Loxaulus vaccinii (Ashmead, 1887)

Solenozopheria vaccinii Ashmead, 1887: 134, 149 (only asexual females);
Compsodryoxenus humilis Weld, 1921: 190, 193 (asexual female and gall);
Loxaulus vaccinii (Ashmead); Weld (1951: 643);
Loxaulus humilis (Weld); Weld (1951: 643) [synonymized by Melika and Abrahamson (2000: 209)].

Solenozopheria Ashmead, 1887 was synonymized with Loxaulus Mayr, 1881 by Weld (1951: 643); hence Solenozopheria vaccinii was then recognized as Loxaulus vaccinii (Ashmead). This species had been described based on adult wasps reared from the wild low-bush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. (as V. pensylvanicum Lam.) and the northern highbush blueberry V. corymbosum L. Melika and Abrahamson (2000) determined that Ashmead (1887) had incorrectly associated the galls with the adult gall wasps, and that the real gall inducer on blueberries was Hemadas nubilipennis (Ashmead, 1887) [Chalcidoidea, Ormyridae (after Burks et al. 2022)]. The actual hosts of L. vaccinii are oaks, Quercus chapmanii Sarg. and Q. stellata Wangenh. (Weld 1921). Also, Melika and Abrahamson (2000: 209) synonymized Loxaulus humilis (Weld, 1921) with L. vaccinii. For future reference in the text, L. vaccinii, an oak galler that does not gall blueberry, has not undergone any other taxonomic change and has never been included in Callirhytis Foerster, 1869. This information is critical for assigning hosts for parasitoid species (see below).

Loxaulus vaccinii (Ashmead)

Solenozopheria vaccinii Ashmead
Loxaulus vaccinii Weld
Compsodryoxenus humilis Weld New Synonymy
Loxaulus humilis Weld

Comments.--The examination of all specimens of L humilis and L vaccinii show no differences between the two species. Descriptions of the galls for [L vaccinii and L humilis] are similar. L humilis causes a stem gall and not a real root gall as Weld suggested. The life histories of the two species are similar.

Distribution.--FL, ?Canada to Texas and Florida

Biology.--Only the unisexual generation is known. It induces stem galls, usually located at the base of young sprouts, with larval cells hidden under the bark on Quercus chapmanii and Q stellata. Galls occur in fall and contain adult wasps in November. The adults emerge the following early spring, in March to April. Ashmead suggested that the galls occur on Vaccinium corymbosum "but have bred but one fly." Ashmead incorrectly connected the gall and the gall-inducer.

Loxaulus vaccinii (Ashmead 1887)

Hosts: Quercus chapmanii

[Asexual generation stem swelling gall found in Florida in the fall.]