Amphibolips palmeri species dubia

The type material is presumably lost (Buffington pers. com.).

This species was described from a single specimen extracted from a gall collected from an unidentified Quercus species by Basset (1890). According to the author, the gall was donated by Mr. B. Pickman Mann and had the following label: “Summit of Sierra Madre, Chihuahua, México. Winter 1885–86, Dr. Edward Palmer”. Beutenmüller (1909) in his revision of the Amphibolips of North America broadened the distribution of this species to Guadalajara (Jalisco, México) for a gall deposited in the American Museum of Natural History, but did not add any new information to the description of the species. Amphibolips palmeri was not mentioned in Kinsey (1937) paper on Amphibolips of México.

In the latest studies on Amphibolips (Melika et al. 2011; Nieves-Aldrey et al. 2012) as well as in this study, the type material of the species was not found. Concerning to the gall, it is a large spherical spongious bud gall. Light yellowish brown; the outer shell thin but firm. Internally soft spongious tissue. Larval chamber round embedded in the spongious tissue. Diameter: 35 to 70 mm.

Remarks. According to Melika et al. (2011), this species closely resembles A. dampfi and might well be synonymous. The type (female) of A. palmeri is lost, nevertheless the adults and galls descriptions are consistent. For the moment, this species is considered as species dubia until the type material appears, or new data can be examined.

Amphibolips palmeri, n. sp.

Two or three years ago I received from Mr. B. Pickman Mann a very large oak apple gall which he had received from Dr. Edward Palmer. It was written upon as follows: "Summit of Sierra Madre, Chihuahua, Mexico. Winter 1885-86, Dr. Edward Palmer."

It was the largest oak apple gall I had ever seen, and I kept it very carefully, hoping to rear an insect from it, but none appeared.

On this New Year's morning, 1890, I ventured to cut open the precious gall, and was rewarded by finding in it the largest gall-fly I have ever seen. The fly had eaten its way out of the larval cell, and to the outside shell, but becoming discouraged, it had backed its way into the cell again and died. In forcing itself back one of its wings had been turned towards the head and so remained.

It gives me very great pleasure to dedicate this remarkable species to the discoverer. Dr. Edward Palmer.

Gall. — This immense monothalamous gall is of a light yellowish brown color, round, and measuring two and three-fourths inches in diameter. The slightly uneven surface is polished and shining; the shell is thin, but firm, and the interior of a soft, uniform, spongy consistence throughout. The color is yellowish brown to almost white at the centre ; the larval cell is oval, and measures three- eighths by five-sixteenths in diameter, and is one-sixteenth of an inch thick. The spongy substance immediately surrounding it is no more dense than in other parts.

Amphibolips palmeri Basset 1890

This species is cited as the largest known species of gall fly and “oak apple gall” (Beutenmüller 1909). It was described from materials collected in Sierra Madre, Chihuahua, and Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. This species was apparently overlooked by Kinsey in his work addressing the Amphibolips of Mexico (Kinsey 1937).

It was not possible to find the type material. However, we reproduce the description provided by Beutenmüller (1909), which is diagnostic with regard to the forewing colour pattern.

Gall. Produced on twigs of an unidentified Quercus species [Quercus mexicana added as a placeholder]. Spherical, with a wrinkly surface with a few scattered very short projections. Internally, the gall is of a spongy consistency. A central rounded larval cell is embedded in the soft internal tissue.

Comments. According to Melika et al. (2011), this species may be a synonym of A. dampfi. In our opinion, however, although the galls of the two species are similar, the descriptions of the forewing colour patterns of the two species are not in accordance. Thus, we maintain the status of A. palmeri as a good species

Amphibolips palmeri

Gall. On the terminal small twigs of a species of oak (Quercus sp). Monothalamous, round, with the surface uneven, or somewhat wrinkly, sometimes with a few scattered very short projections. Light yellowish brown; the outer shell is thin, but firm. Internally it is of a soft, uniform porous or spongy consistency, filling the entire gall. The larval cell is rounded and is embedded in the soft internal substance. Diameter 35 to 70 mm.

Habitat: Summit of Sierra Madre, Chihuahua and Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

The largest known species of gall-fly and "oak apple gall."