Gall wasps, also traditionally calledgallflies, 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.
Dryocosmus are a genus of gall wasps. They are cyclically parthenogenetic insects that induce galls on plants in the family Fagaceae.
Neuroterus is a genus of gall wasps that induce galls on oaks in which the wasp larvae live and feed. Some species produce galls that fall off the host plant and 'jump' along the ground due to the movement of the larvae within.
Cynips is a genus of gall wasps in the tribe Cynipini, the oak gall wasps. One of the best known is the common oak gall wasp, which induces characteristic spherical galls about two centimeters wide on the undersides of oak leaves.
Biorhiza pallida, also known as the oak apple gall wasp, 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.
Cynipinae is a subfamily of gall wasps (Cynipidae). Many of the approximately 1,500 described species cause galls on oaks, but some induce galls on other plant species or are inquilines of the gall-inducing species. Species occur on all continents, except Antarctica, with most found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. All extant cynipid species are within Cynipinae since the only other recognized subfamily is Hodiernocynipinae, which is based on the fossil genus Hodiernocynips.
Cynipini is a tribe of gall wasps. These insects induce galls in plants of the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. They are known commonly as the oak gall wasps. It is the largest cynipid tribe, with about 936 to 1000 recognized species, most of which are associated with oaks. The tribe is mainly native to the Holarctic.
Acraspis is a genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. The following species are recognised in the genus Acraspis:
Aphelonyx is a genus of oak gall wasps in the family Cynipidae, comprising three known species:
Atrusca is a genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. It consists of approximately 50 species, and is found in North and Central America.
Synergini is a tribe of gall wasps in the subfamily Cynipinae.
Striatoandricus is a genus of Neotropical gall wasps (Cynipidae). There are six described species, four of which were formerly included in Andricus. All species induce galls on oaks in which their larvae live and feed.
Phylloteras is a North American genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae, tribe Cynipini .
Acraspis quercushirta, the jewel oak gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae, tribe Cynipini, found in North America.
Antron is a genus of gall wasps in the tribe Cynipini, the oak gall wasps. Some authors have included it within the genus Cynips but it was recently resurrected. The genus was established by Alfred Kinsey in 1930.
Druon is a genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. The type species is Druon protagion. Recognised species include:
Burnettweldia is a genus of oak gall wasps in the Nearctic.
Feron gigas, also known as the saucer gall wasp, is a species of gall-forming wasp in the genus Feron. It induces galls on the leaves of scrub oaks, blue oaks, and Engelmann oaks. The galls produced by its all-female generation, which emerges in winter, are 3-4 mm wide, circular with raised edges. They are red, pink, brown, or purple. The larval chamber exists as a raised bump in the gall's center. The bisexual generation produces galls that are brown and cone-shaped.
Burnettweldia plumbella, also known as the beaked twig gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp. Previously in the genus Disholcaspis, it was moved into a new genus, Burnettweldia, in 2021. This wasp induces galls on oak trees, including blue oak, leather oak, Muller's oak, and scrub oaks. The galls are up to 15 mm in diameter and brightly colored, coming in either red with yellow spots or green with yellow spots. Their name comes from the galls' pointed tip. Galls are formed in spring and summer, and adults emerge from them in November and December. The adult wasps are 3–4 mm in length.
Acraspis guadaloupensis is a relatively uncommon species of cynipid wasp that produces galls on intermediate oaks. The intermediate oak disc wasp was first described in 1911 and has been moved between genera more than once. Distribution is limited to California in North America. The flattened galls appear on leaves of Quercus chrysolepis, the canyon live oak.
