Burnettweldia californicordazi, sp. nov.
Agamic generation

Hosts: Quercus turbinella [Cf ID Notes for discussion of hosts]

[Photos provided on page 32 of the pdf; quickest link is through Zenodo]

Gall. (Figs 89–91). Detachable monolocular stem galls, globular, with glabrous surface, smooth, occur singly or in clusters of 2–5. Spherical gall of 12–15 mm in diameter, sometimes with a very small apical tip; the base of the gall wraps over the stem; larval chamber is spherical, positioned centrally, around 3 mm in diameter. The parenchyma tissue is woody, epidermal layer thin; color of growing galls pale green with white pile which turns reddish; mature galls light brown, not deciduous.

Biology. Galls develop in summer, mature in August; adults emerge in October. Galls on Q. turbinella.

Range: Baja California [Burnett 1977 lists in California as well]

Remarks. Burnettweldia californicordazi sp. nov. morphologically corresponds the description of W. californica, ms. name given by Burnett (1977). According to Burnett, this species was collected in different localities in California (USA), from San Diego to Lake County, inducing galls on Q. douglasii, Q. dumosa, Q. turbinella californica [john-tuckeri], and hybrids of Q. t. californica [john-tuckeri] with Q. lobata, Q. dumosa, and Q. engelmanni. Burnett (1977) mentioned he collected one male amongst more than 400 females but we suspect the only male he reared was actually a cynipid inquiline. Given the morphology of the females, the species described herein is definitely an asexual form. Burnett (1977) also mentioned that galls of his W. californica, now B. californicordazi sp. nov., are similar to those of Disholcaspis canescens (Bassett, 1890), and galls of W. californica and B. corallina comb. nov. were erroneously assigned as cotype galls of D. canescens.

- George Melika, Juli Pujade-Villar, James Nicholls, Victor Cuesta-Porta, Crystal Cooke-McEwen, Graham Stone: (2021) Three new Nearctic genera of oak cynipid gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini): Burnettweldia Pujade-Villar, Melika & Nicholls, Nichollsiella Melika, Pujade-Villar & Stone, Disholandricus Melika, Pujade-Villar & Nicholls; and re-establishment of the genus Paracraspis Weld^©