Amphibolips zacatecaensis Melika & Pujade-Villar, new species

[Photos of this gall appear on page 6 of the pdf]

Gall (Figs 15–17). A rather large, subglobose, slightly spindle-shaped oak bud gall, with a nipple at the top. The body of the gall is quite globose, with greatest diameter near middle of the gall, up to 5.0 cm and 6.8 cm in length; from the middle the gall gradually tapering to a point (nipple) at the top. The gall is very thin-walled, light brown when mature, with smooth and naked surface; spongious internally, with radiating filaments and a central ovate, hard-walled larval chamber, with largest length of 5.0–6.5 mm.

Biology. Only the female is known, inducing galls on Quercus eduardi Trel. (Section Lobatae of Quercus, red oaks) which is found only in Mexico (Govaerts & Frodin 1998). The mature gall was collected in May and the dead adult wasp was cut out from the gall.

- George Melika, Armando Equihua-Martínez, Edith Estrada-Venegas, David Cibrian: (2011) New Amphibolips gallwasp species from Mexico (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)^©