''Andricus dimorphus'', also called the clustered midrib gall wasp, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of oak gall wasp in the family

Cynipidae Gall wasps, also incorrectly called gallflies, 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 genera ...

Galls Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...

in which the

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

live and feed are formed in clusters along the

midrib This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

on the underside of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

leaves. Weld, L. Hart. (1959). Cynipid galls of the Eastern United States. Ann Arbor, Mich.

Range

This species has been found throughout central and eastern North America where its

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

species occur.

Description

Confirmed hosts of the clustered midrib gall wasp are

white oak The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...

species, including ''

Quercus macrocarpa ''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub oa ...

'', ''

Q. alba Q is the seventeenth letter of the English alphabet. Q may also refer to: People * Q, pseudonym of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, the Cornish writer * Q, pseudonym used by the originator of QAnon, an American far-right conspiracy theory * Q, pseud ...

'', '' Q. prinoides'', and '' Q. bicolor''. Clusters of up to 50 globular (but with a pointed base), red-brown galls are formed along the midrib on the underside of leaves beginning in late summer. The galls readily detach from the leaf, particularly when mature. Adults emerge from the galls the following year.

Inquilines In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin ''inquilinus'', "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the h ...

and

parasitoids In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasi ...

may inhabit the galls.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by

William Beutenmuller William Beutenmuller (March 31, 1864 - February 24, 1934), was an American entomologist who served as curator of entomology at the American Museum of Natural History (1888-1912), editor of the '' Journal of the New York Entomological Society'' (18 ...

in 1913 with the name ''Cynips dimorphus.'' According to Clarence Gillette, William Ashmead had already used this name by 1889 for a species that produces galls similar to those of Beutenmuller's ''Cynips dimorphus''. This species was later transferred to the genus ''Adleria'' which itself was subsequently included within ''

Andricus ''Andricus'' is a genus of oak gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. Life cycle As in all Hymenoptera, sex-determination in species of the genus ''Andricus'' is governed by haplodiploidy: males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, an ...

''.Melika, G. & Abrahamson, W.G. (2002) Review of the World Genera of Oak Cynipid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini). ''In:'' Melika, G. & Thuróczy, C. (Eds.), ''Parasitic Wasps: Evolution, Systematics, Biodiversity and Biolog-ical Control''. ''International Symposium: “Parasitic Hymenoptera: Taxonomy and Biological Control” (14–17 May 2001, Kõszeg, Hungary).'' Agroinform, Budapest, pp. 150–190.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q55650933 Cynipidae Gall-inducing insects Oak galls Insects described in 1913 Taxa named by William Beutenmuller Hymenoptera of North America