Atrusca bulbulus ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca bulbulus ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 117–122 View FIGURE 117 View FIGURES 118–122

Cynips View in CoL ( bulboides ) bulbulus Kinsey, 1936: 153 , female, gall,

Atrusca bulbulus (Kinsey) : Weld 1952: 313.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips View in CoL ( bulboides ) bulbulus “Pedernales 2E Chi 7500’, Mex. Gall 10.23.31, 4 fms. 2.5.32”, “Q. chihuahuens, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Cynips bulbulus , Holo- Paratype ”. HOLOTYPEs are deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca bulbulus 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. bulboides . Atrusca bulbulus can be differentiated from A. bulboides by the rounded head and the broadened gena behind the compound eyes in frontal view, while in A. bulboides the head is transversely quadrangular and the genae are not broadened behind the compound eye in frontal view.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 118–121 View FIGURES 118–122 ). The species description is combined from Kinsey (1936: 153) and our observations of the type photos.

Body, antenna, legs dark brown to reddish brown, with entirely or partially black mesosoma laterally, scutellum and propodeum black, mesoscutum with black stripes along anterior parallel and parapsidal lines black.

Head rounded in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, 1.2× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view. Gena alutaceous, broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, with few and short striae radiating from clypeus; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.5× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel. POL 2.5× as long as OOL; OOL as long as diameter of lateral ocellus; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.2× as long as height of eye and 1.5× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.5× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 0.8× as long as 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, coriaceous, rectangular, broader than high, with 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 rugose, without striae, with short setae. Small rounded impressed area below central ocellus smooth, shining. Vertex and occiput coriaceous to reticulate, with sparse white setae, postocciput smooth, shining. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, all with dense whitish setae, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 1.5× as long as scape+pedicel and slightly longer than F2; F2 1.1× as long as F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, F5 slightly longer than F6, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter.

Mesosoma 1.1× as long as high, with sparse short white setae and humped in lateral view. Pronotum with some rugae laterally, with sparse setae. Mesoscutum uniformly alutaceous to coriaceous, with sparse white setae with conspicuous 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 line impressed, extending to half length of mesoscutum, parapsidal lines visible, indicated by a alutaceous darker stripe; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum uniformly dull rugose, ovate, only slightly longer than broad, posteriorly rounded, without shallow invagination posterocentrally; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae transverse, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom, separated by broad elevated rugose central area. Circumscutellar carina complete. Mesopleuron smooth, coriaceous anteriorly, speculum smooth, shining, with scattered setae; mesopleural triangle delicately rugose, shining, with some setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, shining, with a few white short setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, most posterior part slightly shorter than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at half height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

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

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending 4/5 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 10.0× as long as broad in ventral view, with long setae ventrally extending beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.6–3.6 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 117 View FIGURE 117 ). A bulboid gall as described for other species of the complex. Mature galls rosy or yellow brown, not noticeably puberulent except on younger galls, usually unspotted but sometimes well marked with purple, up to 23 mm, in average 17 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. chihuahuensis .

Distribution. Mexico: Chihuahua.