Atrusca cubitalis ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca cubitalis ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 207–220 View FIGURES 207–212 View FIGURES 213–216 View FIGURES 217–220

Cynips View in CoL ( dugesi ) cubitalis Kinsey 1936: 107 , female, gall.

Atrusca cubitalis (Kinsey) : Weld 1951: 638.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips cubitalis ( dugesi ) “ Durango Colo. 12N Gall 8.27.29, 1 fm. 11.4.29”, “Q, gambelii, Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red “ Cynips cubitalis , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Three PARATYPE females “ Durango Colo 12N galls 8.27.29, females 11.9.29”, “ Q. gambelii Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red label “ Cynips cubitalis Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca cubitalis is characterized by a reddish to reddish-brown body, short fore wings (0.76–1.15× as body length) that exhibits complete venation and the Rs of the radial cell is strongly curved distally, never almost straight, the uniformly colored mesoscutum or with stripes only slightly darker than the color of the mesoscutum; and the coriaceous mesoscutellum, occasionally with lateral rugae, as in A. brevipennata and A. dugesi . Atrusca cubitalis can be distinguished from A. brevipennata and A. dugesi by the pronotum with delicately coriaceous sculpture in the dorsolateral part, while the rest of the pronotum is smooth and shining, the mesoscutellum is posteriorly narrowed, tapering into a pointed centromedian tip and the fore wings shorter than the body (0.76–0.95× as body length), while in A. brevipennate and A. dugesi the pronotum is coriaceous with or without delicate rugae laterally, the mesoscutellum is rounded posteriorly and can have longer fore wing measuring, either equal or slightly longer than the body’s length.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 207–219 View FIGURES 207–212 View FIGURES 213–216 View FIGURES 217–220 ). Antenna, mesosoma, legs uniformly light brown to yellowish; second metasomal tergum with black band posteriorly, third metasomal tergum black, subsequent terga reddish brown. Head slightly darker than mesosoma.

Head transvesally oval in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, 1.3× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.1× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, very slightly broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, with delicate striae extending to eye; malar sulcus absent; eye 1.9× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 1.2× as long as OOL; OOL 3.0× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 2.0× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.4× as long as height of eye; diameter of torulus 1.3× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.25× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face delicately alutaceous to smooth, shining, with few white setae, without striae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous, shining, without setae. Interocellar area slightly elevated above head in frontal view. Clypeus impressed, uniformly delicately coriaceous, trapezoid, broader than high, with a few long setae; ventrally rounded, broadly emarginate, with shallow median incision; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line broad, well impressed. Frons and interocellar area coriaceous, with delicate transverse rugae, with a few short setae. Vertex, occiput, uniformly alutaceous to delicately reticulate, with sparse white setae; postocciput, postgena smooth, shining; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, area below impressed; occipital foramen shorter than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci which strongly bent outwards towards occipital foramen, postgenal bridge anteriorly broader than posteriorly, broader than width of occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+ mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 as long as scape+pedicel and 1.3× as long as F2; F2 1.2× as long as F3; F3 1.2× as long as F4, F4 till F9 gradually shortened, F9=F10=F11, F12 longer than F11; placodeal sensilla on F5–F12.

Mesosoma as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum delicately coriaceous in dorsolateral part, rest of pronotum laterally smooth, shining; propleuron smooth, shining. Mesoscutum uniformly delicately coriaceous to reticulate (seems to be smooth but not so) with sparse piliferous points and white setae; slightly longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, deep, broad, with smooth, shining bottom, posteriorly broader and slightly converging; anterior parallel line in a form of elevated stripe extending to 1/4 of mesoscutum length; parapsidal lines indistinct, hardly traceable, indicated by smoother surface; median mesoscutal line absent. Circumscutellar carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum with parallel sides, longer than broad, posteriorly gradually narrowed into a centro-median tip, uniformly delicately coriaceous (seems to be smooth but not so), with strong rugae laterally and posteriorly; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae separated by broad elevated triangular coriaceous central area, transverse, nearly quadrangular, as broad as high, with smooth, shining bottom.. Circumscutellar carina complete. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, shining, with a few setae, ventrally denser; mesopleural triangle smooth, shining, without striae, with white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, shining, with white short setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, most posterior part slightly higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron in the upper 1/3 of its height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum smooth, shining, with longitudinal delicate rugae, slightly shorter than height of smooth, shining ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, without setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining; lateral propodeal carinae gradually bent outwards; lateral propodeal area smooth, shining, with piliferous points and long sparse white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, with delicate longitudinal sulci dorsally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Brachypterous, fore wing shorter than body, uniformly infuscated, margin with long dense cilia, with few slightly darker spots and stripes, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 2.0× as long as broad; second abscissa of Rs strongly curved distally; R1 and Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet short, triangular, indistinct, Rs+M inconspicuous, traceable along entire length, reaching basalis at mid height.

Metasoma longer than head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high in lateral view, saddle-shaped; second metasomal tergum extending to half length of metasoma in dorsal view, with sparse white setae anterolaterally and laterally, without micropunctures; subsequent tergites without micropunctures and setae. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 3.5× as long as broad in ventral view, with a few short setae ventrally which do not extend beyond apex of spine.

Body length 1.8–3.0 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 220 View FIGURES 217–220 ). The gall is similar to all galls of the dugesi and bella Kinsey’s complexes. Mature galls light rosy tan, unspotted, shining, up to 22 mm, with average 16 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. gambelii . Galls mature in autumn, first adults emerge in October–November.

Distribution. USA: Colorado.