Kinsey: Gall Wasp Genus Cynips 
329 
Insects of this variety were bred on January 2 and 20, Feb- 
ruary 6, March 14, and April 1, 10 and 19 (in 1928 and 1929). 
The adult of litigans is large and conspicuously black, and 
consequently readily separated from crassior which replaces 
litigans in most of Georgia and Alabama, and in the Tennessee 
Valley in Tennessee. The galls of crassior , moreover, occur in 
clusters and they are drawn out to a conical base, while the 
galls of litigans are rounded or flattened basally, so the two are 
to be distinguished in the field. Litigans is distinctly Appa- 
lachian in its distribution. This range and the great varia- 
bility of the insect suggests that litigans , like other southern 
mountain varieties of Cynips, may have had a hybrid origin 
with a northern parent that was pushed southward in the 
mountains during the Pleistocene. We have not recognized 
such a northern variety of mellea, and consequently cannot 
analyze litigans at this time. We have numerous insects which 
seem intermediate between litigans and its southern neighbor, 
anceps, and a few individuals that may be hybrids of litigans 
and crassior. 
Cynips mellea variety concolor, new variety 
agamic form 
Figures 53, 392 
FEMALE. — Wholly brownish rufous, the head and thorax bright 
brownish rufous, the abdomen more reddish rufous; antennae wholly 
brownish rufous except the two terminal segments which are dark 
brown; mesonotum moderately punctate and hairy, microscopically re- 
ticulated between the punctations posteriorly, almost smooth anteriorly 
and laterally; anterior parallel lines indicated but not at all smooth, 
lateral lines more evident, broad, but not wholly smooth; median groove 
distinct at the scutellum, evident for some distance anteriorly; scutellum 
longer than broad, coarsely rugose, the median ridge rather distinct; 
foveal groove broad, more or less smooth at bottom; abdomen uniformly 
bright red rufous, rather elongate, the second segment somewhat 
elongate dorsally but not covering much more than half the whole 
abdomen; legs wholly light brownish rufous, more rufous on the hind 
tibiae; wings long, about 1.30 times the body length; the areolet of 
moderate size; cloud on the first abscissa of the radius of moderate 
size; tip of the radius not at all enlarged; 4.0 mm. in length. Figure 
392. 
GALL. — Naked when mature, becoming light pinkish brown; aver- 
aging large for the species; rounded or flattened basally, occurring 
singly on leaves of Quercus minima. 
