Amphibolips fusus Kinsey

Cuesta-Porta, Víctor, Equihua-Martínez, Armando, Estrada-Venegas, Edith G., Cibrián-Tovar, David, Barrera-Ruíz, Uriel M., Silva, Salvador Ordaz, Sánchez, Imelda Virginia López, Melika, George & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2020, Revision of the Amphibolips species of the ‘ nassa’ complex from Mexico and central America (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Zootaxa 4877 (1), pp. 1-50 : 13-14

Amphibolips fusus Kinsey

Amphibolips fusus Kinsey, 1937: 430 .

Type material examined: HOLOTYPE. ♀ (deposited in AMNH) with the following labels: “Catuna 6N, Zac., 7600, Mex., agalla 11.19.31” (hand written, white label); “ Q. eduardi Kinsey coll.” (hand written, white label); “ Amphibolips fusus ParaHolotype ” (hand written, red label); “ Cynipidae Amphibolips fusus Kinsey, 1937 , NievesAldrey det., 2012” (white label).

Additional material deposited in UB with the following labels: “ MEXICO, Santa Fe, Cuajimalpa, Ciudad de Mexico, (10.vii.2014) i.2015: 1♀, Ex Q. crassipes , JP-V leg.”; “MEX-294, MEXICO, Las Guacamayas, Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas, Ex Q. eduardi , (25.v.2012): only galls, JP-V leg.”; “P013, MEXICO, Rancho de Enmedio, Guanajuato, Guanajuato, (31.v.2012) only galls ( UB), Ex Q. eduardi ”; “P119, MEXICO, Área Natural Protegida Los Alamitos, San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes, 22° 10’ 27.5’’ N, 102° 35’ 20.2’’ W, 2614 m.a.s.l., (01.iii.2012) only galls, Ex Q. eduardi ”; “P372, MEXICO, Santa Fe, Cuajimalpa, Ciudad de México, 19º21’09.78”N 99º15’55.02”W, 2543 m.a.s.l., (22.vi.2018) only galls, Ex Q. crassipes ”; “S081, MEXICO, El Muerto, Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas, 22º 21’ 34.63” N 103º28´39.54” W, 2141 m.a.s.l., (14.vii.2011) only galls ( UB), Ex Q. eduardi ”; “S103, MEXICO, Los Redumbaderos, Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas, 22°15’46.3”N 103°33’26.2”W, 2204 m.a.s.l., (17.x.2011) only galls, Ex Q. laurina , leg. JP-V ”; “ S408 , MEXICO, Parque Nacional Bosque de Tlalpan , Tlalpan, Ciudad de México, (21.vi.2013) only galls, Ex Quercus sp., leg. JP-V ”

Diagnosis. Mesoscutellum slightly emarginate posteriorly; posteromedian depression shallow or almost absent and neither reaching posterior margins of scutellar foveae nor anterior margin of metanotum ( Fig. 11C ). Forewing with basal half slightly infuscate; apical half heavily infuscate at basal level of radial cell, interrupted by broad clear cross band extended from anteromedian margin of radial cell, to posterior area, into the discoidal cells, narrowed on posterior margin. The forewing pattern of this species resembles those of A. cibriani , A. bassae n. sp. and A. bromus n. sp.; it can be differentiated from those species by the incomplete notauli and median sulcus not visible under sculpture (notauli complete and median sulcus absent in A. bromus n. sp.; notauli incomplete and median sulcus conspicuous in A. cibriani and A. bassae n. sp.); mesoscutellum emarginate laterally and posteriorly by continuous carina; reduced or absent scutellar posteromedian depression never reaches anterior margin of metanotum, posterolateral projections absent. Galls of A. fusus greatly differ from the galls of the other mentioned species. However, galls most closely resemble galls of A. durangensis , but differ by the smooth and even surface in A. fusus (with transversal ridges in A. durangensis ), and both the peduncle and apical tip narrow gradually in A. fusus (peduncle and apical tip highly narrowed into acicular projections in A. durangensis ).

Gall ( Fig. 14E ). Monolocular bud gall. Fusiform, 9–13 mm in diameter, with a peduncle and a fine tip. Outer shell thick, hard, light brown when mature, with smooth glabrous surface, without mottled surface. Internal tissue relatively soft and spongy; made up of dense irradiating fibers visible only at the base and apex; dense and compact at the central body of the gall where the space is mostly occupied by the larval chamber. Central, oval larval chamber (5.0–6.0 mm) relatively hard-walled.

Hosts. Quercus eduardi (original description) and new records on Q. crassipes and Q. laurina here.

Biology. Only females are known. The mature galls were collected in early June; adults were extracted dead in November (according to the original description); no adults were found in the newly collected galls.

Distribution. México: Ciudad de México, and Zacatecas states.

Remarks. Kinsey’s original description states that this species has POL 1.3x as long as OOL. Despite being true in the holotype, POL is equal to OOL in the new specimens that were reared from similar galls, on the same host plant. We attribute this difference to the intraspecific variability considering that no additional differences were detected. Nieves-Aldrey et al. (2012) differentiated this species based on the forewing colouration and F1 being 1.2x as long as F2. These characters became inaccurate to discriminate A. fusus , due to the discovery of additional species, described in this paper, possessing the same character states: A. cibriani Pujade-Villar 2018 , A. bassae n. sp. and A. bromus n. sp. (see above).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Female dorsal meosoma: (A) A. cibriani (Type); (B) A. durangensis (Type); (C) A. fusus, scutellar postermedian depression signaled (white arrow); (D) A. hidalgoensis (Type); (E) A. jalisciensis (Type); (F) A. michoacaensis (Type), posterior carina of scutellum signaled (white bracket); (G) A. nassa (Type); (H) A. nevadensis (Type); (I) A. oaxacae (Type); (J) A. tarasco (Type), less dense sculpture signaled (white arrow); (K) A. zacatecaensis (Type); (L) A. fusus, mesoscutellum.

FIGURE 14. Galls: (A–D) A. aliciae; (E) A. fusus dry galls; (F–G) A. turulli n. sp. mature gall; (H) A. bromus n. sp.; (I–K) A. cibriani.