Kinsey: Studies of Cynipidse 



119 



GALL. — Similar to the galls of other varieties of the species; robust, 

 up to 12. mm. in diameter by 28. mm. long-; internally rather solid, the 

 larval cells rather closely embedded. On Quercm^ DougUtsii. 



RANGE.— California: Merced Falls (Placerville?) . Probably 

 ranges from the Merced River northward, at least to the American River, 

 wherever Q. Douglasii occurs. 



TYPES. — 1 female, 30 galls. Holotype female, paratype galls at 

 The American Museum of Natural History; paratype galls at the U.S. 

 National Museum, Stanford University, the Philadelphia Academy, the 

 ' Museum of Comparative Zoology, and with the author. Labelled Merced 

 Falls, California; March 28, 1920; Q. Douglasii; Kinsey collector. 



Apparently only a single insect had not emerged at the 

 time of collecting, March 28, at Merced Falls. Fresh galls, 

 only presumably of this variety, were found at Placerville on 

 March 30. Many of the galls had been eaten into, and in 

 some cases so deeply that I am inclined to credit part of the 

 work to birds rather than to mice; probably the galls are 

 softer when still fresh, and more easily broken into. 



The insect combines characters of diminuens, pugnus, and 

 other varieties. It differs from diminuens in having complete 

 parapsidal grooves, the abdomen not as long as high, and the 

 general color darker; it differs from pugnus in having com- 

 plete and finer parapsidal grooves, a less hairy abdomen, and 

 a larger areolet. It is distinct from kelloggi in color, absence 

 of median groove, and shape of abdomen ; and from 

 atricinctiis in size, absence of median groove, color of meso- 

 pleur^, and other minor details. 



The type localities of the three varieties occurring on Q. 

 Douglasii are rather widely separated. Kelloggi, from 

 Cupertino and Palo Alto, may be confined to the more south- 

 ern and western range of Douglasii; atricinctus, from Napa, 

 may be the most northern of the varieties; compositus, from 

 Merced Falls, may range from the Merced River northward 

 at least to the American River. Unfortunately I do not have 

 many insects of these three varieties, and the galls are all so 

 similar that they are not sufficient for determining distribu- 

 tions. The ranges suggested are based on my experience with 

 other Cynipidse, but must be verified for these three varieties. 



I do not want to make a practice of describing new 

 Cynipidse from single specimens, but in this instance the in- 

 sect is distinct, and a study of series of the related varieties 

 shows no variation toward this form; so I may be pardoned 

 for this description. It should draw attention to the existence 



