Atrusca spiculi ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca spiculi ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 503–515 View FIGURES 503–507 View FIGURES 508–511 View FIGURES 512–515

Cynips View in CoL ( dugesi ) spiculi Kinsey, 1936: 134 , female, gall.

Atrusca spiculi (Kinsey) : Weld 1952: 315.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips View in CoL ( dugesi ) spiculi “Mex (City) 25E D. F. 7000’, Mex. Gall 1.2.32, 30 fms. 3.10.32”, red “ Cynips spiculi , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Five PARATYPE females “Mex. (City) 25E, D.F. 7000’, Mex., galls 1.2.31, 50 females to 3.10.32.”, “ Q. texcocana Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red label “ Cynips spiculi Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca spiculi belongs to the couplet characterized by a brown to black body color, with dark stripes in the mesoscutum, the rugose lateral sides of the pronotum, 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 displaying a posterocentral invagination, the mesopleuron and the speculum are completely smooth, without piliferous points, and a setose ventral spine of the hypopygium, with setae extending beyond the apex of the spine, as in A. finitima . Atrusca spiculi can be distinguished from A. finitima by the inner margin of eyes ventrally diverging, F9–F10 subquadrate or slightly longer than broad; the lateral propodeal areas are coriaceous; and the ventral spine of hypopygium is shorter (7.2× as long as broad), while in A. finitima the inner margins of the eyes are parallel; F9–F10 are at least 2.0× as long as broad; the lateral propodeal areas are smooth; and the prominent part of the ventral spine of the hypopygium is very long (10.8× as long as broad in ventral view).

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 503–514 View FIGURES 503–507 View FIGURES 508–511 View FIGURES 512–515 ). Head, antenna brown, mesosoma dark brown to black, legs dark brown, mesoscutum with black stripes along anterior parallel and parapsidal lines; metasoma lighter, reddish brown, with black band posteriorly on second metasomal tergum.

Head ovate 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 delicately coriaceous, very slightly broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space delicately coriaceous, without striae; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.7× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 2.0× as long as OOL; OOL 2.1× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.4× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.3× as long as height of eye and 1.7× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.65× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye 1.2× 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 slightly elevated above head in frontal view. Clypeus impressed, uniformly delicately coriaceous, 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 dull rugose, with strong rugae, with few short setae. Vertex, occiput delicately coriaceous; 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 run towards occipital foramen, dorsally bent outwards, postgenal bridge smooth, shining, anteriorly broader than posteriorly and slightly broader than width of occipital foramen. Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel broader than long, F1 1.3× as long as scape+pedicel and 1.1× as long as F2; F2 1.2× as long as F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter, F12 1.8× as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F4–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum delicately rugose in dorsal half, with short delicate transversely orientated parallel striaealong posterior edge; centrally smooth, shining; propleuron alutaceous, shining, with setae. Mesoscutum uniformly delicately coriaceous, with piliferous points and sparse white setae; slightly longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, deep, broad, with smooth, shining 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, ovate, slightly longer than broad, with subparallel sides, posteriorly rounded, with shallow invagination posterocentrally, overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae smooth, shining, with some irregular short rugae, transverse, broader than high, separated by elevated rugose central area, not defined posteriorly. Circumscutellar carina complete but obscured by sculpture. Mesopleuron and speculum smooth, shining, with sparse setae without piliferous points; mesopleural triangle coriaceous, shining, with some short irregular striae and dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas delicately rugose, shining, with dense setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, short, triangular, most posterior part slightly shorter than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at mid height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum delicately rugose, as high as height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, with few setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, with some delicate short rugae anteriorly; lateral propodeal carinae bent outwards in posterior 1/3; lateral propodeal area coriaceous, shining, with dense setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing slightly longer than body, but shorter than the usual size, margin with long dense cilia, with 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, distinct, Rs+M inconspicuous, hardly traceable along entire length, reaching basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma slightly longer than head+mesosoma, slightly longer than high 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 7.2× as long as broad in ventral view, with setae extending beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.3–4.4 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 515 View FIGURES 512–515 ). The gall is similar to all galls of Kinsey’s bella and dugesi complexes. Mature galls rosy brown or darker, prominentlyx blusih with a puberulence, sometimes faintly, less often conspicuously spotted, mottled, or irregularly striped with purplish marks, smooth, shining, up to 25 mm, in average 20 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. deserticola (= Q. texcocana ), Q. rugosa (= Q. conglomerata , = Q. decipiens ). Galls mature in late autumn; adults start to emerge from December till January–March next year.

Distribution. Mexico: Mexico City, Puebla.