40 
Indiana University Studies 
FEMALE. — Cheeks narrow, eyes quite large, the malar space in 
consequence reduced; mesonotum and mesopleurae entirely smooth; abdo- 
men a little larger than the thorax, angulate, not produced dorsally or 
ventrally; legs bright yellow at the joints and on the tarsi; areolet 
somewhat larger than a moderate size; the first abscissa rather sharply 
angulate but bent close to the subcosta; length 1.2 mm. 
GALL. — A small, eruptive swelling on the under surface of the 
leaf blade. Each “monothalamous’’, up to 1.5 mm. in diameter. The 
larval cell closely imbedded in the leaf, without a distinct wall, the 
gall evident on the upper surface only by a very slight, papilla-like 
swelling, colored more yellowish or brown than the leaf blade; on the 
under surface forming a more distinct, cone-shaped swelling with a 
central depression, resembling a “volcano” cone; more often leaf color 
on the under surface, and not pubescent except with the microscopic 
pubescence normal to the leaf. In numbers on each leaf, on Quercus 
virginiana and other live oaks (figs. 37, 38). 
RANGE. — New Mexico (Bassett). Texas: Austin, Leander, Skid- 
more, Hondo. Possibly distinct varieties occur in the two states. 
TYPES. — 3 or 4 broken' females and galls at the Philadelphia 
Academy. From New Mexico; on a live oak; W. J. Howerton collector. 
This is practically a physiologic species, for the insect is 
not satisfactorily distinct from 7iiger or verruoarum, differ- 
ing in a few characters which appear only of varietal impor- 
tance in this portion of the genus. The galls, altho quite sug- 
gestive of niger are so distinct that they ought to be con- 
sidered a separate species, especially since the same oaks 
over the same region bear typical niger galls. In a similar 
situation with Neuroterus verrucarum pulvinus I gave only 
varietal rank to the physiologic group, but we as yet have so 
little insect material of howertoni that I do not feel warranted 
in too definite an opinion as to relationships. 
Bassett’s type material was from an undetermined oak, 
which it would now appear was Q. grisea. The distinct host, 
Q. virginiana, from which my material came, may isolate a 
distinct variety, and the two faunal areas involved may 
further effect isolation, but altho I have insects from all three 
of the Texas localities, they are not sufficient for varietal 
studies. My galls contained larvae in the first half of Decem- 
ber and gave adults at some later date, probably in early 
spring. Dr. Patterson has cut adults from galls in the last 
of December. As Bassett stated, the insects emerge from 
the lower surfaces of the galls, but the normal, central de- 
pression should not be mistaken for an exit hole. Bassett’s 
qualified suggestion that the antenna may have 14 segments 
