Neuroterus albipes ( Schenck, 1863 )

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 : 475

Neuroterus albipes ( Schenck, 1863)

Host plants. Israel: Q. boissieri . Elsewhere: several oak species from sections Quercus and Cerris.

Life history. Galls of the sexual generation are elliptical leaf-margin galls, up to 4 mm in length, causing deformation of the leaf, light brown, covered by short white hairs, rigid and single-chambered. Galls of the asexual generation are flat, irregularly spherical leaf galls, up to 7 mm in diameter, usually in clusters ( Fig. 34 ). They have a central pit and resemble a small flower with undulating margins, varying in color from pale green to pink and purple.

Phenology. Galls of the sexual generation were observed in May and July but no adults were reared from them. Galls of the asexual generation appear in August, mature and drop from the leaves in late November- December, and the larvae overwinter in them on the ground until adult emergence in January-February. In Europe, adults emerge in spring.

Distribution. Israel: Galls of the sexual generation are rare and were observed on only a few occasions in Tel Hazeqa, Mt. Meron, Pa’ar cave and Rehan Forest. Galls of the asexual generation were found on Mt. Hermon at 1500 and 1780 m.a.s.l., Odem Forest, En Zivan, Allone HaBashan, Tel Hazeqa, Pa’ar cave and Mt. Addir. Elsewhere: Widespread and occasionally common from the Iberian Peninsula north to Great Britain Isles and east to Turkey and Transcaucasia. Also known from Northern Africa.

Comments. The galls of the asexual generation are somewhat similar to those of Neuroterus quercusbaccarum on Q. boissieri ( Figs 35–36A ) but are flatter and thinner, with no hairs.

Figures

FIGURES 29–34. Galls on Quercus boissieri. 29. Cynips cornifex, asexual generation; 30. Neuroterus numismalis, sexual generation; 31. Neuroterus anthracinus, asexual generation; 32. Cynips quercus, asexual generation; 33. Cynips divisa, asexual generation; 34. Neuroterus albipes, asexual generation.

FIGURES 35–40. Galls on Quercus boissieri and Q. ithaburensis. 35. Neuroterus quercsbaccarum, asexual generation on Quercus boissieri; 36. Neuroterus quercsbaccarum (A) and Neuroterus numismalis (B), asexual generations on Q. boissieri; 37. Aphelonyx persica, asexual generation on Quercus ithaburensis; 38. Aphelonyx persica, asexual generation on Quercus ithaburensis, gall dissected to show inner chamber; 39. Aphelonyx persica gall ivaded by the inquiline Synergus variabilis on Quercus ithaburensis; 40. Same, old gall with emergence holes of inquilines.