Oak acorn plum gall wasp galls - Amphibolips quercusjuglans

Moved

Moved from Spongy Oak Apple Gall Wasp.
As I said, I've never been satisfied with this ID, and MJ has found the correct one--I hadn't found it before because these galls form on acorn caps rather than on leaves, so both Felt and Weld describe them separately from the other "oak apples."

… Charley Eiseman, 20 April, 2011 - 9:24pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 6 April, 2011 - 6:42am

Amphibolips confluenta

I assume these are the firm, apple-like ones, and not the hollow, thin-shelled ones?

… Charley Eiseman, 3 April, 2011 - 9:52pm

Charley, given your ID...

...can the images of the wasp (one referenced above) safely be moved to A. confluenta?

… Ken Wolgemuth, 4 April, 2011 - 5:45pm

For the time being...

MJ, do you still have this wasp? It would be great to have an expert examine it to be sure. Amphibolips confluenta is the best match in Weld's book for these galls, but I've never been totally satisfied with this ID--the gall he illustrates looks totally plain, not patterned like these, and the consistency on the inside seems a bit different too. He doesn't mention any records of this species taking more than a year to emerge (although I think some species are known to take up to 7 years).

I'm also curious how you manage to keep these galls from getting moldy... that's been an issue for me when I've tried to rear them.

… Charley Eiseman, 6 April, 2011 - 9:05am

Weld's book

So, how did you find a copy of the Cynipid book? You've made me want one.

… MJ Hatfield, 14 April, 2011 - 11:28am

Interlibrary loan

I had a friend at UMass get it through interlibrary loan, and I took a picture of every page... except for the key to adult wasps, which I'm now wishing I had.

… Charley Eiseman, 14 April, 2011 - 4:38pm

Charley,

I have the wasp in the fridge as I plan to get a closer photo of it. I could not tell if the reddish on it was color or perhaps more likely debris from the inside of the gall still clinging to the wasp from emergence. I will dispatch the wasp and get a better photo. If you can get the name and address of the person who might want to look at it and determine it, that would be great. I will mail it. Thanks for the effort.

I do not know how I avoided mold. I did spritz on occasion, and I placed the galls on top of milled peat.

… MJ Hatfield, 6 April, 2011 - 10:15am

SEL

I'm not aware of any living cynipid specialists--if there are any, they keep a low profile. As far as I know, the best option is the USDA Systematic Entomology Lab. I sent some cynipids, chalcids, etc. recently and they said it would take about a year for me to get my IDs.

… Charley Eiseman, 6 April, 2011 - 10:25am

Yes,

firm all the way through.

… MJ Hatfield, 3 April, 2011 - 10:14pm