Atrusca capronae ( Weld, 1930 )

Atrusca capronae ( Weld, 1930)

Figs 137–154 View FIGURES 137–142 View FIGURES 143–146 View FIGURES 147–150 View FIGURES 151–154

Diplolepis capronae Weld 1930: 29 , female, gall.

Cynips View in CoL ( dugesi ) capronae (Weld) : Kinsey 1936: 99, female, gall.

Atrusca capronae (Weld) : Weld 1951: 637.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female “ Camp Creek , Arizona ”, “ W.W. Capron coll.”, red label “Type No. 42884 U.S. N.M.”, “ Diplolepis capronae Weld ”, deposited in USNM, examined by GM.

Material examined. Three females “ USA, Arizona, Sedona, ex Q. turbinella , leg. J.A.Nicholls, 2007.10.29 ” ; one female “ USA, Arizona, Carefree , ex Q. turbinella , leg. J. R. Zimmerman, 1992.08.03; adult emerge 1992.08.13.” ; two females “ USA, Arizona, Bagdad , ex Q. turbinella , leg. J. R. Zimmerman, 1993.08.26; adult emerge 1993.09.05.”

Diagnosis. Atrusca capronae belongs to the species group characterized by a yellow-brown or reddish-brown body coloration, the fore wings mostly of normal size (1.21–1.40× as long as body length), with complete venation, the Rs vein of the radial cell strongly curved distally; the mesoscutum with prominent dark stripes, the mesoscutellum that is coriaceous, sometimes with some lateral rugae, as in A. cava , A. aspera , A. congesta , A. bella , and A. dumosae . Atrusca capronae differs from A. cava , A. aspera , A. congesta , A. bella , and A. dumosae by the yellow coloration of the head, the antennas, and the metasoma, the mesosoma is yellowish-brown with darker brown areas; a short median mesoscutal line, triangular, while the rest of the species in the group are entirely reddish brown with dark to black areas, and the median mesoscutal line is absent.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 137–149 View FIGURES 137–142 View FIGURES 143–146 View FIGURES 147–150 , 151–154 View FIGURES 151–154 ). Entire body, including antennae light yellowish to rusty brown; frontal head and mesosoma with darker brown areas; legs, palpi yellowish brown; mesoscutum with slightly darker stripes along anterior parallel and parapsidal lines.

Head ovate in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, 1.3× as broad as high and as broad as mesosoma in frontal view, 2.0× 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, without striae; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.4× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.6× as long as OOL; OOL 2.2× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.4× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.2× as long as height of eye and 1.4× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.5× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.1× as long as diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous-reticulate, with white setae, without striae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous-reticulate, shining, with few setae. Interocellar area slightly elevated above head in frontal view, lateral ocelli prominent. Clypeus delicately coriaceous, rectangular, broader than high, with a few long setae; ventrally rounded, emarginate, without median incision; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line broad, well impressed. Frons and interocellar area alutaceous-reticulate, without striae, with a few short setae.Area between toruli smooth, shining, area between torulus and eye alutaceous-reticulate. Vertex, occiput alutaceous-reticulate, with few setae; postocciput, postgena smooth, shining, with sparse white setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, area below impressed; occipital foramen higher than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci which run parallel towards occipital foramen, postgenal bridge anteriorly broader than occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel nearly as long as broad, F1 as long as scape+pedicel and 1.4× as long as F2; F2 1.2× as long as F3; F3=F4, F5=F6, F7=F8, subsequent flagellomeres till F11 shorter, nearly equal in length, F12 1.6× as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F2–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum delicately coriaceous with delicate short striae posteriorly; propleuron alutaceous along sides, smooth, shining in central part, with dense white setae. Mesoscutum uniformly alutaceous to smooth, with sparse long white setae and pilifeous points; slightly longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, deep, broad, with smooth, glabrous bottom, posteriorly broader and slightly converging; anterior parallel and parapsidal lines indistinct, hardly traceable, indicated by smoother surface; median mesoscutal line present, short, triangular; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum coriaceous sometimes with some weak lateral carinae, trapezoid, broader in posterior 1/4, posteriorly rounded, medially with indistinct shallow invagination; overhanging metanotum. Circumscutellar carina complete. Mesoscutellar foveae, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom, separated by a narrow elevated central carina, transverse. Mesopleuron alutaceous-reticulate in anterior 1/3, smooth, shining in the rest area, including speculum, with setae; mesopleural triangle smooth, shining, with dense white setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas delicately coriaceous, shining, with white short setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, short, triangular, most posterior part as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum coriaceous, with longitudinal delicate sulci, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, without setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, with few delicate rugae; lateral propodeal carinae faintly bent outwards at mid height of propodeum; lateral propodeal area smooth, shining, with long dense white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, hyaline, margin with dense cilia only on ventral side of wing, multiple slightly darker spots all over the wing, veins light 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 triangular, indistinct, Rs+M inconspicuous, hardly traceable along entire length, reaching basalis slightly below its mid height.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, slightly higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extends to 3/4 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with few white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures posteriorly; subsequent terga without micropunctures. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 4.6× as long as broad in ventral view, with a few short setae ventrally which extend beyond apex of spine.

Body length 3.0– 3.3 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 150 View FIGURES 147–150 ). Globular gall, 8.0 to 18.0 mm in diameter, attached to the midrib or a strong vein in under side of leaf; straw yellow with vertical purple streaks. The outer wall 0.5 mm thick and crinkly radiating fibers support a cwentral larval cell.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. turbinella . Galls mature in autumn; adults emerge in late autumn–winter the same year.

Distribution. USA: Arizona.