Kinsey: Studies of Cynipidse 



37 



FEMALE. — Shows the following characteristics in addition to those 

 common to all varieties of the species: Parapsidal grooves distinct but 

 wholly rugose at bottom, most rugose anteriorly; no median depression 

 even indicating the median groove; anterior parallel lines discontinuous, 

 in part lost in the sculpturing; lateral lines fine, distinctly narrower 

 than in variety pomiformis; mesopleurae with the smooth central area 

 scatteringly punctate and hairy; foveae well separated; median depres- 

 sion of the scutellum only moderately deep; areolet of moderate size; 

 the cloud on the first abscissa of the radius somewhat more extensive 

 than in variety pomiformis, prolonged on the subcosta. 



GALL. — Quite identical with the galls of all other varieties except 

 distinctus; smooth; more often ridged and scatteringly set with short 

 tubercles than in other varieties. On Quercus agrifolia (and Q. Wis- 

 lizeniil) . 



EANGE. — California: Claremont (Baker); Descanso, Alpine, Fall- 

 brook, El Toro, Upland, Pasadena; Los Angeles (Trotter); Santa Bar- 

 bara, Gaviota, Paso Eobles; El Portal (Trotter). Probably confined to 

 more southern California, except in the San Bernardinos and the Cuy- 

 amacas, wherever Q. agrifolia occurs, and possibly on Q. Wislizenii. 



TYPES. — Berlin Museum? Cotypes at Pomona College. Material 

 from the same collector (Baker) and the same locality (Claremont) at 

 The American Museum of Natural History and Stanford University. 



Collections made thruout February showed galls with 

 the adults completely emerged; at the same time galls con- 

 tained live larvae and live adults, while fresh galls, not many 

 days or weeks old, were on the trees. Both adults and live 

 larvae were found as late as February 1921 in galls which had 

 been mature in February 1920. The insects must take at 

 least two years, possibly longer to mature. Emergence comes 

 early in the spring, and is followed so soon by the appearance 

 of fresh galls that it suggests there is no alternation of gener- 

 ations with this variety, altho this question must be settled by 

 experimental breeding. 



This insect is not very abundantly distinct from variety 

 'pomiformis; it may be distinguished best by the finer lateral 

 lines and the larger areolet. In regions where only Q. agri- 

 folia occurs the variety is quite constant. It remains very 

 constant in the Cuyamaca Mountains where it meets variety 

 descansonis at Descanso. Where rnaculipennis meets dis- 

 tijictus, on Wislizenii, there is to be found a considerable 

 amount of intergrading between the two insects. A gall from 

 Santa Barbara gave adults with as large an areolet as in dis- 

 tinctus) this gall was recorded from agrifolia, but may have 

 been on Wislizenii instead. A further discussion of these host 

 considerations is given under distinctits. 



