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Indiana University Studies 



Andricus pomiformis variety distinctus, new variety 



FEMALE. — Shows the following characteristics in addition to those 

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

 rather smooth at bottom posteriorly, anteriorly wholly rugose; a dis- 

 tinct median depression, extending almost the length of the mesonotum, 

 indicating the median groove; anterior parallel lines rather distinct, 

 only in part discontinuous; lateral lines moderately fine; mesopleurae 

 with the smooth area wholly naked with almost no punctures; foveas well 

 separated by a rather higher rugose area; median depression of the 

 scutellum rather distinct, not as deep as in po^ovincialis ; areolet large 

 to very large, prolonged on the cubitus; the cloud on the first abscissa 

 of the radius very large, larger than in any other variety, extending 

 the full length of the terminal portion of the subcosta. 



GALL. — Surface very much roughened, densely covered with pro- 

 jections, each ending in a short filament, making the gall appear very 

 rough or even somewhat mossy; this shaggy coat largely breaks off of 

 old galls. On Quercus Wislizenii. 



RANGE.— California: El Portal, Merced Falls, Three Rivers, Pasa- 

 dena, San Jacinto Mountains. This probably outlines the limits of the 

 range. 



TYPES. — 8 females, 22 galls. Holotype female, paratype female, 

 and galls at The American Museum of Natural History; paratype fe- 

 males and galls at Stanford University, the U.S. National Museum, and 

 with the author; galls at the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the 

 Philadelphia Academy. Labelled Three Rivers, California; March 23, 

 1920; Q. Wislizenii; Kinsey Collector. 



Very young galls were found at Three Rivers on March 

 23 ; at the same time galls possibly a year old had larvae in 

 them; some of these galls still contained live larvse almost 

 two years later, on February 11, 1922. However, some of the 

 insects from these same galls had matured meanwhile. It 

 may be that all of the larvse would have transformed sooner 

 if the galls had remained in the open, but it is not improbable 

 that some individuals take longer than' others to mature, re- 

 maining as larvse for two or three years or even longer. 



This variety is in all respects the most distinct in the 

 species. The large areolet and the median depression of the 

 scutellum define the variety in the region of the southern 

 Sierras; there the shaggy-coated gall is also very character- 

 istic. But in the Sierra Madre and other more southern parts 

 of the range of the variety the galls are as smooth as in any 

 other variety of the species, and altho some of the insects 

 show all of the characteristics of the more northern material, 

 others will show only a part of them, varying directly toward 

 macidipennis. Maculipennis occurs largely in the same 



