Neuroterus

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Neuroterus
Eikennapjesgal Neuroterus albipes forma laeviusculus-levelsadjust-mask.jpg
Neuroterus albipes
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Cynipidae
Tribe: Cynipini
Genus: Neuroterus
Hartig, 1840
Species

Many; see text

The galls of Neuroterus numismalis parthenogenetic generation on Quercus robur leaf Neuroterus numismalis 1 beentree.jpg
The galls of Neuroterus numismalis parthenogenetic generation on Quercus robur leaf

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.

Neuroterus saltatorius —formerly named Cynips saltatorius—produces such Mexican jumping bean-like jumping galls about 1 to 1.5 mm in diameter. [1] [2]

This genus was first described by Theodor Hartig in 1840. Like most oak gall wasps, Neuroterus species have two generations each year, one sexual and one asexual (or agamic). The galls induced by each generation of the same species are usually produced on different parts of the host plant.

Recent studies indicate this genus is poly- or paraphyletic, thus many species will likely be moved to other genera. [3]

Species include: [4] [5]

References

  1. W.P. Armstrong. "California's Amazing Jumping Galls" Archived 2015-02-17 at the Wayback Machine . 1997.
  2. Missouri Botanical Garden. "Jumping oak galls".
  3. Ward, Anna K. G.; Bagley, Robin K.; Egan, Scott P.; Hood, Glen Ray; Ott, James R.; Prior, Kirsten M.; Sheikh, Sofia I.; Weinersmith, Kelly L.; Zhang, Linyi; Zhang, Y. Miles; Forbes, Andrew A. (August 2022). "Speciation in Nearctic oak gall wasps is frequently correlated with changes in host plant, host organ, or both". Evolution. 76 (8): 1849–1867. doi:10.1111/evo.14562. ISSN   0014-3820. PMC   9541853 . PMID   35819249.
  4. George Melika; James A. Nicholls; Warren Abrahamson; Eileen A. Buss; Graham N. Stone (23 December 2021). "New species of Nearctic oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini)". Zootaxa . 5084 (1): 1–131. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5084.1.1. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   35390940. Wikidata   Q110307168.
  5. Pedro Ferreira Pinto Brandão-Dias; Y. Miles Zhang; Stacy Pirro; Camila C. Vinson; Kelly L. Weinersmith; Anna K.G. Ward; Andrew A. Forbes; Scott P. Egan (10 January 2022). "Describing biodiversity in the genomics era: A new species of Nearctic Cynipidae gall wasp and its genome". Systematic Entomology . 47: 94–112. doi:10.1111/SYEN.12521. ISSN   0307-6970. Wikidata   Q110526665.
  6. 1 2 Russo, Ronald A. (2021). Plant galls of the Western United States. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 300. ISBN   978-0-691-21340-8. OCLC   1239984577.