Andricus championi

Cynips ashmeadi
Cynips championi
Cynips championii

The gall was described as a twig gall by Cameron in 18S3 from Chiriqui, Mexico, collected by a Mr. Champion. Later Doctor Duges sent specimens of a large woody gall (the largest now preserved measures 11 by 8 by 7 cm.) to Doctor Ashmead, who curiously enough considered it to be a root gall and as such described it together with the maker under the name of Andricus championi. It is a true Andricus, and the three types are in the United States National Museum together with the nine galls and eight other flics from the same locality not labeled as types. Thinking that this was a root gall and hence different from Cameron's, the authors of the Tierreich monograph gave it the new name of ashmeadi. As Craw- ford has pointed out, however, Doctor Duges later wrote to Dr. L. O. Howard that he had never sent any root galls to Ashmead, and the specimens in the National Museum plainly show that they are twig galls, and without doubt they are the same as those described by Cameron. The species should then take the name which Ashmead gave it and be credited to him, as he was the first to rear and describe the maker.

In August, 1910, the writer saw these galls (Plate 31, fig. 13) fairly common on the oaks which grow on the higher slopes of the mountains at the west end of Lake Chapala above San Pedro in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. The fresh galls were only partly grown and although solid, were easily cut with a knife. They were grayish in color and the surface quite smooth, usually terminal on branches of large spreading trees. The old galls are harder, darker, and rougher and seem to persist on the tree for years. The largest gall seen was given to the writer by Mr. Dwight R. Furness who collected it near Ocotlan, Jalisco. It measures 16 by 12 cm. and is thus about twice as large as the specimen before Doctor Ashmead, which he called "the largest oak gall in the world." This species is here included merely because it has been erroneously considered to be a root gall.

2. Cynips championi

The gall is broader than long, having a breadth of about 2 1/2 inches and a length of 2 inches, the surface largely indented, of a leathery texture, and so hard that it can only be cut with difficulty; the inside is also hard and is of a close compact spongy nature. Its color closely resembles that of the twigs. Intersected through it at irregular intervals are oval cells about 1 1/2 millim. in length. The outer margin of the cells is hard, woody, and white. The gall is situated at the end of a twig.

Odontocynips championi (Cameron, 1883)n. comb. (Figs. 1, 2 & 5A-D)

GALL (Figs. 5B & D). The galls arc tuberous and are the largest oak galls of Panama, reaching in diameter 45 to 100 mm. They are strongly woody, irregular, often with large aggregates of clusters of smaller galls visible, polythalamous, with rugose surface, light grayish with light green tones similar to the color of the bark when fresh (Fig. 5B) and light brown when mature (Fig. 5D). When fresh, the galls are moderately hard, but they become very hard when mature, making them very difficult to dissect. The larval cells are rounded and are in the center of the hard parenchyma (Fig. 5D). The galls are formed in stems and twigs of Quercus bumelioides Liebm.

DISTRIBUTION. O. championi is a common gall found between 1500-3000 m a.s.l. at Volcan Baru, Chiriqui, Panama.

BIOLOGY. Only the asexual generation is known, inducing galls on Quercus bumelioides (section Quercus). The galls are common and can be found throughout the year in different grades of maturation on the oak branches. The old galls remain on the trees for years. The wasps emerged from November to January.