Andricus dimorphus

Species of oak gall wasp

Andricus dimorphus

Andricus dimorphus galls on bur oak
Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Arthropoda
Class:  | Insecta
Order:  | Hymenoptera
Family:  | Cynipidae
Genus:  | Andricus
Species:  |

A. dimorphus

Binomial name
Andricus dimorphus

(Beutenmuller, 1913)

Synonyms

* Cynips dimorphus
* Adleria dimorpha

Andricus dimorphus, also called the clustered midrib gall wasp, is a species of oak gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. Galls in which the larvae live and feed are formed in clusters along the midrib on the underside of oak leaves.[1]

## Range

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This species has been found throughout central and eastern North America where its host species occur.[1][2][3]

## Description

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Confirmed hosts of the clustered midrib gall wasp are white oak species, including Quercus macrocarpa, Q. alba, Q. prinoides, and Q. bicolor.[1][2] 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.[1][2][3] The galls readily detach from the leaf, particularly when mature.[1][2][3] Adults emerge from the galls the following year.[2][3] Inquilines and parasitoids may inhabit the galls.[4]

## Taxonomy

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This species was first described by William Beutenmuller in 1913 with the name Cynips dimorphus.[2] 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.[5] This species was later transferred to the genus Adleria which itself was subsequently included within Andricus.[6]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e Weld, L. Hart. (1959). Cynipid galls of the Eastern United States. Ann Arbor, Mich.
2. ^ a b c d e f Beutenmuller, William (1913). "Descriptions of new Cynipidae". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 39: 243–248.
3. ^ a b c d Gillette, C.P. (1890). "The gall-producing Cynipidae of Iowa". Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Sciences. 1: 110–114.
4. ^ Ward, Anna K. G.; Sheikh, Sofia I.; Forbes, Andrew A. (2020-11-01). "Diversity, Host Ranges, and Potential Drivers of Speciation Among the Inquiline Enemies of Oak Gall Wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)". Insect Systematics and Diversity. 4 (6). doi:10.1093/isd/ixaa017.
5. ^ Gillette, C. P. (1889). "Notes on Certain Cynipidae With Descriptions of New Species". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 5 (156): 183–188\. doi:10.1155/1889/26024.
6. ^ 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.

Taxon identifiers

Andricus dimorphus|

* Wikidata: Q55650933
* BugGuide: 356978
* iNaturalist: 479866