Amphibolips quercuspomiformis

Apple Gall Wasp (unisexual generation)

Live Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Callirhytis quercuspomiformis (agamic)

Cynips quercus pomiformis

Andricus pomiformis

Callirhytis rossi

Callirhytis maculipennis

Andricus yosemite

Callirhytis pomiformis

Andricus pomiformis var. maculipennis

Oregon

Cynipidae

Amphibolips

Quercus agrifolia

California

Quercus kelloggii

Quercus wislizeni

Cynipid Galls of the Pacific Slope

Amphibolips quercuspomiformis (agamic)

Andricus yosemite, sp. nov.

Gall. — On the twig of Quercus chrysolepidis, in August. Polythalamous. Irregularly rounded or almost globular, with a small nipple at the apex. It is covered with many short spine-like projections. The surface is also somewhat wrinkled. Light yellowish brown, with some of the spines tipped with pink. Inside it is completely filled with a light brown porous or pulpy substance, and at the base at the place of attachment to the twig are a number of hard oval larval chambers close together, and imbedded in the soft part of the gall. Diameter about 20 mm. Larval chamber 4 mm. long. Habitat. — Foot of Yosemite Falls, alt. 4,000 feet, Sierra Nevada, California. (Alfred C. Burrill.) 

Described from five females cut from the gall. The species is allied to A. singularis and A osten-sackenii in sculpture of the head, thorax and scutellum. 

Two new species of Cynipidae

Andricus pomiformis

Hosts: Quercus agrifolia, wislizenii

GALL. — Spherical, smooth, compact, in section suggesting an apple with seeds about the core. Polythalamous, often with fifty or more larval cells. More or less perfectly spherical, rarely flattened, or elongate ovate; of all sizes up to 55. mm., averaging nearer 40. mm. in diameter; the surface sometimes entirely smooth, usually finely, irregularly pitted and cracked, sometimes set with low, raised lines or irregular rows of low tubercles radiating more or less from the slightly pointed tip of the gall ; brilliant, rich apple red when fresh, with some apple green and lighter green, becoming bright brownish yellow on aging, weathering darker. Internally like compacted sawdust, crystalline, spongy only in old and weathered specimens; with a hard, woody core originating from the point of attachment, the core flaring and somewhat branching in the center of the gall, with the larval cells arranged radiantly in the extremities of this core, mostly in a single layer centrally of the gall; each cell averaging 2. x 4. mm., with a distinct and easily separable, thin-walled lining. Laterally, less often terminally, attached by a small point, sessile on twigs of Quercus agrifolia and Q. Wislizenii. 

RANGE. — California: from the Mexican border to Dunsmuir and Ukiah. 

This is one of the most prominent of Californian galls, being surpassed in size and abundance only by Andricus californicus. Both species are known as oakapples. As with californicus, the possibility of more than one variety, each with its own intensely interesting biologic problems, has been heretofore entirely overlooked. The biologist who will learn what these two species should easily disclose in ten years or less work on the held, may contribute as important data as we yet possess on such problems as the nature of alternation of generations, distribution factors, and host effects, for instance.

Adults mature in early spring, earlier at southern localities. The field data indicate that northern varieties (see variety pomiformis) complete the life cycle in a year, with the possibility of an alternation of generations; while southern varieties (see maculipennis) take two years or more to mature, and may not have an alternate generation. This must be considered a suggestion, to be verified only by experimental work. If this is shown to be the true condition, it confirms my previously expressed opinion (1920, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XLII, p. 372) that alternation of generations is an extreme development of seasonal dimorphism. 

If galls are collected too soon before maturity, the larvae will develop into adults altho few insects will emerge. One finds this the case with galls in the laboratory more often than with galls in the open. Under adverse conditions in the field, such as a season of drought, there may be a similar destruction of adults before emergence. An experience with this species in the laboratory alone, in connection with some other similar cases, misled me into an over-statement in a previous paper (1920, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XLII, p. 383) as to the lack of vitality of Cynipidae in general. 

Some of the most illuminating data I yet have on the effectiveness of the host in isolating varieties is that presented under variety distinctus. 

Some of the varieties of this species show a median depression of the scutellum much as in the genus Amphiholips. Other varieties do not show this. An evolution of a generic character has occurred within this single species. 

Callirhytis rossi Kieffer (1903, Marcellia, II, p. 84, figs. 1, 2) is probably the same as one of the varieties described for this species in this paper. The publication was made without a more definite locality than "California", and with- out a host determination, but with a host description which best fits Quercus chrysolejns. I feel certain there must be a mistake here, just as I do not believe Kieffer's eriophorus came from Wislizenii as published. Until we can see types of rossi it will not be possible to determine the variety it represents. I am inclined to expect to find it a synonym of maculipennis. 

[Kinsey goes on to describe several varieties that differ by host, range, and gall morphology; see paper for details]

Studies of some new and described Cynipidae (Hymenoptera)

Callirhytis pomiformis (Ashm.)

Quercus agrifolia, kelloggii, wislizeni 
Stem galls, detachable
Fig 65. Up to 45 mm in dia. Poly. Fall.

