Barucynips panamensis Medianero & Nieves-Aldrey

Asexual female. Body length 2.9 mm (range 2.59–3.42; N = 4). Head and mesosoma black. Metasoma, flagellomeres and tarsi brownish; hypopygium yellowish. Mandibles yellowish with black teeth. Antennal scape and pedicel yellowish in part. Half basal of coxae black; coxae apically, femora and tibiae ventrally yellowish. Forewing hyaline, slightly and uniformly darkened; veins dark brown. Head alutaceous-reticulate, moderately pubescent, with relatively long white setae, except on vertex, upper frons and gena, in dorsal view about 2.7 times wider than long. POL 1.8 times longer than OOL, posterior ocellus separated from inner orbit of eye by 2.0 times its longest diameter. Head in anterior view (Fig. 1A) 1.2 times wider than high. Genae slightly expanded behind eyes, strongly alutaceus-reticulate (Fig. 1B). Clypeus more or less trapezoidal, 1.7 times wider than high moderately pubescent, ventral margin sinuate, moderately projecting over mandibles. Anterior tentorial pits visible; epistomal sulcus not visible, clypeo-pleurostomal lines visible. Malar space 0.2 times height of compound eye, without malar sulcus strongly alutaceus-reticulate, without irradiating striae from clypeus (Fig. 1B). Toruli situated slightly above mid-height of compound eye; distance between antennal rim and compound eye 0.8 times width of antennal socket including rim. Ocellar plate slightly raised. Head, posterior view (Fig. 1C) without occipital carina. Gula short; distance between occipital and oral foramina ashigh as occipital foramen (Fig. 1C). Hypostomal sulci well separate at oral fossa. Mouthparts (Figs 1D): mandibles exposed; with dense setae in base, right mandible with three teeth; left with two teeth. Cardo of maxilla visible, maxillary stipes long, about 2.3 times longer than wide. Maxillary palp five-segmented. Labial palp three-segmented, both moderately pubescent (Fig. 1D). Antenna (Fig. 1E–G) of moderate length, as long as 1/2 body length, with 16 antennomeres; flagellum not broadening towards apex; with relatively long, erect setae, and visible elongate placodeal sensilla (Fig. 1F). Relative lengths of antennal segments: 19:12:32:25:20:21:17:18:16:15:13:12:13:12:11:16. Pedicel, globose, 0.6 as long as scape (Fig. 1G). F1 1.3 times as long as F2. F14 2.1 times longer than wide, 1.5 times as long as F13 (Fig. 1F). Placodeal sensillae on F2-F14 disposed in one row of 8–9 sensillae in half dorsal area of each flagellomere. Mesosoma. Uniformlyalutaceus, moderately pubescent, in lateral view 1.2 times as long as high, slightly convex dorsally (Fig. 2B). Pronotum, densely pubescent; lateral surface of pronotum with longitudinal wrinkles; with long and dense white setae (Fig. 2A-B). Pronotum short medially, ratio of length of pronotum medially/laterally = 0.2. Pronotal plate indistinct dorsally (Fig. 2A). Mesonotum (Fig. 2C). Mesoscutum coriaceous-alutaceus, only slightly pubescent medially and along notauli, slightly broader than long in dorsal view. Notauli percurrent, smooth, well impressed along entire length, reaching pronotum, not quite convergent, well separated posteriorly, median mesoscutal impression not visible. Anteroadmedian and parapsidal signa visible. Transscutal fissure narrow, well-visible, deeply impressed, slightly sinuate. Scutellar foveae not well differentiated, shallow, confluent medially, with some longitudinal striae and indistinctly margined posteriorly. Mesoscutellum (Fig. 2D) rounded from above moderately pubescent, about 0.6 as long as mesoscutum, strongly alutaceus-reticulate, in lateral view extending posteriorly slightly over the dorsellum. Axillula slightly pubescent, their anterior margins marked and posterior indistinctly. Mesopleuron alutaceus, slightly pubescent with mesopleural triangle densely pubescent (Fig. 2B). Metanotum (Fig. 2E). Metapectal-propodeal complex. Metapleural sulcus reaching posterior margin of mesopectus at about two thirds height (Fig. 2B). Lateral propodeal carinae poorly defined, fragmented, slightly divergent posteriorly and reaching nucha. Median propodeal area narrow, bare, with a median longitudinal carina fragmented but well visible (Fig. 2E); lateral propodeal area densely pubescent, with relatively long white setae, nucha rugose. Legs (Fig. 2F). Densely pubescent, metatarsal claws with an acute basal lobe or short tooth (Fig. 2G). Forewing (Fig. 5B) 1.2 times as long as body, without smoky spots or stripes and densely pubescent; basal cell pubescent; radial cell 4.2 times longer than wide, open along anterior margin; areolet large, triangular, closed. R1, Rs and M nearly straight not reaching wing margin. R1 forming a quite acute angle with anterior margin of wing; Rs+M not reaching basalis. Basalis slightly curved, 2r well pigmented. Apical margin of wing with moderately long hair fringe. Metasoma (Fig. 3A) large, as long as head and mesosoma combined, in lateral view as wide as high. Second metasomal tergite covering about two thirds of metasoma, with a patch of setae in its lateral anteromedial area. Projecting part of hypopygial spine long, lanceolate, tapering from the base to apex, at least 4.0 times as long as broad, with dense long basal setae arising in the base of the projected part which reach the apex of the spine forming a tuft (Fig. 3B–C). Gall (Fig. 5C–G). Irregular small formations (up to 4–9 mm) arising from crevices on the stems and on the petiole and midribs of leaves. The gall is displayed as a dense mass covered with light brown hairs, solitary, containing a single larval cell or more frequently forming clusters, and then appearing as polythalamous. Inside, the gall has a highly lignified core enclosing the larva (Fig. 5E). Host plant. Quercus bumelioides Liebm. (section Quercus of Quercus; white oaks (Fagaceae), a species distributed from Mexico to Panama (Breedlove 2001). The gall resembles that of the species of the Nubila complex, established by Kinsey within the subgenus Acraspis of Cynips (Kinsey 1936), all known from Mexico. These galls were described as a mass of coarse hairs containing a spherical hard core, attached to mid-veins, on or under the surfaces of leaves. However, the insects are quite different in important characteristics such as the number of antennal segments and the shape of the hypopygial spine.

Barucynips panamensis was found between 2515–3045 m a.s.l. at Volcán Barú, Chiriqui, Panama. Although currently known only at this locality, it is a species that is relatively abundant at the higher elevations of Volcán Barú.