Andricus highlandensis
(sexgen)sexgen:The sexual generation (AKA bisexual generation or sexgen) of an oak gall wasp (cynipini) species consists of both male and female wasps, which mate before the females lay eggs which will mature to form the all-female agamic generation.
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The gall's range is computed from the range of all hosts that the gall occurs on. In some cases we have evidence that the gall does not occur across the full range of the hosts and we will remove these places from the range. For undescribed species we will show the expected range based on hosts plus where the galls have been observed.
Our ID Notes may contain important tips necessary for distinguishing this gall
from similar galls and/or important information about the taxonomic status of
this gall inducer.
Diagnosis. Galls resemble those of A. quercusutriculus (Bassett, 1881); however, galls of A. highlandensis develop on Q. geminata while A. quercusutriculus is found on Q. alba, Q. chapmani and Q. stellata. Such host specificity at the level of oak section is typical of Nearctic oak gall wasps, with species galling section Virentes oaks (including Q. geminata) never attacking oaks in section Quercus s.s. (Abrahamson et al. 1998a,b, 2003) and vice versa.
Gall (Fig 158). Small rounded integral unilocular leaf gall, blister-like, 2.5–4 mm diameter (n = 50); most often develops on young and incompletely expanded leaves. Gall can be found anywhere on the leaf including the margin, petiole (often stopping leaf development) or end of leaf blade; commonly causes distortion of the leaf; green, covered in slight pale pubescence; very thin walled, with a spacious internal airspace in which the free-feeding larva develops. Old galls can persist on the leaves through the whole year.
Biology. Only a sexual generation is known, which induces galls on Q. geminata. The galls begin to develop in early April on unfolded young leaves. They mature very quickly and the adults beginning to emerge from late April–May.
Distribution. USA, Florida, Highlands Co. (Lake Placid, Archbold Biological Station), Martin Co. (Jonathan Dickinson State Park).
