Atrusca sierrae ( Kinsey, 1936 )

Atrusca sierrae ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 461–474 View FIGURES 461–466 View FIGURES 467–470 View FIGURES 471–474

Cynips View in CoL ( aggregata ) sierrae Kinsey, 1936: 166 , female, gall.

Atrusca sierrae (Kinsey) : Weld 1952: 315.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips View in CoL ( aggregata ) sierrae “Patos 15N Dgo 8000’, Mex. Gall 11.11.31, 6 fms. 2.22.32”, “ Q. sacame, Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red “ Cynips sierrae , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Three PARATYPE females “Patos, 15W, Dgo 8000’, Mex., galls 1.11.31, 8 females 11.18.31.”, “ Q. sacame Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red label “ Cynips sierrae Paratype ”; one female “Otinapa, 15W, Dgo 8000’, Mex., galls 11.11.31, 36 females 2.10.32.”, “ Q. sacame Kinsey View in CoL coll.”, red label “ Cynips sierrae Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca sierrae belongs to the couplet characterized by a brown to black body color, with conspicuous dark stripes in the mesoscutum, the absence of piliferous points in the mesoscutum or very indistinct at least in the posterior area between notauli, 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 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. bulbacea . Atrusca sierrae differs from A. bulbacea by the rugose mesoscutum in the anterior half, and smooth to alutaceous in the posterior half, the alutaceous mesopleuron along the anterior edge and the rest is smooth, and the entirely smooth speculum, while in A. bulbacea the mesoscutum, the mesopleuron and the speculum are uniformly alutaceous.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 461–473 View FIGURES 461–466 View FIGURES 467–470 View FIGURES 471–474 ). Mesosoma dark brown, head, antenna, legs slightly lighter; palpi yellow; mesosoma reddish brown, mesoscutum with black stripes along anterior parallel and parapsidal lines; second metasomal tergum with black stripe posteriorly.

Head triangular in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, denser on frons, 1.2× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.0× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space coriaceous, without striae radiating from clypeus; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.8× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.7× as long as OOL; OOL 1.4× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.4× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.2× as long as height of eye and 1.7× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.9× 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 elevated above head in frontal view. Clypeus impressed, uniformly coriaceous to rugose, rectangular, broader than high, with few long setae; ventrally rounded, emarginate, with shallow 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 as long as length of body, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel broader than long, F1 1.5× as long as scape+pedicel and slightly longer than F2; F2 1.3× as long as F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter, F12 slightly longer than F11; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum rugose, shining, with net of irregular rugae laterally; propleuron smooth, shining. Mesoscutum delicately rugose in anterior half, smooth to alutaceous in posterior half, with sparse white setae, denser anteriorly, with some inconspicuous 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 delicately impressed, extending to nearly half length of mesoscutum, with darker stripes; parapsidal line indistinct, hardly traceable, indicated by smooth darker stripe surface; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum uniformly dull rugose, rounded, nearly as broad as long, posteriorly rounded, without visible invagination posterocentrally; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae transverse, broader than high, with smooth, glabrous, with irregular rugae; separated by broad elevated rugose central triangular area. Circumscutellar carinae complete. Mesopleuron along anterior edge alutaceous, rest smooth, shining, speculum smooth, shining; mesopleural triangle shining, with some irregular rugae and few setae; dorsal axillar and lateral axillar areas smooth, with some rugae and few setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, most posterior part as high as height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at mid height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum rugose, with parallel, rugae orientated dorsoventrally, slightly shorter than height of smooth, shining ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, without setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, without rugae; lateral propodeal carinae bent outwards in posterior 1/3; lateral propodeal area smooth, shining, with long white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Brachypterous, fore wing slightly longer than body, shorter than normal size, margin with long dense cilia, with numerous 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, Rs+M inconspicuous, hardly traceable along entire length, reaching basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma shorter 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 11.5× as long as broad in ventral view, with setae extending beyond apex of spine.

Body length 3.2–5.5 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 474 View FIGURES 471–474 ). The gall is up to 32 mm, in avergae 28 mm in diameter, with a slender, sharply-pointed pedicel at base, pinkish rose to brownish tan and darker brown, obscurely mottled with purple, sometimes with bluish puberulance, singly or more often in large clusters; galls inserted in cracks in the bark of young twigs.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q.arizonica (= Q.sacame ), Q. chihuahuensis . Mature galls in November; adults emerge from November, mainly in January–February and till April.

Distribution. Mexico: Durango.