Holcaspis ficigera

Loxaulis ficigera

Cynips q ficigera

Holcaspis succinipes

Andricus succinipes

Cynips quercus succinipes

Disholcaspis quercussuccinipes

Disholcaspis succinipes

Disholcaspis virens

Disholcaspis quercusvirens

Cynips quercusficigera

Arizona

California

New Mexico

Cynipidae

Disholcaspis

Quercus geminata

Alabama

Florida

Georgia

Louisiana

Mississippi

North Carolina

South Carolina

Quercus minima

Quercus virginiana

Oklahoma

Texas

Virginia

Cynipid galls of the eastern United States

Life History, Natural Enemies, and Management of Disholcaspis quercusvirens (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) on Live Oak Trees

Disholcaspis quercusvirens (agamic)

Cynips q. succinipes n. sp.

The Bud-like Gall of the Live Oak

This gall seems to have been entirely overlooked by all observers; it is difficult to see why, for although not nearly so plentiful as the previously described species [Callirhytis quercusbatatoides], it is yet by no means rare and quite noticeable upon the ends of the twigs.

Gall.--Clusters of from five to twenty small galls crowded around a terminal twig or branch; globular or bud-like in form; externally yellowish-brown with a surface like buckskin, becoming black with age; internally hard and tough with a single kernel hard and smooth. Diameter from .10 to 0.2 inch.

On the CYNIPIDOUS GALLS of Florida (1881)

Holcaspis succinipes (Ashmead)

Cynip q succinipes 
Andricus succinipes
Holcaspis succinipes

Gall. (Plate VII, Fig. 11; Plate VIII, Fig. 14.) In clusters of from five to twenty or more crowded around a terminal twig or branch of live oak (Quercus virginiana). Globular or bud-shaped with a broad flattened or excavate base. Yellowish brown, with a surface like buckskin, becoming blackish brown with age. Internally hard, and tough with a single hard, smooth larval cell. Diameter 3 to 6 mm. 

Habitat. Florida. 

The types are in the United States National Museum

The species of Holcaspis and their galls

Holcaspis succinipes (Ashmead)

Cynip q succinipes 
Andricus succinipes
Holcaspis succinipes

Gall. (Plate VII, Fig. 11; Plate VIII, Fig. 14.) In clusters of from five to twenty or more crowded around a terminal twig or branch of live oak (Quercus virginiana). Globular or bud-shaped with a broad flattened or excavate base. Yellowish brown, with a surface like buckskin, becoming blackish brown with age. Internally hard, and tough with a single hard, smooth larval cell. Diameter 3 to 6 mm. 

Habitat. Florida. 

The types are in the United States National Museum

Holcapsis ficigera (Ashmead)

Cynips q ficigera
Loxaulis ficigera
Holcaspis ficigera

Gall. (Plate VIII, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5.) In clusters thickly crowded together around a twig of live oak (Quercus virginiana) compressing each other and shaped accordingly. Outwardly they resemble compressed figs and are of a yellowish brown color. When not compressed they are rounded with a flattened base. Hard and woody and covered with a felt-like substance. Internally the gall is hard and surrounds a smooth kernel, which is plainly visible on detaching a gall, a part of the kernel being imbedded, and when detached it leaves an indentation in the twig. 

Habitat. Georgia; Florida; Kansas. 

The types are in the United States National Museum.

Disholcaspis virens (Ashmead)

Cynips q ficus Ashmead
Cynips q ficigera Ashmead
Holcaspis ficigera Ashmead
Disholcaspis quercus-ficigera Ashmead
Disholcaspis ficigera Ashmead

Host. — Quercus virginiana Miller and Quercus geminata Small. 

Habitat. — The writer has collected galls on Quercus virginiana at Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ocala, Cottondale, Marianna, River Junction, Carrabelle, Live Oak, and Daytona, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Cuero, Texas. He has galls from Mobile Bay (James Hayes), Billy Island, Georgia (Dr. J. C. Bradley); and Victoria County, Texas (J. D. Mitchell). He has collected galls on Quercus geminata at Car- rabelle, Clearwater, and Daytona Beach, Florida. 

Biology.— Growing galls are found in October secreting honey-dew and frequented by flies, wasps, and yellow jackets. Galls from Texas sent to Evanston, Illinois, gave flies December 14. Others remained inside the galls and were cut out alive on December 20 and February 6. Under natural conditions emergence is probably in late fall. When attacked by quest-flies, which make cells in distal parts of the gall, the size of the gall is much reduced. 

