Atrusca bulboides ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca bulboides ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 103–116 View FIGURES 103–108 View FIGURES 109–112 View FIGURES 113–116

Cynips View in CoL ( bulboides ) bulboides Kinsey, 1936: 149 , female, gall.

Atrusca bulboides (Kinsey) : Weld 1952: 313.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips bulboides ( bulboides ) “ Inde 20E Dgo 6300’, Mex. Gall 11.1.31, 192 fms. 3.6.32”, “Q. chihuahuens, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Cynips bulboides , Holo- Paratype ”. HOLOTYPE in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Seven PARATYPE females “ Inde 20E, Dgo 6300’, Mex., gall 11.1.31, females 3.6.32”, “ Q. chihuahuensis Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red label “ Cynips bulboides . Paratype ”; two PARATYPE females “Pedernales 2E, Chi 7500’, Mex., galls 10.23.31, females 2.5.32.”, Q. chihuahuensisi Kinsey coll.”, red label “ Cynips bulboides Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca bulboides belongs to the couplet characterized by a dark brown to black body color, with extensive black areas on the whole body, with a complete fore wing venation, the Rs vein of radial cell being strongly curved distally, never almost straight, the cubital cell of the fore wings exhibiting a row of dark spots parallel to the Rs vein, the presence of distinct piliferous points in the mesoscutum, the entirely rugose mesoscutellum usually with a posterocentral invagination, the mesopleuron and speculum sculptured to some degree, with or without piliferous points, and a ventral spine of the hypopygium long and setose, 7.7–11.3× as long as wide with setae extending beyond the apex of the spine, as in A. bulbulus . Atrusca bulboides can be differentiated from A. bulbulus by the rounded head and the broadened gena behind the compound eyes in frontal view, while in A. bulbulus the head is transversely quadrangular and the genae are not broadened behind the compound eye in frontal view.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 103–115 View FIGURES 103–108 View FIGURES 109–112 View FIGURES 113–116 ). Head dark brown, with black central part of lower face, posterioly black, antenna dark brown; mesosoma laterally predominantly black, mesoscutum dark brown, black between notauli in anterior 2/3, along parapsidal lines; mesoscutellum and propodeum black, legs dark brown; metasoma dark brown, 2nd metasomal tergum dark brown with black posterior band.

Head transversally quadrangular in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, 1.3× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.0× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, not broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, without striae; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.6× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.7× as long as OOL; OOL 1.7× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.5× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.1× as long as height of eye and 1.4× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.8× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye equal to diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous along eyes, dull rugose centrally, under toruli, with few setae; slightly elevated median area rugose, shining, without setae. Interocellar area elevated above head in frontal view, lateral ocelli prominent. Clypeus impressed, uniformly coriaceous to rugose, rectangular, broader than high, with few long setae; ventrally rounded, emarginate, with weak median incision; anterior tentorial pit large, rounded, epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal line broad, well impressed. Frons and interocellar area rugose, without striae, with short setae. Small rounded impressed area below central ocellus smooth, shining. Vertex, occiput, postgena alutaceous-reticulate, with sparse white setae, postocciput smooth, shining; 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 run parallel ventrally, bent outwards towards occipital foramen, postgenal bridge dorsally broader than width of occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel 1.6× as long as broad, F1 1.2× as long as scape+pedicel and 1.1× as long as F2; F2 1.2× as long as F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, F4=F5, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with dense white setae. Pronotum rugose in dorsal half and along posterior edge, smooth, shining centrally, with setae; propleuron smooth, shining, with dense setae. Mesoscutum alutaceous-reticulate, with piliferous points and dense setae; 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 smooth darker stripes; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum uniformly dull rugose, elongated, longer than broad, with subparallel sides, posteriorly rounded, very slightly invaginated posterocentrally; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae transverse, broader than high, smooth, shining, with some short rugae, separated by broad elevated rugose central area. Circumscutellar carina complete but obscured by pilosity. Mesopleuron delicately coriaceous in dorsal half, smooth, shining in ventral half, with some setae, speculum smooth, shining; mesopleural triangle coriaceous, with some irregular rugae, shining, with dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas alutaceous, shining, with dense setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, most posterior part elongated, 2.5× as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron above mid height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum coriaceous, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, without setae; central propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with some delicate subparallel longitudinal rugae posteriorly; lateral propodeal carinae bent outwards in posterior1/3; lateral propodeal area alutaceous, shining, with sparse setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, uniformly infuscated, margin with long dense cilia, with few slightly darker spots and stripes, in cubital cell forming a row parallel to Rs, 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, Rs+M inconspicuous, traceable along entire length, reaching basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending 2/3 metasoma length of in dorsal view, with white setae anterolaterally, without band of micropunctures posteriorly; subsequent terga without micropunctures, without setae. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 8.1× as long as broad in ventral view, with setae ventrally extending beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.2–4.0 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 116 View FIGURES 113–116 ). The gall is bulboid as described for the bulboides complex. Mature galls dark rosy brown, usually unspotted, younger galls more often spotted, and only very few galls are conspicuously spotted with purple, up to 23 mm, in average 15 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known ti induce leaf galls on Q. arizonica (= Q. sacame ), Q. chihuahuensis , Q. depressipes , Q. oblongifolia , Q. rugosa (= Q. durangensis , = Q. reticulata ), Q. striatula , Q. undata . Galls mature in late autumn; adults emerge in January–February next year.

Distribution. Mexico: Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas.