Aulacidea ambrosiaecola
Ragweed stem gall wasp

Host: Ragweed (Ambrosia sp.).

Gall location: On the stem.

Range: Missouri.

This species was described from adult wasps apparently reared from a gall on the stem of a ragweed plant. Nothing is known of the gall, as William Ashmead, who described this species, was sent only a handful of wasps by a friend, who only provided meager notes on their supposed biology, including a possible association with a moth. Nothing further is known of this species, and it has not been encountered since with the exception of a few unverifiable specimens from museum collections. If these museum records are considered correct, the ragweed stem gall wasp may induce cryptic galls rather than outwardly-perceptible galls.

- Louis Nastasi, Charles Davis: (2022) Field Guide to the Herb and Bramble Gall Wasps of North America^©