Acraspis quercushirta | |
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adult female, Aug 31 2020 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Cynipidae |
Genus: | Acraspis |
Species: | A. quercushirta |
Binomial name | |
Acraspis quercushirta Bassett, 1864 | |
Synonyms | |
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Acraspis quercushirta, the jewel oak gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae, tribe Cynipini (oak gall wasps), found in North America.
Hosts are white oaks, including bur oak, Gambel oak, Chapman oak, swamp chestnut oak, and chestnut oak.
Ecology and Life History
Like most oak gall wasps, this species has two generations per year - one asexual (or agamic) and one sexual, with each generation producing distinct galls. The wingless females of the asexual generation emerge from their galls in fall and climb up an oak tree to oviposit in bud scales thereby inducing the gall development. These inconspicuous galls and their larval inhabitants overwinter and continue their development in spring before adults emerge in late May and early June. These sexual generation adults mate and the females oviposit on veins on the underside of host leaves. The induced gall is detachable, oval in shape, and the color can range from white to yellowish to tan or brown. The surface is fissured into facets that end in a short, hard point, reminiscent of jewelry. These galls typically fall with the leaves in autumn with the asexual female adults emerging shortly thereafter.
References
- ^ James A. Nicholls; George Melika; Scott C. Digweed; Graham N. Stone (1 June 2022). "Pairing of sexual and asexual generations of Nearctic oak gallwasps, with new synonyms and new species names (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini)". Zootaxa. 5145: 1–79. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5145.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. Wikidata Q113387522.
- ^ Lewis H. Weld (1959), Cynipid Galls of the Eastern United States, Ann Arbor: self-publishing, OCLC 4854623, Wikidata Q100986199
- Graham N Stone; Karsten Schonrogge; Rachel J Atkinson; David Bellido; Juli Pujade-Villar (1 January 2002). "The population biology of oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)". Annual Review of Entomology. 47: 633–668. doi:10.1146/ANNUREV.ENTO.47.091201.145247. ISSN 0066-4170. PMID 11729087. Wikidata Q34453785.
- George Melika; Warren G. Abrahamson (2002). "Review of the World Genera of Oak Cynipid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini)". In George Melika; Csaba Thuróczy (eds.). Parasitic wasps : evolution, systematics, biodiversity and biological control : International Symposium : Parasitic Hymenoptera : Taxonomy and Biological Control (14-17 May 2001, Kőszeg, Hungary). pp. 150–190. ISBN 978-963-502-765-1.
- "Acraspis macrocarpae Bassett". Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
- "Acraspis macrocarpae Bassett, 1890". Discover Life.
- Weld, Lewis H. (January 2002). "Gall-inhabiting Cynipid Wasps". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 68: 58.
- Felt, Ephraim Porter (1940). Plant Galls and Gall Makers. Comstock Publishing Company, Inc., Ithaca NY – via HathiTrust Digital Library.
- "Species Acraspis macrocarpae - Jewel Oak Gall Wasp". BugGuide.net.
Taxon identifiers | |
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Acraspis quercushirta | |
Acraspis macrocarpae |