Andricus curvator

Andricus curvator
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Cynipidae
Genus:	Andricus
Species:	A. curvator
Binomial name
	Andricus curvator; (Hartig, 1840)

Last updated August 09, 2023

Andricus curvator is a gall wasp which forms chemically induced leaf galls on oak trees and has both agamic and sexual generations. Agamic and sexual generations usually form two distinct galls on oak trees, but in the case of A. curvator there are six galls; the sexual generation usually on the leaf, occasionally in a twig or catkin, and the agamic generation in a bud. The wasp was first described by Theodor Hartig, a German biologist, in 1840 and is found in most of Europe.

Life cycle

Adult gall wasps emerge in the spring, from galls formed on the bud the previous year. The spring generation lay eggs usually on a leaf, occasionally on a twig or on catkins and the leaf galls appear soon after the leaves emerge. They are approximately 8 mm, roughly globular and have thin walls with a small inner gall. They often coalesce and can clustered near the leaf base where they can cause distortion. Galls on a twig cause the twig to bend and it can also occur at the tip. These galls have an interior cavity which can be spherical or oval. A fourth sexual gall can also develop on the base of a catkin stalk and is up to 5 mm diameter. What remains of the catkin is bent 90° and can still be seen at the tip. The female wasp develop within the gall and emerge in May or June, laying her eggs on a young bud.^[2]^[3]

Sometimes known as a collared gall the asexual gall is often concealed among the bud scales, and at first, are difficult to find. The scales may fall away, exposing a 3 mm, smooth, brown, skittle-shaped gall with a nipple-like tip, usually surrounded by a pale ring. In old galls the ring may not be seen. The wasp overwinters in the gall.^[2]^[3]

The galls have been found on Algerian oak ( Quercus canariensis ), Turkey oak ( Quercus cerris ), Portuguese oak ( Quercus faginea ), Spanish oak ( Quercus × hispanica ), sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ), downy oak ( Quercus pubescens ), Pyrenean oak ( Quercus pyrenaica ) and pedunculate oak ( Quercus robur ).^[4]

Location of gall	Sexual/asexual	Description
Leaf	sexual	Approximately 8 mm, roughly globular and have thin walls with a small inner gall. They often coalesce and can clustered near the leaf base where they can cause distortion.
Petiole	sexual
Twig	sexual	Causes the twig to bend
End of twig	sexual
Catkin	sexual	Up to 5 mm in diameter. The remains of the catkin is bent 90° and can still be seen at the tip.
Bud	asexual	Often concealed among the bud scales, and at first, difficult to find. The scales may fall away, exposing a 3 mm, smooth, brown, skittle-shaped gall with a nipple-like tip, usually surrounded by a pale ring. In old galls the ring may not be seen. The wasps overwinter in this gall.

Distribution

The gall is found from Ireland to the Ukraine and from Fennoscandia to the Mediterranean.^[1]

Related Research Articles

Galls or cecidia are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or warts in animals. They can be caused by various parasites, from viruses, fungi and bacteria, to other plants, insects and mites. Plant galls are often highly organized structures so that the cause of the gall can often be determined without the actual agent being identified. This applies particularly to some insect and mite plant galls. The study of plant galls is known as cecidology.

Quercus cerris, the Turkey oak or Austrian oak, is an oak native to south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the type species of Quercus sect. Cerris, a section of the genus characterised by shoot buds surrounded by soft bristles, bristle-tipped leaf lobes, and acorns that usually mature in 18 months.

Gall wasps, also incorrectly called gallflies, are hymenopterans of the family Cynipidae in the wasp superfamily Cynipoidea. Their common name comes from the galls they induce on plants for larval development. About 1,300 species of this generally very small creature are known worldwide, with about 360 species of 36 different genera in Europe and some 800 species in North America.

Andricus quercuscalicis is a gall wasp species inducing knopper galls.

<i>Andricus kollari</i> Species of insect

Andricus kollari, also known as the marble gall wasp, is a parthenogenetic species of wasp which causes the formation of marble galls on oak trees. Synonyms for the species include Cynips kollari, Andricus quercusgemmae, A. minor, A. indigenus and A. circulans.

Andricus foecundatrix is a parthenogenetic gall wasp which lays a single egg within a leaf bud, using its ovipositor, to produce a gall known as an oak artichoke gall, oak hop gall, larch-cone gall or hop strobile The gall develops as a chemically induced distortion of leaf axillary or terminal buds on pedunculate oak or sessile oak trees. The larva lives inside a smaller hard casing inside the artichoke and this is released in autumn. The asexual wasp emerges in spring and lays her eggs in the oak catkins. These develop into small oval galls which produce the sexual generation of wasps. A yew artichoke gall caused by the fly Taxomyia taxi also exists, but is unrelated to the oak-borne species. Previous names or synonyms for the species A. fecundator are A. fecundatrix, A. pilosus, A. foecundatrix, A. gemmarum, A. gemmae, A. gemmaequercus, A. gemmaecinaraeformis and A. quercusgemmae.

