Atrusca bella ( Bassett, 1881 )

Cuesta-Porta, Victor, Melika, George, Ferrer-Suay, Mar, Vera-Ortiz, Alexis & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2025, Review of the Nearctic and Neotropical genus Atrusca Kinsey, 1930 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini), Zootaxa 5617 (1), pp. 1-195 : 24-31

Atrusca bella ( Bassett, 1881)

Figs 47–74

Cynips bella Bassett, 1881: 93 , female, gall.

Dryophanta bella : Mayr 1881: 36.

Andricus bella : Ashmead 1887: 127.

Holcaspis macullipennis Gillette, 1894: 236 , female, gall. Synonym in Weld 1926: 18. Disholcaspis bella (Bassett) : Dalla Torre & Kieffer 1910: 356.

Disholcaspis macullipennis : Dalla Torre & Kieffer 1910: 375.

Cynips macullipennis : Felt 1918: 100.

Diplolepis bella : Weld 1926: 18.

Cynips (Atrusca) bella Bassett : Kinsey 1930: 285, female, gall.

Cynips bella variety bella Bassett : Kinsey 1930: 289.

Cynips bella variety vanescens Kinsey 1930: 292 , female, gall, syn. nov.

Cynips (Atrusca) ( bella ) vanescens Kinsey 1936: 326 .

Atrusca bella (Bassett) : Weld 1951: 637.

Atrusca vanescens (Kinsey) : Weld 1951: 638.

Types examined. The type of Cynips bella is deposited in the Entomology Type Collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia: “Type number: 10442. Cynips bella Bassett, 1811 , female, Arizona ”. The type was not examined by the authors. Data on type available at http://clade.ansp.org/entomology/detail.php?id=6344 &return=%2Fentomology%2Fsearch.php%3Ffam%3D%26aut%3D%26cou%3D%26submitbut%3DSearch% 26g en%3DCynips%26spe%3Dbella%26ssp%3D%26aut%3DBassett. Cynips vanescens : HOLOTYPE female Cynips bella var. vanescens “Globe, Az. Gall 1.20.20”, “ Q. grisea, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Cynips vanescens , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. One PARATYPE females “Zion Par, Ut., galls 9.8.29”, “ Q. turbinella Kinsey coll.” red label “ Cynips vanescens Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Material examined. 17 females “ USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mnts. western side, ex Q. arizonica, AZ 8, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.25 ” ; 2 females “ USA, Arizona, Molino Basin campground, Santa Catalina Mnts. , ex Q. oblongifolia, AZ 2, AZ3, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.28 ” ; 3 females “ USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mnts. summit, ex Q. arizonica, AZ 5, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.26 ” ; 1 female “ USA, Arizona, Sonoita , ex Q. arizonica, AZ 7, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.26 ” ; 11 females “ USA, Arizona, 5 km N of Payson , ex Q. turbinella, AZ 11, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.29 ” ; 26 females “ USA, Arizona, 25miles S of Flagstaff on I17, ex Q. turbinella, AZ 9, AZ10, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.31 ” ; 2 females “ USA, Arizona, Sedona , ex Q. turbinella, AZ 1, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.29 ”. Two non-paratype females “Prescott, Ariz, female 11.27.35, gall 11.15.35”, “ Q. gambelii E.R Leach coll.”, “ Cynips vanescens Kinsey det. 35” .

Diagnosis. Atrusca bella belongs to the couplet characterized by reddish-brown body coloration with prominent dark brown to black areas in the mesonotum, the head is ovate in frontal view, equally broad or broader than the mesosoma, the fore wings mostly of normal size (1.21–1.40× as long as body length), with complete venation, the Rs vein of the radial cell strongly curved distally, the radial cell 1.8–2.1× longer than broad, and always displaying a dark spot; the mesoscutum lacking piliferous points except for occasional few piliferous points along anterior parallel lines, the absence of the median mesoscutal line, the mesoscutellum that is coriaceous, sometimes with some lateral rugae, as in A. dumosae . Atrusca bella can be distinguished from A. dumosae by the laterally smooth to alutaceous pronotum; the smooth and shining mesopleuron, while the speculum is smooth to weakly alutaceous; the mesoscutellar foveae displayed as a form of transverse impression, the lateral propodeal carinae complete but weak, the carinae are sometimes inconspicuously subparallel or bent outwards at mid height of the propodeum; the central propodeal area exhibits delicate subparallel longitudinal rugae following the lateral propodeal carina in the posterior part; and the Rs vein is uniformly curved, while in A. dumosae the lateral part of the pronotum is delicately coriaceous, the mesopleuron and the speculum are uniformly delicately coriaceous; the mesoscutellar foveae are separated by a medial elevated area; the lateral propodeal carinae are complete, lyre-shaped, bent outwards at midheight of propodeum; the central propodeal area is smooth, without rugae; and the Rs is strongly curved on distal part.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 47–59 , 61–73 ). Head reddish brown, central part of frons, lower face black, posteriorly black; antenna reddish brown with slightly lighter scape and pedicel; pronotum reddish brown, propleuron ligth brown, mesoscutum reddish brown with black stripes along parapsidal lines and in between notauli in anterior 1/2–2/3; mesoscutellar impression black, mesosoma laterally dark brown to black; legs uniformly reddish brown; metasoma reddish brown, sometimes second metasomal tergum darker.

