Kinsey: Studies of Cynipidse 



29 



FEMALE. — Differs from the bisexual females of the other varieties 

 of the species as follows: Head and thorax rather dark rufous brown, 

 antennae entirely light brownish rufous; parapsidal grooves rather wide 

 posteriorly, averaging distinctly finer than in operator, almost smooth 

 at bottom, averaging* less convergent at the scutellum than in any of 

 the other varieties ; median groove short but often more evident than in 

 other varieties; foveas rather broad, distinctly sculptured at bottom; 

 abdomen red rufous basally; legs light brownish rufous, darker basally, 

 the posterior tibiae dark brown to black; length 2.0-2.5 mm., smaller than 

 operator. 



MALE. — Shows the secondary sexual characteristics of the species, 

 and further agrees with the female of this variety. 



GALL. — Similar to the galls of the other bisexual forms; large, 

 weathering a golden brown. On Qiiercus ilicifolia. 



RANGE. — New Hampshire: West Ossipee. Massachusetts: Spring- 

 field (Stebbins); Worcester? (Thompson); Boston (Clarke); Sharon, 

 Blue Hills. Probably only in more northern New England. 



TYPES.— About 150 females, 100 males, 2 galls. Holot>T)e female, 

 paratype females, and males at The American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory; paratype females and males at the U.S. National Museum, Stan- 

 ford University, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Philadelphia 

 Academy, and the Boston Society of Natural History; adults and galls 

 with the author. Labelled Blue Hills, Massachusetts; June 9 to 30, 

 1918; Q. ilicifolia; Kinsey collector. 



The galls of this form are very abundant on the scrub oaks 

 in eastern Massachusetts, early in the spring as soon as the 

 flowers begin to appear. They are very succulent, drying 

 quickly unless gathered after the first of June. Insects 

 emerge thruout June and early in July. 



Following the previous practice which overlooked varietal 

 differences, I described this insect in 1920 as the bisexual form 

 of operator. The insect up to date is kno\^m only from ilici- 

 folia ; it may occur also on other black oaks in the same region. 

 Ilicifolia is also one of the hosts of variety operator in another 

 faunal area, and of falsus in still another area. I have seen 

 insects only from Sharon and the Blue Hills, but the variety 

 may range thruout northern New England, at least wher- 

 ever ilicifolia occurs. This variety is rather distinct from any 

 of the other described varieties of the species, which empha- 

 sizes the fact that we have been overlooking data when they 

 occur too near the centers of our more extensive work with 

 Cynipidse, the northeastern parts of the United States I 



The acorn gall of the agamnc generation is abundant on 

 ilicifolia in the range of this variety, but I have not yet ob- 

 tained the adult. I have collected this acorn gall as far north 



