Atrusca bulla ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca bulla ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 123–136 View FIGURES 123–128 View FIGURES 129–132 View FIGURES 133–136

Cynips View in CoL ( bulboides ) bulla Kinsey, 1936: 154 , female, gall,

Atrusca bulla (Kinsey) : Weld, 1952: 314

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips View in CoL ( bulboides ) bulla “ Queretaro 28N Qro 7300’, Mex. Gall 1.17.32, 1 fm. 1932”, “Q. chihuahuens, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Cynips bulla , Holo- Paratype ”. Cynips View in CoL ( bulboides ) bulla : one PARATYPE female “San Felipe 20SN, Gto 8000’, Mex. galls 12.7.30. 2 females 2.10.32.”, “ Q. macrophylla Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, “ Cynips bulla Kinsey det. 34”; 1 female “Leon 20NE, Gto 9000’, Mex. galls 12.8.31, female, spring ‘32”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca bulla belongs to the couplet characterized by a reddish brown to black body color, with conspicuous black stripes in parts of the mesoscutum and mesopleuron, with a complete and conspicuous fore wing venation, the Rs vein of radial cell being strongly curved distally, never almost straight, the cubital cell of the fore wings lacking 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. aggregata . Atrusca bulla differs from A. aggregata by the presence of the median mesoscutal line, the posterior margin of the mesoscutellum mostly rounded, with a small medina invagination, and all metasomal terga lacking micropunctures, while in A. aggregata the mesoscutum lacks the median mesoscutal line, the mesoscutellum is bilobate due to the deep central invagination in the posterior margin, and the second metasomal terga exhibits a posterior band of micropunctures, and the subsequent terga display finer micropunctures.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 123–135 View FIGURES 123–128 View FIGURES 129–132 View FIGURES 133–136 ). Body, antenna, legs brown to reddish brown, with partially black mesopleuron; mesoscutum with black stripes along anterior parallel and parapsidal lines black.

Head more or less quadrangular in frontal view, coriaceous, with sparse white setae, 1.2× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.1× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena coroaceous, not broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, without striae radiating from clypeus; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.6× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.9× as long as OOL; OOL 1.4× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and as long as LOL; 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 1.3× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 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, with setae. Interocellar area slightly elevated above head in frontal view, lateral ocelli prominent. Clypeus impressed, smooth to alutaceous, 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 reticulate, postgena alutaceous, with sparse white setae, postocciput smooth, shining; 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 ventrally, bent outwards towards occipital foramen, postgenal bridge dorsally broader than width of occipital foramen. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, all with dense whitish setae, pedicel as long as broad, F1 1.6× as long as scape+pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2; F2 subequal in length to F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, F5 slightly longer than F6, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum with rugae laterally, with sparse setae; propleuron alutaceous, shining. Mesoscutum alutaceous to coroaceous, with sparse white setae, denser in anterior half with dense piliferous points; as long as 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 slightly impressed, extending to half length of mesoscutum, parapsidal lines indistinct, hardly traceable, indicated by smooth darker stripe; median mesoscutal line unconspicous, visible as a short triangleposteruiorly; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum rugose, except coarsely coriaceous central part of the disc, ovate, only slightly longer than broad, posteriorly rounded with invagination posterocentrally; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae transverse, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom, separated by broad elevated rugose central area. Circumscutellar carina complete but obscured by sculpture and pilosity. Mesopleuron alutaceous anteriorly with piliferous points and speculum smooth with scattered setae without piliferous points; 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 a little above half height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum coriaceous, as high as height of smooth, shining ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, with few setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, without rugae; lateral propodeal carinae only slightly bented outwards in posterior 1/3; lateral propodeal area smooth, shining, with long dense white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally and dorsally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing only slightly longer than body, uniformly infuscated, margin with long dense cilia, with few slightly darker spots and stripes, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 1.9× 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 3/4 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 2.8–4.0 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 136 View FIGURES 133–136 ). A bulboid gall as described for other species of the complex. Mature galls peculiarly dark rosy or dark yellow brown, not noticeably puberulent excep on younger galls, unspotted or only obscurely spotted, up to 25 mm, in average 18 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. chihuahuensis , Q. magnoliifolia (= Q. macrophyla ), Q. rugosa (= Q. reticulata ) and Q. undata .

Distribution. Mexico: Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro.