Mexico-biodiversity
Guides
Cynipini
Oak Gall Wasps
Cynipini is the largest tribe of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae, comprising approximately 936 to 1,000 described species. Members are commonly known as oak gall wasps due to their specialized association with oaks (Quercus) and other Fagaceae. The tribe is primarily distributed in the Holarctic region, with significant diversity also in Mexico and Central America. Cynipini species induce structurally diverse galls on various oak tissues including leaves, buds, branches, petioles, catkins, acorns, and roots. Most species exhibit cyclical parthenogenesis, alternating between sexual and asexual generations that often produce different gall morphotypes on the same or different host tissues.