A new genus of Nearctic oak gall wasp, Grahamstoneia Melika amp; Nicholls, gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini).

George Melika, James A Nicholls
Author Information
  1. George Melika: Plant Health Diagnostic National Reference Laboratory, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budarsi str. 141-145, Budapest 1118, Hungary. melikageorge@gmail.com.
  2. James A Nicholls: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, U.K. Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Clunies Ross Street, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia.. james.nicholls@csiro.au.

Abstract

A new genus, Grahamstoneia Melika Nicholls, gen. nov., with one new species, G. humboldti Melika Nicholls, sp. nov., asexual generation, is described. This new taxon occurs in the south-western Nearctic, inducing galls on two species within Quercus section Protobalanus (Q. vacciniifolia Kellogg and Q. chrysolepis Liebm.), an ecology and distribution shared with the closely related genus Heteroecus Kinsey. Descriptions, diagnoses, biology, and host associations for the new genus and species are given. The new taxon is supported by morphological and molecular data.

MeSH Term

Animals
Hymenoptera
Quercus
Wasps

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