Atrusca conexa ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca conexa ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 186–199 View FIGURES 186–191 View FIGURES 192–195 View FIGURES 196–199

Cynips View in CoL ( dugesi ) conexa Kinsey, 1936: 105 , female, gall.

Atrusca conexa (Kinsey) : Weld 1952: 314.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips View in CoL ( dugesi ) conexa “Taxco 8NE Gro 8000’, Mex. Gall 1.7.32, 61 fms. 4.2.32”, “ Q. nudinervis, Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red “ Cynips conexa , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Five PARATYPE females “Taxco 8E, Gro 8000’, Mex., galls 1.7.32, 61 females to 4.2.32”, “ Q. nudinervis Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red label “ Cynips conexa Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca conexa belongs to the species group characterized by a reddish to reddish-brown body color, without dark areas on the mesoscutum, sometimes with reddish areas a few shades darker than the rest of mesoscutum but never black, the last flagellomeres being subquadrate or slightly longer than broad, exhibiting fore wings with a complete and conspicuous venation, the Rs vein of radial cell being strongly curved distally, never almost straight, the entirely rugose mesoscutellum, the mesopleuron and speculum completely smooth and lacking piliferous points, and the ventral spine of the hypopygium relatively short, 2.8–4.0× longer than broad, as in A. catena , and A. lucaris . Atrusca conexa can be distinguished from A. catena , and A. lucaris by small and almost nonprominent lateral ocelli in frontal view, the strongly divergent inner margin of the eyes towards the ventral end, the diameter of the lateral ocelli equal to the OOL, and the Rs vein arcuate-angulate, while in A. catena , and A. lucaris the ocelli are big and prominent in frontal view, the inner margin of eyes are parallel or slightly ventrally divergent, the OOL is 2.0× longer than the diameter of the lateral ocelli, and the Rs vein is more gradually curved.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 186–198 View FIGURES 186–191 View FIGURES 192–195 View FIGURES 196–199 ). Body uniformly reddish brown, except a posterior black band on the second metasomal tergum; palpi yellowish; 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 narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 1.9× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, not or slightly broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous-reticulate, without striae; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.5× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes diverging ventrally. POL 2.1× as long as OOL; OOL equal to diameter of lateral ocellus and equal 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 1.25× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye equal to diameter of torulus; l ower face alutaceous, shining, with dense white setae, without striae; slightly elevated median area coriaceous, with few setae. Interocellar area elevated above head in frontal view. Clypeus impressed, uniformly delicately coriaceous, trapezoid, 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.Vertex, occiput uniformly alutaceous-reticulate, postocciput, postgena smooth, shining with sparse white setae; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, area below impressed; occipital foramen slightly higher than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci which bent outwards anteriorly, postgenal bridge anteriorly broader than width of occipital foramen.Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 1.1× as long as scape+pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2; F2 1.1× as long as F3; F3 1.2× as long as F4, F4 slightly longer than F5, F6=F7, F8 slightly shorter than F7, subsequent flagellomeres shorter, nearly equal in length, F12 1.3× as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F4–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with setae. Pronotum rugose, with net of irregular rugae laterally; propleuron smooth to alutaceous, shining. Mesoscutum uniformly alutaceous, with sparse white setae with piliferous 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 absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum trapezoid, broader in posterior 1/3, slightly longer than broad, posteriorly rounded, with indistinct invagination in central part, uniformly rugose, with stronger rugae laterally and posteriorly, overhanging metanotum. Circumscutellar carina complete but obscured by sculpture and pilosity. Mesoscutellar foveae transverse, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom and few delicate rugae, separated by narrow elevated central carina. Mesopleuron and speculum uniformly smooth, shining, with a few sparse setae without piliferous points; mesopleural triangle smooth, shining, with dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas alutaceous, shining, with dense setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, most posterior part higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum delicately coriaceous, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, without setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, with some delicate irregular rugae; lateral propodeal carinae strongly bent outwards in posterior 1/3; lateral propodeal area smooth, shining, with long dense white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, dorsocentrally smooth, shining. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Brachypterous, fore wing slightly longer than body, uniformly infuscated, margin with long dense cilia, with few slightly darker spots and stripes, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 2.1× as long as broad; second abscissa of Rs strongly curved distally; R1 and Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, indistinct, Rs+M inconspicuous, traceable along entire length, reaching basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending 5/6 metasoma length of in dorsal view, with white setae anterolaterally, without micropunctures posteriorly; subsequent tergites without micropunctures, without setae. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 4.0× as long as broad in ventral view, with long setae ventrally which extend beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.4–3.5 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 199 View FIGURES 196–199 ). Similar to galls of bella and dugesi complexes. Mature galls in part light yellow, in part rosy or rosy brown, conspicuously marked with numerous, small purplish spots, sometimes with traces of a bluish puberulence, up to 18 mm, in average 13 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. magnoliifolia (= Q. nudinervis ). Galls mature in late autumn; adults emerge in April.

Distribution. Mexico: Guerrero.