Head ovate in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, 1.1–1.3× as broad as high and as broad as mesosoma in frontal view, 2.1–2.1× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, nor or very slightly broadened behind eye in frontal view, narrower than transverse diameter of eye in lateral view. Malar space alutaceous, glabrous, with delicate striae radiating from clypeus and nearly reaching eye; malar sulcus absent; eye 2.0–2.1× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes parallel or very slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.7–1.8× as long as OOL; OOL 2.0–2.1× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.4× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.4× as long as height of eye and 1.7× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus equal or slightly longer to distance between them, distance between torulus and eye slightly longer than diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, along sides, delicately rugose below toruli, with white setae, without striae; slightly elevated median area delicately rugose, with few setae. Interocellar area elevated above head in frontal view. Clypeus impressed, uniformly delicately coriaceous, rectangular, broader than high, with 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 delicately coriaceous, without striae, with few short setae. Vertex, occiput delicately coriaceous-reticulate, with setae; postocciput and postgena alutaceous-reticulate, with sparse white setae, shining; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, area below impressed; occipital foramen slightly higher than height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into strong, broad postgenal sulci which bent outwards towards occipital foramen, postgenal bridge dorsally broader than width of occipital foramen. Postoccipital carina strong.Antenna longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel 1.2× as long as broad, F1 1.3× as long as scape+pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2; F2 1.2× as long as F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, F4 slightly longer than F5, F6 slightly longer than F7, subsequent flagellomeres shorter, nearly equal in length, F12 slightly longer than F11; placodeal sensilla on F4–F12.

Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high, with dense short white setae. Pronotum laterally smooth to alutaceous, with dense setae; propleuron alutaceous, shining, with dense setae. Mesoscutum uniformly alutaceous-reticulate, with dense white setae, without piliferous points; slightly longer than broad (greatest width measured across mesoscutum at level of base of tegulae). Notaulus complete, deep, broad, smooth, shining, posteriorly broader and slightly converging; anterior parallel lines impressed, extending to half length of mesoscutum length, smooth, shining, parapsidal lines alutaceous, indicated by stripes without setae; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum uniformly delicately coriaceous, nearly rounded, slightly broader in posterior 1/3, posteriorly rounded, without posterocentral invagination; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae in a form of transverse impression, smooth, shining, with strong irregular rugae. Circumscutellar carina complete, sometimes obscured by pilosity. Mesopleuron smooth, shining, with dense setae, speculum smooth to weak alutaceous; mesopleural triangle coriaceous, with dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas coriaceous, shining, with dense setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, most posterior part slightly higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron at mid height, upper part of sulcus indistinct. Metascutellum coriaceous, slightly higher than height of smooth, shining ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, with sparse setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, with delicate subparallel longitudinal rugae along lateral propodeal carina in posterior part; lateral propodeal carinae carinae weak, complete, sometimes inconspicuous subparallel or bent outwards at mid height of propodeum; lateral propodeal area coriaceous to rugose, shining, with piliferous points and dense white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, hyaline, margin with long dense cilia, multiple darker spots all over the wing, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 2.1× as long as broad; second abscissa of Rs homogenously curved distally with a spot; R1 and Rs nearly reaching wing margin; areolet triangular, indistinct, Rs+M inconspicuous, traceable along entire length, reaching basalis in lower half of its height.

Metasoma as long as head+mesosoma, higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extending extending to 2/3 of metasoma length in dorsal view, with dense white setae anterolaterally, without band of micropunctures posteriorly; subsequent terga without micropunctures. Hypopygium without micropunctures, prominent part of ventral spine of hypopygium 2.0–2.2× as long as broad in ventral view, with setae extending beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.0– 3.8 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Figs 60 , 74 ). Large spherical galls on the underside of leaves, with a suspended inner cell, to 3.0 cm in diameter, yellow with red speckles when young, uniformly red-brown when mature.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known. Leaf galls on Q. arizonica , Q. grisea , Q. oblongifolia , Q. rugosa (= Q. reticulata ), Q. toumeyi , Q. turbinella . Galls mature in late autumn; adults emerge from January next year.

Distribution. USA: CO, AZ, NM.

Figures

FIGURES 47–52. Atrusca bella (Bassett, 1881), asexual female. 47–50, head: 47, frontal view, 48, dorsal view, 49, lateral view, 50, posterior view. 51, antenna. 52, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 53–56. Atrusca bella (Bassett, 1881), asexual female. 53, mesosoma, lateral view. 54, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 55, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 56, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 57–60. Atrusca bella (Bassett, 1881). 57–59, asexual female: 57, fore wing, 58, metasoma, lateral view. 59, ventral spine of hypopygium, ventral view, part. 60, galls.

FIGURES 61–66. Atrusca vanescens (Kinsey, 1930), asexual female, syn. nov. of A. bella. 61–64, head: 61, frontal view, 62, dorsal view, 63, lateral view, 64, posterior view. 65, antenna. 66, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 67–70. Atrusca vanescens (Kinsey, 1930), asexual female, syn. nov. of A. bella. 67, mesosoma, lateral view. 68, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 69, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 70, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 71–74. Atrusca vanescens (Kinsey, 1930), syn. nov. of A. bella. 71–73, asexual female: 71, fore wing, part. 72–73, metasoma: 72, lateral view, 73, ventral view. 74, galls.