv1 located closer to anterior part of peritreme. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae (st1–3). Epigynal shield with one pair of setae (st5). Setae st4 present between posterior part of sternal shield and anterior part of epigynal shield. All the above-mentioned setae (st1–5) short, smooth and needle-like or thorn-like. Gland pore gv2 absent between posterior part of epigynal shield and anterior part of ventrianal shield. Ventrianal shield with nine pairs of short, smooth and needle-like setae (JV1–5, ZV2–4, Ad), postanal longest, one pair of gland pore, and one single postanal seta (Pa). Seta JV5 similar to opisthonotal setae Z5 and S 5 in terms of shape, but shorter them. Anterior margin of ventrianal shield with one pair of setae (JV1 present, ZV1 absent). Gland pore gv3 located closer to the insertions of adanal setae. Anterior part of ventrianal shield covered with squamous pattern, continuously extending the insertions of setae JV3 and ZV3–4.

Male (n=2)

( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 10–12 )

Length and width of idiosoma 280–302 and 202–208, respectively. With a few exceptions, chaetotaxy of idiosomal setae, location of gland pores on idiosoma and ornamentation of dorsal and ventral shields similar to those of female. Unlike female specimens, in which the opisthonotal seta J4 not reaching the insertions of seta J5, this seta reaching the insertions of seta J 5 in male specimens. Also, marginal seta R2 plumose in female specimens, it is smooth and thorn-like in male specimens. Lastly, while seta S5 extends vertically beyond the opisthonotum in female specimens, this seta is inclined towards to seta R 7 in male specimens. Ventral idiosoma as Fig. 3 View FIGURES 2–5 in general (except seta R1 and JV5). Distances between setae Z5–Z5 61–65 and Z5–JV5 12–15, respectively.

Lengths and ranges of opisthonotal setae are given in Table 7 for the female and male specimens.

Immature stages. Not found.

Etymology. The name of the new species is dedicated to honour of my dear friend and colleague Dr. Musa Tataroğlu (Turkish cynipidologist and lecturer at Pamukkale University) who has made significant contributions to the Cynipidae fauna of Türkiye in the last decade.

Remarks. Prozercon tataroglui sp. nov. is quite similar to P. balikesirensis Urhan, 2008 , P. denizliensis Urhan, 2002 and P. yavuzi Urhan, 1998 . These species have common morphological features as follows: podonotal seta j5 smooth, all marginal setae (z3, s2–3, s6, r2, r4–5) on podonotum plumose, opisthonotal seta S1 plumose, except for P. denizliensis (smooth), seta S4 absent, seta S5 brush-like and reaching the beyond from lateral margin of opisthonotum, big majority of marginal R setae on opisthonotum smooth, gland pore gdS2 located closer to the insertions of setae Z1–2 or S2, gland pore gdZ3 located between J and Z setal rows, except for P. denizliensis (this gland pore located between S and R setal rows), none of setae in Z and S rows reaching the insertions of the following setae in the same rows, dorsal cavities equal in size and parallel to transverse axis. On the other hand, the distinctive morphological features of these four species are shown in Table 8, where all species are compared in terms of shapes of some setae and locations of some gland pores on the podonotal and opisthonotal regions. Most of the podonotal and opisthonotal setae of the new species are plumose with various lengths. However, some podonotal setae (j2–6, s1, s4, z2 and z4–5) and some marginal setae in R row (R3–7) are smooth, and their shape looks needle-like or thorn-like. Opisthonotal seta S 1 in P. tataroglui sp. nov. plumose, similar to those in P. balikesirensis and P. yavuzi . Opisthonotal seta JV5 is smooth in P. tataroglui sp. nov. as well as P. balikesirensis , P. denizliensis and P. yavuzi . The location of opisthonotal gland pore gdZ3 differs in P. denizliensis , which is located between the Z and R rows on opisthonotum, but it is located between the J and Z rows in the remaining species ( Table 8). It is known that, especially locations of the opisthonotal gland pores gdS2 and gdZ3, are one of the reliable character using for comparison of closer species in the same genus of the family Zerconidae , including genus Prozercon . Comparing the other species in Table 8, the presence of plumose setae R1–2 on opisthonotum is an important distinguishing character for P. tataroglui sp. nov.

The absence of opisthonotal seta S4 is one of the important distinguishing characters for P. tataroglui sp. nov. In line with the previous comments in the “Remarks” section of the P. esati sp. nov., P. tataroglui sp. nov. was also presented as a new species in this study. According to the relevant comments, it is possible to easily distinguish P. tataroglui sp. nov. from the other nine species that do not have the opisthonotal seta S4.