Andricus quercuspetiolicola, also called the oak petiole gall wasp, is a species of oak gall wasp in the family Cynipidae.[1] Galls in which the larvae live and feed are formed along the midrib or petiole of white oak leaves.[1]
| Andricus quercuspetiolicola | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Cynipidae |
| Genus: | Andricus |
| Species: | A. quercuspetiolicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Andricus quercuspetiolicola (Bassett, 1863) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Range
This species occurs throughout the eastern half of North America where its host plants grow.[1][2][3][4]
Galls
The oak petiole gall wasp forms galls on white oaks, including Quercus alba, Q. bicolor, Q. montana, Q. macrocarpa, Q. michauxii, Q. prinoides, and Q. stellata.[1][2]
The galls of the sexual generation are round or club-shaped and formed on the petiole or midrib of the leaves in spring, with adults of both sexes emerging from galls in late June and early July.[1][2] The gall is a firm swelling with a scar at the apex and contains several cells, each with a larva.[1][2] It is initially green but becomes brown and woody as it ages.[1][2][5]
The galls and timing of the agamic generation are unknown.[3]
Parasitoids of the oak petiole gall wasp include the crypt-keeper wasp (Euderus set).[6]
Taxonomy
The adults were first described by Homer Franklin Bassett in 1863 with the name Cynips quercuspetiolicola, though the galls had been previously described by Carl Robert Osten-Sacken.[5] This species is now considered to be in the genus Andricus, and several other names are considered synonyms.[7]