American gallflies of the family Cynipidae producing subterranean galls on oak

Disholcaspis virens (Ashm.)

Quercus virginiana, geminata
Stem galls, detachable
Cluster of hard, brown matte-surfaced galls crowded around a twig. 

[Photo caption]
On Q. virginiana. Also on Q. geminata. Adults emerge in December.

Disholcaspis succinipes (Ashm.)

Quercus virginiana, geminata
Stem galls, detachable
Cluster of 5-20 crowded around a terminal twig. Globular, yellowish brown, surface like buckskin, hard, 3-6 mm in dia. Entered from literature.

[Photo caption (no photo included)]
On Q. virginiana. Cluster of 5-20 globular galls, 3-6 mm in dia., with a buckskin surface. Described from one adult (FL). Gall not recognized in the field. 

Disholcaspis quercussuccinipes
Disholcaspis quercusvirens

Hosts: Quercus geminata, minima

[Asexual generation detachable stem galls found in the fall]

Using gall wasps on oaks to test broad ecological concepts

Disholcaspis quercusvirens (Ashmead, 1881) agamic

Cynips quercusvirens
Cynips quercussuccinipes syn. nov.
Andricus (Andricus) virens 
Andricus (Andricus) succinipes 
Cynips quercusficigera
Holcaspis succinipes
Holcaspis ficigera 

Hosts: Quercus virginiana Mill., Q. geminata Small and Q. minima (Sarg.) Small.

[Melika et al synonymize Ashmead's Cynips virens and succinipes, recount the taxonomic history of these two species, and present photos of the asexual generation galls on the stem.]

The asexual galls form through the summer and mature in autumn. Adult asexual females emerge from late autumn.

Distribution USA:Florida,  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  Mississippi,   Louisiana   and   Texas   (Burks   1979).   Disholcaspis quercussuccinipes was thought to be restricted to Florida (Burks 1979).

Life Cycle of Disholcaspis quercusvirens (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) with a Description of the Sexual Generation

Disholcaspis quercusvirens

Bullet galls were initiated by the sexual generation of D. quercusvirens during early shoot expansion in the spring. Slight stem swellings were visible by June, and small red-colored bullet galls with soft and spongy tissue (Fig. 1A) emerged through the bark by August. A sweet and sticky exudate occurred on the bullet galls from August to mid-October, when only larvae were present inside the galls. This exudate attracted red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren), velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) (Fig. 1B), and paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), and supported sooty mold growth (Fig. 1C). D. quercusvirens bullet galls were mature and woody (Fig. 1D) in the fall, reaching their maximum diameter by November (Fig. 2).

Mean maximum bullet gall diameter was 7.7 ± 0.1 mm in 2007 and 4.8 ± 0.1 mm in 2008 on the trees at the nursery (Fig. 2). Compound galls were 30.4 ± 1.6 mm in length with 9.3 ± 0.6 bullet galls per compound gall (range: 1–44 bullet galls) in 2007 and 25.5 ± 1.4 mm in length with 11.0 ± 0.9 bullet galls per compound gall (range: 1–52 bullet galls) in 2008.

Asexual females (Fig. 3A) emerged during cold weather periods from late-November through January and oviposited into dormant buds (1.3 ± 0.07 mm in length, 1.2 ± 0.09 mm in width at base). Females (n = 20) carried 64.0 ± 3.0 eggs (range: 43–88 eggs). All eggs within female abdomens appeared to be of similar size, but dimensions were not measured.

In total, 1,650 bullet galls were collected from 1 August to 18 December 2007, and 91.3% were parasitized (Table 1). The natural enemy complex included species of Synergus (Cynipidae), Eupelmus (Eupelmidae), Eurytoma and Sycophila (Eurytomidae), Ormyrus (Ormyridae), and Acaenacis (Pteromalidae) (Fig. 4).

Bullet gall height, diameter, and number of bullet galls per compound stem gall were influenced by the gall inhabitant. Bullet galls containing D. quercusvirens and parasitoids in 2007 were significantly wider than those containing inquilines. Bullet galls with live D. quercusvirens were significantly taller than those containing parasitoids or inquilines. Furthermore, compound galls with more than five bullet galls in a cluster produced more D. quercusvirens than compound galls having five or fewer bullet galls.

Bullet galls from which gall makers successfully emerged did not produce any parasitoids or inquilines. However, two or more parasitoids and/or inquilines emerged from many D. quercusvirens bullet galls and presumably killed or out-competed the gall maker. Although inquilines are phytophagous, their development may cause gall maker death because of overcrowding or competition.