Fig. 65. Smooth one on Q. agrifolia. Others on Q. Wislizeni. New galls up to nearly full-grown April 7 (Ojai), May 10 (Ukiah). Adults out Apr.20 (Azusa), in March (Palo Alto). Synergus splendidus Full. emerged in April (Paso Robles).


Two Callirhytis species, quercuspomiformis (Bassett) and quercusrugosa (Ashmead), herein are transferred to the Amphibolips genus.

Review of the world genera of oak cynipid wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini)

Amphibolips quercuspomiformis comb. nov.

[Photos of this gall appear on page 44 of the pdf]

Cynips q. pomiformis Bassett, 1881: 74.
Andricus (Andricus) pomiformis (Bassett) Ashmead, 1885: 295
Callirliytis rossi Kieffer, 1903: 84. Synonymy in Weld, 1951: 652
Callirhytis maculipeunis Kieffer, 1904: 131. Synonymized by Kinsey, 1922: 36
Andricus yosemite Beutenmuller, 1911: 211. Synonymy in Weld, 1951: 652
Callirhytis pomiformis (Bassett) Mayr, 1902: 289
Andricus pomiformis var maculipennis (Kieffer) in Kinsey, 1922: 36
Callirhytis quercuspomiformis (Bassett), Weld, 1951: 652

Gall. Asexual galls (Figs 16A–D). A large multilocular subglobose bud gall, up to 40 mm in diameter. The body of the gall is spherical (rarely flattened or ovate), with greatest diameter near the middle of the gall; surface sometimes with low tubercles radiating more or less from the slightly pointed tip of the gall. The gall is hard-walled, yellowish to rufous-magenta when mature and turning to brownish orange when dry, with smooth and naked surface; spongious internally, with hard filaments connecting the larval chambers with the base of the gall; up to 50 hard-walled larval chambers clustered in the center of the gall, easily separable from the firm; sometimes resembling the inquiline larval chambers; each larval chamber around 2.0–4.0 mm in diameter. 

Hosts. Quercus agrifolia, Q. wislizenii, for both generations. 

Biology. Alternate sexual and asexual generations are known (Lyon 1959). Sexual galls appear from February to early April, mature in early May; adults emerged from mid-May to the first week of June. Asexual galls mature in October; adults emerged in November. 

Distribution. USA (California) and México (Baja California and Guanajuato states). 

Remarks. Kinsey (1922) named this species as Andricus pomiformis and described five varieties, considering Callirhytis maculipennis Kieffer 1904 one of them: A. pomiformis var descansonis (Kinsey 1922), A. pomiformis distinctus (Kinsey 1922), A. pomiformis pomiformis (Basset, 1881), A. pomiformis var maculipennis (Kieffer) and A. quercuspomiformis provincialis (Kinsey 1922). Later, Weld (1951), following Mayr’s work (1902), transferred this species to the genus Callirhytis and recognised only three of Kinsey’s varieties (var. descansonis, var distincta and var. provincialis). Later, Melika & Abrahamson (2002) concluded that this species belongs to the genus Amiphibolips but did not formalize the nomenclatorial act for species transfer. Herein this nomenclatorial act is completed. According to Kinsey (1922), the morphological differences of these varieties included . . . the gall surface (present several projections on the surface, each ending in a short filament in var. distinctus and surface smooth and naked in the rest). Among the varieties, the most deviant is var. distinctus based on the distinct notauli, median sulci visible and the surface of the galls with projections. However, Kinsey (1922) comments that some var. distinctus specimens share characters of var. maculipennis (as well as var. provincialis had specimens similar to var. maculipennis). Similarly, the new material from Baja California present distinct notauli, smooth notaular furrow posteriorly as in var. distinctus, but the median sulci and scutellar posteromedian depression are absent, and the speculum is completely smooth and glabrous. The distribution of the varieties is limited to California (USA) and range from the central to southern regions. All varieties have overlapping, or nearly so, distributions with at least another variety. The range of var. maculipennis includes localities from the range of var. descansonis, var. distinctus and var. provincialis, which occur almost exclusively in the southern regions. The variety pomiformis is limited to central California (San Francisco, Mount Diablo, Gilroy, and Salinas) and the closest known varieties are var. maculipennis and var. distictus (Yosemite Park and Merced Falls). Most of these characters also follow a continuous variation, and the distributions overlap in the southern regions for all, except var. pomiformis. Thus, there are not conspicuous character states to support these varieties as independent entities. Also, the host plant is Q. agrifolia in three of the varieties and Q. wislizenii in var. provincialis and var. distinctus. Both oaks are closely related and often form hybrids (Brophy & Parnell 1974). We consider all these varieties as intraspecific variations of Amphibolips quercuspomiformis comb. nov.

Revision of the Amphibolips species of the 'nassa' complex from Mexico and central America (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

Callirhytis quercuspomiformis
(Andricus quercuspomiformis)

Females [of the bisexual generation] oviposit in stem buds, resulting in the development of the summer, unisexual generation galls, which are large (up to 30 mm across), round, and covered with numerous short (about 2 mm long), prickly spines or projections. Specimens of these galls on coast live oak are often smoother than those on interior live oak.

Hosts:
Quercus agrifolia (coast live oak)
Quercus wislizeni (interior live oak)

Plant Galls of the Western United States