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.
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.
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.
Andricus is a genus of oak gall wasps in the family Cynipidae.
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.
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 opertus, the fimbriate gall wasp, is a species of wasp in the family Cynipidae whose bisexual generation induces elongate, spiky galls on the leaves of various species of oaks in California, including valley oak and scrub oak. The galls of the bisexual generation form in spring, adults emerge in late spring, and galls persist on trees until the fall. The unisexual generation of this species forms aborted bud galls in the summer and fall.
Feron kingi, the red cone gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae.
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.
Synergus japonicus is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. Whereas most gall wasps create the galls in which they live, Synergus japonicus is an inquiline species, living in the gall created by another species of wasp. It is native to Japan, China and Russia.
Cynips quercusechinus, the urchin gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It induces galls in the leaves and leaf buds of blue oak and scrub oak. Like other oak gall wasps, it has two generations: a bisexual generation, and a parthenogenic female generation. In spring, the hatching bisexual generation produces hollow green galls in leaf buds. In summer, the unisexual generation induces its galls, which are red or pink and resemble sea urchins, on the undersides of leaves. These galls are about 10 millimetres (0.39 in) in diameter. The galls fall with the leaves in autumn, and the larvae inside of them emerge as adults in the spring and lay their eggs.
Druon fullawayi, also known as the yellow wig gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It was previously placed in the genus Andricus. William Beutenmüller described the female adult wasps as 1.5-2.25 mm long, black with brown mouth parts and brown legs. The galls of D. fullawayi are tan or yellow, woolly, and measure 5-8 mm in diameter. Each gall holds a single chamber for larvae. They are found in California on oak trees, especially Quercus lobata.
Feron crystallinum, also known as the crystalline gall wasp, is a species of gall-forming wasp in the genus Feron. Its galls are pink and covered in hairs that are white, red, or brown. These galls are often massed together in clumps that can cover the underside of leaves. Individual galls are 12–14 mm high, 7 mm across, and have a single chamber for larvae. The unisexual female generation emerges in late winter, and the bisexual generation of males and females emerges in March. They are found in all species of oaks in California.
Feron parmula, also known as the disc gall wasp, is a species of oak gall wasp in the genus Feron. It induces galls in a wide selection of oak species, especially white oaks, and including hybrids. The galls are disc-shaped, up to 3 mm in diameter, and pale with red streaking. Adult females emerge in April. The galls induced by F. parmula superficially resemble the galls of Feron gigas,Andricus viscidus, and newly identified species called the "plate gall wasp" and the "orange-cap gall wasp" by Ronald Russo. Galls induced by this wasp have been documented in Oregon and California on the Pacific coast of North America.
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.
Feron pattersonae, also known as the plate gall wasp, is a species of oak gall wasp in the genus Feron. Their hosts are among the white oaks grouping of oaks, with blue oak being common.
Andricus brunneus, also known as the clustered gall wasp, is a species of oak gall wasp in the genus Andricus. It lives along the Pacific Coast of North America. Only females of this species are known. Adults are brown or reddish-brown and about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long. It induces round galls on the leaves of white oaks, especially blue oaks. These galls are usually found in clusters, reddish to light brown, and about 6 millimetres (0.24 in) in diameter. Each holds a single larval chamber, from which adult females emerge in autumn.
Feron bakkeri, also known as the pinched leaf gall wasp, is a relatively uncommon species of gall-inducing hymenopteran. They produce pink leaf galls on Oregon oaks and scrub oaks. The distribution of this wasp is California and Oregon in North America. It was previously placed in the genus Andricus.
Besbicus is a genus of gall-inducing cynipid wasp found in North America. Several species now classed as Besbicus were formerly considered to be a part of the genus Cynips. Besbicus was originally described as a subgenus by Alfred Kinsey in 1929. Circa 2010, one group of entomologists noted that it was "possible that the nearctic genera Antron and Besbicus were erroneously synonymized to Cynips".
Feron is a genus of oak gall wasps in the Nearctic. It was established by Alfred Kinsey in 1937, then re-established in 2023.
