Besbicus heldae, formerly Cynips heldae, also known as the thorny gall wasp or thorn gall wasp, is an uncommon species of cynipid wasp that induces bud galls on Oregon oak and valley oak trees on the west coast of North America.[1] Fresh gall are rose pink, measure 6–16 mm in diameter, and have a "mealy-granular" surface and possibly overlapping, disorderly looking "spikes".[1] Galls are detachable and turn brown as they age.[1] This gall superficially resembles the galls induced by Burnettweldia corallina or Cynips quercusechinus.[2]
| Besbicus heldae | |
|---|---|
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| Yolo County, California, 2021 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Cynipidae |
| Genus: | Besbicus |
| Species: | B. heldae
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| Binomial name | |
| Besbicus heldae (Kinsey, 1929)
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| Synonyms | |
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Russo, Ronald A. (2021). Plant Galls of the Western United States. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 106. doi:10.1515/9780691213408. ISBN 978-0-691-21340-8. LCCN 2020949502. OCLC 1239984577. S2CID 238148746.
- ^ "Thorn Gall Wasp (Cynips heldae)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
External links
edit
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