Ethological-isolation
Guides
Synergus
inquiline oak gall wasps
Synergus is a genus of inquiline gall wasps in the tribe Synergini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae). Most species develop within galls induced by other cynipid wasps on oaks (Quercus), though some inhabit galls on chestnuts (Castanea). The genus is distributed worldwide, with notable diversity in the New World and Eastern Palaearctic. One species, S. itoensis, has independently evolved the ability to induce its own galls inside oak acorns, representing a rare transition from inquilinism to gall induction. Species are morphologically grouped by fore wing radial cell structure and mesopleural sculpture.