| Melikaiella flora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Morro Bay State Park, 2021 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Cynipidae |
| Genus: | Melikaiella |
| Species: | M. flora |
| Binomial name | |
| Melikaiella flora (Weld, 1922) | |
| Synonyms | |
Callirhytis milleri | |
Melikaiella flora, formerly Callirhytis milleri, the live oak petiole gall wasp, is a species of hymenopteran that produces leaf galls on coast live oak, interior live oak, and canyon live oak trees in California in North America. [1] [2] The gall often subsumes the entire petiole and occasionally part of the leaf body. [1] Pregnant females of the second generation oviposit on acorns; these acorns are usually dropped by the tree and become food for squirrels, deer, Steller's jays, etc. [1]
