Atrusca simulatrix

Quercus arizonica, oblongifolia, gambelii
Leaf galls
Detachable
Similar to/Not distinguished from Atrusca bella above.

Cynips (dugèsi) simulatrix Kinsey
agamic form

Cynips dugès i var. C. Kinsey, 1927, Field and Lab. Man. in Biol.: 110.
Cynips dugesi simulatric Kinsey, 1930, Ind. Univ. Studies 84-86: 280, figs. 44, 263, 264, 266, 276, 287.
Cynips dugès i or simulatrix Hoffmeyer, 1933, Ent. Meddel. Kbhvn. 18: 247, 248.

GALL.-Very similar to all galls of the C. bella and C. dugèsi complexes, apparently indistinguishable from the galls of C. (bella) bella which occur in the same area. Mature galls rosy or brownish tan, unspotted; dull to shining; up to 27. mm., averaging near 20. mm. in diameter.

HOSTS.—Q. undulata, Q. grisea, Q. oblongifolia, Q. arizonica, Q. Gambelii. Apparently on all of the white oaks of the area. Records for Q. grisea and Q. undulata often interchangeable because of poor determinations of New Mexican oaks.

RANGE.-New Mexico: Magdalena. Near Alamogordo, 7000'. High rolls. Hillsboro (types). Kingston. (Above in more detail in Kinsey 1930: 280). Mountain Park (galls. Q. undulata, L. H. Bridewell in Kinsey coll.). Embudo Canyon in Sandia Mts. (E. B. Williamson in Kinsey coll.). Burro Mts. (Weld coll.). San Marcial, 24 S (galls, Q. grisea, Holloway in Kinsey coll.). Mayhill (galls, Q. Gambelii, Holloway in Kinsey coll.). Arizona: Prescott (Kinsey coll., and E. R. Leach, Jr., in Kinsey coll.). Safford. Oracle. Bisbee. Sabino Trail in Santa Catalina Mts., 4000'. Santa Rita Mts. Courtland. Fort Huachuca. (Above in more detail in Kinsey 1930: 280.) Oracle (galls, Q. arizonica, Holloway in Kinsey coll.). Ash fork, Chiricahua Mts., Patagonia (Weld coll.). Probably confined to the western half of New Mexico and the state of Arizona. Figure 18.

LIFE HISTORY..—Adults: November 15, 20, 27. December 14. January 6, 23. Most of the emergence late in November or early in December.

This wide-ranging species, found in Western New Mexico and in Southern Arizona, is distinct enough from the four other species found in our Southwest, but it has very close relatives in the two species, emergens and deceptria, which are found in the Sierra of Chihuahua and Durango.

The gall of simulatrix is indistinguishable from the gall of Cynips bella of the bella complex; and since the two occur in much the same region, the galls cannot be assigned even to their complexes unless insects are available for study.

Atrusca simulatrix (Kinsey, 1930)

Figs 475–488

Synonymy
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, AZ2, AZ3, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls, 2007.10.28”;
20 females “USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mnts. western side, ex Q. arizonica, AZ8, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls, 2007.10.25”;
1 female “USA, Arizona, Chiricahua Mnts. summit, ex Q. arizonica, AZ5, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.26”;
20 females “USA, Arizona, Sonoita, ex Q. arizonica, AZ7, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.27”;
5 females “USA, Arizona, 5 km N of Payson, ex Q. turbinella, AZ11, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.29”;
14 females “USA, Arizona, 25 miles S of Flagstaff on I17, ex Q. turbinella, AZ9, AZ10, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.31”;
1 female “USA, Arizona, Sedona, ex Q. turbinella, AZ1, gall type 37, leg. J.A. Nicholls 2007.10.29”.

Gall (Fig. 488)

The gall is similar to all galls of Kinsey’s bella and dugesi complexes; impossible to distinguish from other 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 January–February next year.

Distribution

USA: Arizona, New Mexico.

Cynips dugesi var simulatrix, new variety
agamic form

Cynips dugesi var C Kinsey

GALL. — As described for the species. [Thin-shelled, spherical, sessile, dull brown, unspotted, averaging 16.0 mm. in diameter, with the larval cell held centrally by fine, radiating fibers.] Apparently not to be distinguished from other varieties of dugesi, nor from Cynips bella bella which occurs in the same region. On leaves of Quercus undulata, Q. grisea, Q. oblongifolia, Q. arizonica , Q. Gambelii, and probably related oaks. Figure 263.

RANGE. — New Mexico: Magdalena ( Q . grisea, acc. Weld in Kinsey coll.). Near Alamogordo at 7000 ft. (galls, Q. undulata and Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Highrolls (galls, Q. undulata, Kinsey coll.). Hillsboro (types, Q. grisea, Kinsey coll.). Kingston (galls, Q. grisea and Q. Gambelii, Kinsey coll.). Soledad Canyon in Organ Mts. (galls, Q. grisea, L. H. Bridewell in Kinsey coll.). Arizona: Prescott ( Q . grisea, Kinsey coll.). Safford, Oracle, and Bisbee (galls, Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Sabino Trail in Santa Cata- lina Mts. and Santa Rita Mts. (Q. oblongifolia and Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Courtland and Fort Huachuca (Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Probably confined to the desert mountain ranges of New Mexico and Arizona (and adjacent Mexico?). Records based on galls alone may involve confusion with Cynips bella bella. Figure 44. Hillsboro (types, Q. grisea, Kinsey coll.). Kingston (galls, Q. grisea and Q. Gambelii, Kinsey coll.). Soledad Canyon in Organ Mts. (galls, Q. grisea, L. H. Bridewell in Kinsey coll.). Arizona: Prescott ( Q . grisea, Kinsey coll.). Safford, Oracle, and Bisbee (galls, Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Sabino Trail in Santa Catalina Mts. and Santa Rita Mts. (Q. oblongifolia and Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Courtland and Fort Huachuca (Q. arizonica, Kinsey coll.). Probably confined to the desert mountain ranges of New Mexico and Arizona (and adjacent Mexico?). Records based on galls alone may involve confusion with Cynips bella bella. Figure 44.

This variety, with Cynips bella variety bella , produces the common oak apple of our Southwest. Most of the insects had emerged before I collected the galls in New Mexico late in December (1919) and in Arizona in January (1920), but one female emerged at Prescott, Arizona, as late as January 23.

The available insect material represents a wide geographic range and a surprising number of hosts, apparently without the isolation of distinct varieties.

The single, broken insect which I have of this species from Globe, Arizona, does not agree with typical simulatrix, but the specimen does not warrant description. On the basis of data from other cynipids, we might expect a distinct variety of dugesi in the Pinal Mountains near Globe.