Amphibolips zacatecaensis Melika & Pujade-Villar, new species

[Photos of this gall appear on page 6 of the pdf]

Gall (Figs 15–17). A rather large, subglobose, slightly spindle-shaped oak bud gall, with a nipple at the top. The body of the gall is quite globose, with greatest diameter near middle of the gall, up to 5.0 cm and 6.8 cm in length; from the middle the gall gradually tapering to a point (nipple) at the top. The gall is very thin-walled, light brown when mature, with smooth and naked surface; spongious internally, with radiating filaments and a central ovate, hard-walled larval chamber, with largest length of 5.0–6.5 mm.

Biology. Only the female is known, inducing galls on Quercus eduardi Trel. (Section Lobatae of Quercus, red oaks) which is found only in Mexico (Govaerts & Frodin 1998). The mature gall was collected in May and the dead adult wasp was cut out from the gall.

Amphibolips zacatecaensis

[A photo of this gall appears on page 36 of the pdf]

Because the two species [zacatecaensis and Amphibolips fusus] share morphologically similar galls, the only difference between them may be the inner consistency of the gall, which presents a soft, spongious parenchyma, whereas it is hard and lignified in A. nassa (Melika pers. comm.).

Distribution: Zacatecas state

Gall. Large, globose to slightly spindle shaped, with a nipple at the top (Fig. 18E). The gall is thin walled, very lightweight, internally showing a soft spongious consistency. Internally, the gall exhibits a single hard-walled central larval cell (Melika et al. 2011).

Host. Quercus eduardi

Life History. Unknown

Amphibolips zacatecaensis

[Photos of this gall appear on page 43 of the pdf]

The gall resembles that of A. dampfi, but in A. zacatecaensis the internal tissue is dense and light brown while it is soft, cotton-like, white to rosy near the larval chamber in A. dampfi.

Gall (Figs 15C–D). Galls on buds, rather large, with maximum diameter 50–68 mm, subglobose, gradually tapering to a tip at apex; outer shell thin and fragile, usually smooth, sometimes wrinkled or rugose; internal tissue soft, light brown and spongious, but consistent with central larval chamber, which is around 5 mm in diameter.

Host. Quercus eduardi.

Biology. Only females are known. The mature galls were collected in late May; adults emerged soon after field collection.

Distribution. Mexico: Zacatecas State