Atrusca simulatrix ( Kinsey, 1930 )

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 : 145-149

Atrusca simulatrix ( Kinsey, 1930)

Figs 475–488

Cynips dugesi variety simulatrix Kinsey 1930: 280 , female, gall.

Cynips ( dugesi ) simulatrix Kinsey 1936: 131 , female, gall.

Atrusca simulatrix (Kinsey) : Weld 1951: 638.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips simulatrix var. dugesi “ Hillsboro N.M. Gall 12.26.19”, “ Q. grisea, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Cynips simulatrix , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Ten PARATYPES deposited in the general collection in AMNH were also examined by GM .

Material examined. Four 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 ” ; 20 females “ USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mnts. western side, ex Q. arizonica, AZ 8, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls, 2007.10.25 ” ; 1 female “ USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mnts. summit, ex Q. arizonica, AZ 5, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.26 ” ; 20 females “ USA, Arizona, Sonoita , ex Q. arizonica, AZ 7, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.27 ” ; 5 females “ USA, Arizona, 5 km N of Payson , ex Q. turbinella, AZ 11, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.29 ” ; 14 females “ USA, Arizona, 25 miles S of Flagstaff on I17, ex Q. turbinella, AZ 9, AZ10, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.31 ” ; 1 female “ USA, Arizona, Sedona , ex Q. turbinella, AZ 1, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.29 ” .

Diagnosis. Atrusca simulatrix belongs to the couplet characterized by a dark brown to black body color, with conspicuous black stripes on the mesoscutum, with a complete fore wing venation, the Rs vein of radial cell angulaed, never almost straight, the rugose or transversally striate pronotum, the mesoscutum entirely covered in piliferous points, the rugose mesoscutellum, usually with a posterocentral invagination, the smooth mesoscutellar foveae, the sculptured mesopleuron at least on some areas, with or without piliferous points, the completely smooth speculum, and a ventral spine of the hypopygium setose and relatively short, 2.5–4.5× as long as wide, as in A. deceptrix . Atrusca simulatrix differs from A. deceptrix by having a densely pubescent, the extensive black areas including the lower face, the rugose pronotum with short irregular rugae posterolaterally, and the Rs vein more prominently arcuate distally, while in A. deceptrix the body is scarcely pubescent, with the black areas of the body are reduced to the stripes on the mesonotum, the lateral sides of the pronotum exhibit transverse parallel striae on the posterior margin, and the Rs vein of radial cell is uniformly arcuate throughout its length.

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 475–487 ). Head reddish brown, central part of frons, lower face black, posteriorly black; antenna uniformly reddish brown; mandibles dark reddish brown, palpi maxilaris and labialis light brown; pronotum reddish brown, propleuron dark brown, mesoscutum reddish brown with black stripes along parapsidal lines and in between notauli in anterior 1/2–2/3; mesoscutellar anterior impression black, mesosoma laterally and propodeum dark brown to black; legs uniformly dark brown; second metasomal tergum reddish brown, black in posterior 1/3, third metasomal tergum black, subsequent terga and hypopygium reddish brown.

Head triangular in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, denser on lower face and frons, 1.3× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 2.3× as broad as long in dorsal view. Gena alutaceous, 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 2.3× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.6× as long as OOL; OOL 2.0× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.5× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.3× as long as height of eye and 1.6× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.35× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye slightly longer than 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, 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, 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 slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel as long as broad, flagellomeres slightly broadened till apex, F1 equal to length of scape+pedicel and 1.2× as long as F2; F2 1.1× as long as F3; F3 slightly longer than F4, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter, nearly equal in length, F12 1.8× as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F3–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum rugose, with short irregular rugae posteriorly, with dense long setae; propleuron along sides alutaceous, smooth, shining centrally. Mesoscutum alutaceous-reticulate aside notauli and between notauli in posterior 2/3, rugose between notauli in anterior 1/3, with dense setae and distinct piliferous points, especially between notauli in posterior 1/3; 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 and parapsidal lines indistinct, hardly traceable, indicated by smooth black stripes; median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum uniformly rugose, slightly longer than broad, posteriorly rounded, with shallow invagination posterocentrally; overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae, transverse, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom, without rugae, separated by elevated narrow, rugose, triangular area. Circumscutellar carina complete. Mesopleuron alutaceous along anterior 1/4 of mesopleuron width, rest of mesopleuron and speculum smooth, shining, with setae; mesopleural triangle smooth, shining, without striae, with dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas smooth, shining, with dense setae; subaxillular bar smooth, glabrous, most posterior part higher than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron above mid height, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum rugose, slightly higher than height of smooth, glabrous ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, with sparse setae; central propodeal area smooth, shining, with numerous irregular short rugae; lateral propodeal carinae gradually bent outwards; lateral propodeal area smooth, shining, with long dense white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, smooth, shining dorsocentrally. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing longer than body, uniformly infuscated, margin with long dense cilia, with few slightly darker spots and stripes, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 1.8× 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, higher than long 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 3.2× as long as broad in ventral view, with setae extending beyond apex of spine.

Body length 2.5–3.5 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 488 ). The gall is similar to all galls of Kinsey’s bella and dugesi complexes; impossible to distingusih from othe galls of the complex. Mature galls globular, rosy or brownish tan, unspotted, dull or shining, up to 27 mm, averaging 20 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls on Q. arizonica , Q. gambelii , Q. grisea , Q. oblongifolia , Q. sinuata (= Q. undulata ). Galls mature in late autumn; adults emerge in Janury–February next year.

Distribution. USA: AZ, NM.

Figures

FIGURES 475–480. Atrusca simulatrix (Kinsey, 1930), asexual female. 475–478, head: 475, frontal view, 476, dorsal view, 477, lateral view, 478, posterior view. 479, antenna. 480, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 481–484. Atrusca simulatrix (Kinsey, 1930), asexual female. 481, mesosoma, lateral view. 482, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 483, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 484, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 485–488. Atrusca simulatrix (Kinsey, 1930). 485–487, asexual female: 485, fore wing. 486–487, metasoma: 486, lateral view, 487, ventral view. 488, galls.