Neuroterus vesicula

Gall.--A small, thin-shelled, globular bud or bark gall. Monothalamous, up to 3 mm in dia (bark galls smaller); rather thin-walled, quite globular, the bark galls more solid; almost smooth, but microscopically pebbled; bark galls colored with light buff yellow and brownish red in splotches; internally entirely hollow, without a distinct larval cell. Inserted in the slightly ruptured bark of stems; on white oaks and chestnut oaks.

Neuroterus vesicula variety cerinus
[Bark gall on Q stellata, possibly breviloba]

GALL. — A bark gall, as described for the species. On stems of Quercus stellata (and Q. breviloba?) (fig. 48).

RANGE. — Texas: Austin (Patterson coll.).

Dr. Patterson is to be credited with the discovery and breeding of this interesting insect. He reports this gall as appearing to be several weeks old on February 1, 1923, the adults emerging about the first of March in 1921, and on February 23 in 1922, fully half of the adults having emerged by February 26, 1922. From these dates, this should be the agamic, winter generation of some variety, as discussed in the introduction to this species, but Dr. Patterson assures me that he has secured 5 females and 6 males from these galls. The male does differ from the female in antennal color more than the amount of secondary sexual differences usual in the species, and at first I doubted the connection of the two, but the rugose scutellum and the narrowed foveal furrow show the relationship. The gall is very similar to galls of the other forms but is unique in its occurrence on the bark of stems and is (consequently?) of different texture and color. This is one of the most interesting of Dr. Patterson’s many valuable finds.