Atrusca spadix ( Kinsey, 1936 )

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 : 149-153

Atrusca spadix ( Kinsey, 1936)

Figs 489–502

Cynips ( dugesi ) spadix Kinsey, 1936: 132 , female, gall.

Atrusca spadix (Kinsey) : Weld 1952: 315.

Types examined. HOLOTYPE female Cynips ( dugesi ) spadix “Taxco 8NE Gro 8000’, Mex. Gall 1.7.32, 62 fms. 3.10.32”, “ Q. macrophylla, Kinsey coll.”, red “ Cynips spadix , Holo- Paratype ”, deposited in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM. Three PARATYPE females “Taxco, 8NE, Gro 8000’, Mex., gall 1.7.32, 62 female 3.10.32”, red label “ Cynips spadix Paratype ”, deposited in the general collection in AMNH, NYC, examined by GM.

Diagnosis. Atrusca spadix belongs to the species group characterized by a reddish brown body color, lacking dark stripes in the mesoscutum, exhibiting fore wings with a complete and conspicuous venation, the Rs vein of radial cell being arcuate, the entirely rugose mesoscutellum, the mesopleuron and speculum sculptured in varying proportions, exhibiting smooth areas, without any linear sculpture and with or without piliferous points, and the ventral spine of the hypopygium is setose, with setae extending beyond the apex of the spine, as in A. oriens , A. pupoides , and A. vasta . Atusca spadix can be differentiated from A. oriens , A. pupoides , and A. vasta by the OOL being shortly longer than the diameter of the lateral ocelli (1.2× longer than the diameter of the lateral ocelli), while in A. oriens , A. pupoides , and A. vasta the OOL is more than twice the diameter of the lateral ocelli (2.1–2.6× longer than the diameter of the lateral ocelli).

Re-description. Asexual female ( Figs 489–501 ). Head, antenna, palpi, mesosoma, legs, metasoma uniformly light reddish brown.

Head transversally quadrangular in frontal view, alutaceous, with sparse white setae, denser on lower face, 1.3× as broad as high and narrower than mesosoma in frontal view, 1.9× 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 2.6× as high as height of malar space. Inner margins of eyes slightly diverging ventrally. POL 1.7× as long as OOL; OOL 1.2× as long as diameter of lateral ocellus and 1.2× as long as LOL; all ocelli ovate, of same size. Transfacial distance 1.2× as long as height of eye and 1.4× as long as height of lower face; diameter of antennal torulus 1.5× as long as distance between them, distance between torulus and eye equal to diameter of torulus; lower face alutaceous, shining, with dense setae, without striae; slightly elevated median area alutaceous, shining, with dense setae. Dense setae along inner margins of eyes. Interocellar area elevated above head in frontal view, lateral ocelli prominent. Clypeus impressed, uniformly with delicate transverse striae, rectangular, broader than high, with a 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 alutaceous-reticulate, without striae, with a few short setae, with small rounded impressed smooth, shining area below central ocellus; interocellar area elevated above head in frontal view. Vertex, occiput, postgena delicately alutaceous, with few setae, postocciput smooth, shining; posterior tentorial pit large, ovate, area below impressed; occipital foramen as high as height of postgenal bridge; hypostomal carina emarginate, continuing into postgenal sulci, bent outwards towards occipital foramen, postgenal bridge anteriorly broader than posteriorly and broader than width of occipital foramen. Antenna slightly longer than head+mesosoma, with 12 flagellomeres, pedicel slightly longer than broad, F1 1.2× 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, subsequent flagellomeres progressively shorter, nearly equal in length, F12 1.4× as long as F11; placodeal sensilla on F4–F12.

Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high, with sparse short white setae. Pronotum laterally with delicate parallel striae laterally; propleuron smooth to alutaceous, shining, with dense setae. Mesoscutum uniformly delicately alutaceous, with piliferous points, with sparse white setae, 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 stripes, median mesoscutal line absent; parascutal carina narrow, smooth, reaching notaulus. Mesoscutellum uniformly dull rugose, ovate, longer than broad, posteriorly rounded, overhanging metanotum; mesoscutellar foveae, transverse, narrow, broader than high, with smooth, shining bottom, separated by narrow central carina. Circumscutellar carina probably complete, obscured by pilosity. Mesopleuron alutaceous in anterodorsal quarter, rest of mesopleuron smooth, shining, with dense setae all over; speculum uniformly alutaceous, shining. Mesopleural triangle smooth, shining, with dense setae; dorsal and lateral axillar areas alutaceous, shining, with dense setae; subaxillular bar smooth, shining, most posterior part slightly shorter than height of metanotal trough; metapleural sulcus reaching mesopleuron slightly above midheight, upper part of sulcus distinct. Metascutellum coriaceous, as high as height of smooth, shining ventral impressed area; metanotal trough smooth, shining, without setae; central propodeal area entirely smooth, shining, without rugae and striae; lateral propodeal carinae finely arched; lateral propodeal area smooth, glabrous, with long dense white setae. Nucha with irregular rugae laterally, dorsocentrally smooth, shining. Tarsal claws toothed, with basal lobe.

Fore wing as long as body, with few darker spots and stripes, veins dark brown, radial cell open, 2.0× 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 higher than long in lateral view; second metasomal tergum extends to half of metasoma length 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 4.2× as long as broad in ventral view, with long setae which extend beyond apex of spine.

Body length 1.5–3.8 mm ( Kinsey 1936).

Gall ( Fig. 502 ). The gall is similar to all galls of Kinsey’s bella and dugesi complexes. Mature galls yellow to light rosy tan, unspotted, usually shining, sometimes puberulent or even powdered, up to 32 mm, in average 22 mm in diameter.

Biology. The asexual generation is only known to induce leaf galls, Q. magnoliifolia (= Q. macrophylla ). Galls mature in late autumn; adults emerge in January-March next year.

Distribution. Mexico: Guerrero.

Figures

FIGURES 489–494. Atrusca spadix (Kinsey, 1936), asexual female. 489–492, head: 489, frontal view, 490, dorsal view, 491, lateral view, 492, posterior view. 493, antenna. 494, mesosoma and propleura, frontal view.

FIGURES 495–498. Atrusca spadix (Kinsey, 1936), asexual female. 495, mesosoma, lateral view. 496, mesoscutum, dorsal view. 497, mesoscutellum, dorsal view. 498, metascutellum and propodeum, posterodorsal view.

FIGURES 499–502. Atrusca spadix (Kinsey, 1936). 499–501, asexual female: 499, fore wing. 500–501, metasoma: 500, lateral view, 501, ventral view. 502, galls.