Amphibolips nebris, n. sp.
Agamic form

Gall. — Color yellow tan and rosy russet, brigther when fresh, weathering dark to brown and grayish-black; very large, up to 70, mm., averaging near 55. mm. m diameter.

Host. — Qnercus Eduardi the shining, prickly-leaved, black live oak of the area, a close relative of the American Q. Emoryi.

Range. — Chihuahua: Parral, 12 W, 6800’ (types). Apparently confined to a southernmost portion of Chihuahua, replaced further north and west in the same state by elatus, and by jubatus and niger in Durango.

Life History. — Adults: March 20. April 5, 15, 22.

This insect, nebris, is known only from the single locality west of Parral, in southernmost Chihuahua. It is replaced to the north and probably throughout most of Chihuahua by elatus, and to the south, on most of the oaks in Durango, by jubatus, and on Q. incarnata in Durango by A. niger. But nebria is not closely related to elatas or jubatus, although it is very close to niger and still closer to pistrix from Zacatecas.

Nebris differs from niger in having the gall very distinctly larger.

Amphibolips nebris Kinsey

Host: Quercus eduardi

Range: Chihuahua, Parral

Gall: Of the type of galls of the “niger complex”: a large densely wooly mass containing a hard woody core in which the larval cell is located (Kinsey 1937; Melika et al. 2011). In A. nebris the gall is large, up to 70 mm; color yellow tan and rosy russet (Kinsey 1937).

Comments The characters of this species are representative of those shared by the species of the “niger complex” (Kinsey 1937), being the most important the 16 segmented antennae, mesoscutellum not emarginated posteriorly, sculpture on mesoscutum not coarsely rugose and forewing less heavily infuscate, which together with its morphologically different galls readily differentiates this species from the remaining Mexican species studied herein.