Cola-nut galls develop as a chemically induced distortion of leaf axillary or terminal buds on pedunculate oak or sessile oak trees, caused by the agamic gall wasp Andricus lignicola which lays single eggs within leaf buds using their ovipositor. A previous name or synonym for the species A. lignicola is A. lignicolus and A. venheurni.

The common spangle gall on the underside of leaves and the currant gall on the male catkins or occasionally the leaves, develop as chemically induced distortions on pedunculate oak, or sessile oak trees, caused by the cynipid wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum which has both agamic and bisexual generations.

Neuroterus numismalis is a gall wasp that forms chemically induced leaf galls on oak trees. It has both bisexual and agamic (parthenogenetic) generations and forms two distinct galls on oak leaves, the silk button gall and blister gall. The galls can be very numerous with more than a thousand per leaf.

Neuroterus anthracinus is a widely distributed gall wasp that forms chemically induced leaf galls on oak trees. N. anthracinus has both sexual and agamic generations and in consequence forms two distinct galls, the oyster gall and April-bud gall.

Andricus is a genus of oak gall wasps in the family Cynipidae.

Andricus grossulariae is a gall wasp species inducing agamic acorn cup galls on oak tree acorn cups and sexual phase galls on catkins. Synonyms include Andricus fructuum, Andricus gemellus, Andricus intermedius, Andricus mayri and Cynips panteli.

Andricus dentimitratus is a gall forming wasp in the genus Andricus. The adults lay their eggs on various species of oak and the developing larvae causes the trees to create a large ornate gall. The oaks parasitised include Quercus frainetto, Q. petraea, Q. pyrenaica, Q. pubescens and Q. robur. The gall is formed out of the cup of the acorn. In cross-section it resembles a mushroom. It is woody, maroon, shiny and sticky. It grows up to 25 mm high and 20 mm wide. What resembles the head of the mushroom is lobed or toothed in various ways. The insect emerges from the narrowing, between the head and base.

Biorhiza pallida is a gall wasp species in the family Cynipidae. This species is a member of the tribe Cynipini: the oak gall wasp tribe. Cynipini is the tribe partially responsible for the formation of galls known as oak apples on oak trees. These are formed after the wasp lays eggs inside the leaf buds and the plant tissues swell as the larvae of the gall wasp develop inside. This wasp has a widespread distribution within Europe.

<i>Andricus quercuscalifornicus</i> Species of wasp

Andricus quercuscalifornicus, or the California gall wasp, is a small wasp species that induces oak apple galls on white oaks, primarily the Valley Oak but also other species such as Quercus berberidifolia. The California gall wasp is considered an ecosystem engineer, capable of manipulating the growth of galls for their own development. It is found from Washington, Oregon, and California to northern regions of Mexico. Often multiple wasps in different life stages occupy the same gall. The induced galls help establish complex insect communities, promoting the diversification in niche differentiation. Furthermore, the adaptive value of these galls could be attributed their ecological benefits such as nutrition, provision of microenvironment, and enemy avoidance.

Andricus aries is a species of gall-forming wasps, in the genus Andricus. The species was named by the French entomologist Joseph-Étienne Giraud, in 1859. It is commonly found in eastern Europe and during the 21st century has spread to western Europe.

Andricus corruptrix is a species of gall-forming wasp, in the genus Andricus. It is found in Europe.

Andricus inflator is a species of gall-forming wasps, in the genus Andricus, which has a sexual and an asexual generation, producing two different galls. The wasp was named by the German biologist Theodor Hartig, in 1840 and is found in Europe.

Andricus infectorius is a species of gall-forming wasp. The species was named by the German biologist Theodor Hartig, in 1843 and is found in Europe.

Disholcaspis quercusmamma, the oak rough bulletgall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. The quercus in its name is the genus name for oak, while "mamma" is Latin for "breast", presumably a reference to the "nipple" on the gall.

References

1 2 "Andricus curvator Hartig, 1840". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
1 2 Chinery, Michael (2011). Britain's Plant Galls. Old Basing: WildGuides Ltd. p. 16. ISBN 978-190365743-0.
1 2 Redfern, Margaret; Shirley, Peter; Boxham, Michael (2011). British Plant Galls (Second ed.). Shrewsbury: Field Study Council. pp. 231–260. ISBN 978-185153-284-1.
↑ Ellis, W N. "Andricus curvator Hartig, 1840 on Quercus, agamous generation". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

External links

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[fe-1] 1 2 "Andricus curvator Hartig, 1840". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

[chinery-2] 1 2 Chinery, Michael (2011). Britain's Plant Galls. Old Basing: WildGuides Ltd. p. 16. ISBN 978-190365743-0.

[pg-3] 1 2 Redfern, Margaret; Shirley, Peter; Boxham, Michael (2011). British Plant Galls (Second ed.). Shrewsbury: Field Study Council. pp. 231–260. ISBN 978-185153-284-1.

[4] Ellis, W N. "Andricus curvator Hartig, 1840 on Quercus, agamous generation". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

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