Andricus sternlichti Bellido, Pujade-Villar & Melika, 2003

Shachar, Einat, Melika, George, Inbar, Moshe & Dorchin, Netta, 2018, The oak gall wasps of Israel (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Cynipini) - diversity, distribution and life history, Zootaxa 4521 (4), pp. 451-498 : 467-468

Andricus sternlichti Bellido, Pujade-Villar & Melika, 2003

Host plants. Israel: Q. boissieri , Q. pedunculiflora . Elsewhere: Q. pubescens , Q. infectoria and a few other species of section Quercus .

Life history. Known only from the bud galls of the asexual generation,which are spherical, single-chambered, 20–22 mm in diameter, attached to the branch by a very short stalk and bear several pointed projections often joined by ridges ( Fig. 20 ). Young galls are green and fleshy, turning pale brown and extremely hard when mature. Molecular phylogenetic work ( Stone et al. 2008) suggests that if a sexual generation exists, it probably induces galls on oaks of section Cerris.

Phenology. Galls begin to develop in May and adults emerge from them in early October, after which the galls may remain on the tree for several years.

Distribution. Israel: Common throughout the distribution range of Q. boissieri . Elsewhere: widespread from France to Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Comments. Galls of this species are of the most common cynipid galls on Q. boissieri in Israel and are also frequently observed on the introduced Q. pedunculiflora that is commonly planted in gardens and public areas.

The species is named after Sternlicht, who recognized that it was undescribed and intended to describe it as “ Andricus carmelis ”. However, the species was described only in 2003 by Bellido et al., who eliminated the confusion between it and A. gallaetinctoriae and A. tinctoriusnostrus .

Figures

FIGURES 17–22. Galls on Quercus boissieri. 17. Andricus coriariformis, asexual generation; 18. Andricus moreae, asexual generation; 19. Andricus sp. 1, asexual generation; 20. Andricus sternlichti, asexual generation; 21. Andricus megatruncicolus, asexual generation; 22. Biorhiza pallida, sexual generation.