Bassettia flavipes (Gillette, 1889), comb. nov., asexual generation

Synonyms: Neuroterus flavipes Gillette 1889: 281. Male, female and gall. Description reprinted by Gillette (1890: 21). Beutenmüller (1910: 136) suggested that this species should probably be placed in Callirhytis or Andricus rather than Neuroterus. Kinsey (1923: 136) agreed, and left this species unplaced in his revision of Neuroterus. Callirhytis flavipes (Gillette): combination by Weld (1926: 91). Melika & Abrahamson (2002: 168) considered this species should belong to Andricus, however, this transfer was made only informally, without following the ICZN requirements.

Biology. Sexual generation galls are multilocular, fleshy swellings along the leaf midrib or major lateral veins (Fig. 94) and are visible starting in mid- to late May in Edmonton. Adults emerged starting in late June or early July, and males tended to begin emerging earlier than females. Each emerging adult appeared to cut its own exit hole from the gall. Adult females of the sexual generation of B. flavipes oviposited into twig bark. We did not assess whether unmated females oviposited or produced viable eggs. Sexual generation galls have been recorded from Q. macrocarpa and Q. alba (Burks 1979, Weld 1926), and the authors additionally observed them on Q. ⨯ bebbiana (Q. alba x Q. macrocarpa) and Q. ⨯ schuettei (Q. bicolor x Q. macrocarpa) at the Jardin Botanique de Montreal in August 2007.

Distribution. USA: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Virginia; Canada: Alberta, Ontario (Weld 1926, Burks 1979, Ives & Wong 1988, Bergdahl 2015). Within Canada, the authors have observed galls of the sexual generation on introduced bur oaks in Alberta, and on bur oaks within their native range in Manitoba and Quebec.

- James Nicholls, George Melika, Scott Digweed, Graham Stone: (2022) Pairing of sexual and asexual generations of Nearctic oak gallwasps, with new synonyms and new species names (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini)^©