Feron vitreum Kinsey, 1937 comb. rev.

Gall (Fig. 501). Individual galls long and slender, uniformly cylindrical or flaring at the top, fairly well covered with distinctly crystalline processes all of which are broad and blunt, filamentous, none of which are fine or hairlike. Galls clustered, forming a spiny mass in which the individual galls are quite prominent, the clusters up to 55 mm in diameter and 17 mm high. Bright purple rose and straw colour when fresh, darkening with age (Kinsey 1937).

Biology. Only the asexual generation is known, which induces galls in October-January, on section Quercus, subsection Leucomexicana oaks: Q. deserticola Trel. (= Q. texcocana Trel.), and Q. rugosa (= Q. rhodophlebia), adults emerge in April.

Kinsey (1937) described another species, F. validum, which we consider is morphologically consistent with Kinsey’s series of specimens of F. vitreum and simply represents a geographical variant of that species; hence we synonymise the name in this study.

Distribution. Mexico: Luis Potosi, Guanajuato (Kinsey 1937).

Feron vitreum, n. sp.
Agamic form

Gall. — Individual galls long and slender, uniformly cylindrical or flaring at the top, more or less covered with distinctly crystalline processes all of which arc broad and blunt, filamentous, not fine nor hair-like. The whole duster forming a spiny mass in which the individual galls are still prominent, the clusters up to 35. mm. in diameter and 12. mm. high. Bright purple rose and straw color when fresh, darkening with age.

host. — Quercias rhodopidebia (and Q. texcocana?).

Range. — Mexico: Mexico City, 20 S, 9200’ (Q. rhodophlebia). Mexico City, 17 S, 8200’ (Q, texcocana?), — Hidalgo: Pachuca, 7 N, 8700- (galls; Q. rhodophlebia). — PossibH extending southeast from the Valley of Mexico on Q. rhodophlebia or its relative, Q. decipiens.

Life History. — Adults: March 10.

This is another of the series of species with 14-segmented antennae and galls which are clearly crystalline with broadened filaments (not tangled, hairs) as a covering. The known localities He north and south of Mexico City on the inner rim of the mountains which bound the Valley of Mexico. Twenty miles south of Mexico City, vitreum was found high up near the limit to which white oak extends. It is only 5 or 6 miles across the divide the the locality (Cuernavaca, 8 N) from which we recovered 2*'. validwn; but the two species are separated by a 10,220 foot pass to which white oak do not extend. The 13-segmented series of the complex is represented by F. tibiale on Q. texeaccma to the east of Mexico City; and the one lot of what is certainly vitreum “from Q. texcocana" from 17 miles south of Mexico City may represent a mis-determination of the host.

Feron validum, n. sp.
Agamic form

Gall. — Individual galls long and slender, uniformly cylmdiic or flaring at the top, more or less covered with distinctly crystalline processes all of which are broad and blunt, filamentous, not fine nor hairlike. The whole cluster forming a spiny mass in which the individual galls are still prominent, the clusters up to 30, mm. in diameter and 12, mm. high. Bright purple rose and straw color when fresh, darkening with age.

Host. — Quercus texcocana. [deserticola]

Range. — Morelos: Cuernavaca, 8 N, 8700k — Replaced in the Valley of Mexico by F. vitreum, but possibly extending from Morelos to southern Jalisco

Life History. — Galls: Still fresh January 7. — Adults: April 10.

The known material is too scant to warrant generalizations as to usual date of emergence. validum is one of the southern Mexican species with. 13 segmented antennae and distinctly crystalline galls which are covered with broad and blunt filaments instead of the tangle of fine, hair-like processes which characterize the galls of the Mexican species with 13-segmcnted antenae.

The nearest relatives of validum are verutum (from Guanajuato to eastern San Luiz Potosi, on Q, microphylla) and vilreum (from south of Mexico City, on Q. rhodophlebia). The galls of all three species are about the same