Cynipidae
Guides
Phanacis hypochoeridis
Catsear Gall Wasp
Phanacis hypochoeridis is a gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It induces galls on plants in the Asteraceae family, specifically on catsear (Hypochaeris radicata) and related species. The species is native to Europe and has been introduced to other regions including Oceania. As a gall-former, it manipulates host plant tissue to create a protective structure for its developing larvae.
Philonix fulvicollis
Philonix fulvicollis is a gall wasp species in the family Cynipidae, first described by Fitch in 1859. It has an alternation of sexual and asexual generations, a phenomenon confirmed through molecular analysis of cytb and ITS2 sequences. The species is distributed across eastern and central North America, with records from the United States and Canada. Like other cynipid wasps, it induces gall formation on host plants, though specific host associations require further documentation.
Philonix gigas
Philonix gigas is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae, first described by Weld in 1922. The genus Philonix is part of the diverse Cynipidae family, which comprises insects known for inducing plant galls. As with many Cynipidae species, specific biological details for P. gigas remain poorly documented in available literature. The species name 'gigas' suggests relatively large size compared to congeners, though this has not been quantified in accessible sources.
Phylloteras
Phylloteras is a North American genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae, tribe Cynipini. These insects are specialized associates of oak trees (Quercus), inducing galls on leaves. The genus contains at least 4 described species, with estimates suggesting up to 11 species may exist. As members of the oak gall wasp tribe, they exhibit the characteristic life history of alternating generations between sexual and asexual forms, often with distinct gall morphologies for each generation.
Protobalandricus spectabilis
Tapered Stem Gall Wasp
Protobalandricus spectabilis is a gall wasp species in the family Cynipidae, originally described as Andricus spectabilis by Kinsey in 1922 and later transferred to the genus Protobalandricus by Nicholls, Stone & Melika in 2018. It is commonly known as the Tapered Stem Gall Wasp. The species is part of the diverse Cynipini tribe, which includes numerous gall-inducing wasps associated with oaks and related plants. As a cynipid wasp, it induces the formation of plant galls during its life cycle, though specific gall morphology and host associations for this species require further documentation.
Sphaeroteras
Sphaeroteras is a genus of cynipid wasps established by Ashmead in 1897. It is currently recognized as a synonym of Biorhiza, a genus of gall wasps that induce galls on oak trees. Records from Scandinavia suggest these wasps are associated with temperate European oak woodlands.
Striatoandricus
Striatoandricus is a genus of Neotropical gall wasps in the family Cynipidae, established by Pujade-Villar in 2020. The genus comprises approximately six described species, with four species transferred from the genus Andricus. Despite morphological similarities to Andricus, phylogenetic analyses indicate the two genera are not closely related. The genus name refers to the striations on the metasomal segments combined with its superficial resemblance to Andricus.
Synergini
inquiline gall wasps
Synergini is a tribe of inquiline gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. Members have lost the ability to induce their own galls and instead inhabit galls created by other cynipid wasps, primarily those in tribe Cynipini. The tribe includes genera such as Synergus, Saphonecrus, Lithosaphonecrus, and Ufo. Most species are associated with oaks (Quercus) and related Fagaceae. A 2015 taxonomic revision transferred three former Synergini genera to other tribes: Ceroptres to its own tribe Ceroptresini, and Periclistus and Synophromorpha to Diastrophini.
Trigonaspis
Trigonaspis is a genus of cynipid wasps in the family Cynipidae, tribe Cynipini. These insects are gall wasps that induce galls on host plants. The genus was established by Hartig in 1840 and is part of the diverse radiation of oak gall wasps and related lineages.
Trigonaspis polita
Trigonaspis polita is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae, originally described as Cynips polita by Bassett in 1881. The species was later transferred to the genus Trigonaspis. Like other cynipids, it is associated with the formation of plant galls, though specific gall morphology and host associations for this species require further documentation. The genus Trigonaspis is part of the diverse Cynipidae family, which contains numerous species that induce galls on oaks and related plants.
Trigonaspis quercusforticorne
Trigonaspis quercusforticorne is a cynipid wasp that induces galls on oak trees. It is one of several oak gall wasps in the genus Trigonaspis, which are characterized by their distinctive gall formations on specific host tissues. The species has been documented across multiple European countries and is associated with Quercus species. Its biology and life history follow the typical pattern of unilocular cynipid galls with alternating sexual and asexual generations.
Trigonaspis radicola
Trigonaspis radicola is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. The species is known for inducing root galls on oak species (Quercus), distinguishing it from many cynipids that form galls on above-ground plant parts. Like other members of the tribe Cynipini, it has a complex life cycle involving alternating sexual and asexual generations, typically associated with different oak host species or plant structures. The species name 'radicola' (meaning 'root-dwelling') reflects its distinctive subterranean gall-forming habit.
Xanthoteras eburneum
Xanthoteras eburneum is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It is one of several North American species in the genus Xanthoteras, which induce distinctive galls on oak trees (Quercus spp.). The species is primarily known from observations of its characteristic galls rather than the adult wasps themselves.
Zapatella
Zapatella is a genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. The genus includes at least one well-documented species, Z. davisae, which has become a significant pest of black oak (Quercus velutina) in the northeastern United States. Gall wasps in this genus induce gall formation on oak hosts. The genus was described in 2012 by Pujade-Villar & Melika.
Zapatella davisae
black oak gall wasp
Zapatella davisae is a cynipid gall wasp (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) described in 2016 that has become a significant pest of black oak (Quercus velutina) in the northeastern United States. Larvae develop under bark in late summer, with adults emerging in early spring. The species has undergone notable population outbreaks on Long Island, NY (first documented 1990), Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, MA (2008), and more recently in coastal Rhode Island and Nantucket, MA. High parasitism rates by Sycophila species can lead to rapid population collapse, as observed on Long Island in 2016.
Zapatella quercusmedullae
Oak Rough Bulletgall Wasp
Zapatella quercusmedullae is a gall wasp in the family Cynipidae that induces galls on oak trees (Quercus). The species was transferred from Andricus to Zapatella based on phylogenetic studies. It produces distinctive bullet-shaped galls on twigs and branches of host oaks. The wasp has an alternating sexual and asexual generation life cycle typical of many Cynipini.
Zapatella quercusphellos
Zapatella quercusphellos is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It is known to induce galls on oaks (Quercus species). The species was described by Carl Robert Osten Sacken and has been documented in the northeastern United States. It belongs to a genus of cynipid wasps specialized on oak hosts.