Andricus aries

Andricus aries
A. aries gall photographed in England in September.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Cynipidae
Genus: Andricus
Species: A. aries
Binomial name
Andricus aries

Andricus aries is a species of gall-forming wasps, in the genus Andricus.[1][2]

The adults lay their eggs on various species of oak, including Quercus robur, Q. petraea, Q. pubescens and Q. cerris,[3] and the developing larvae cause the trees to create an elongated gall, reminiscent of a ram's horn, hence the epithet aries and the vernacular name "Ram's Horn Gall Wasp".

A. aries gall photographed in England in September.

The species was named by Joseph-Étienne Giraud, in 1859.[4][5] It is found primarily in eastern Europe, but in the 21st century has spread to western Europe,[3] including the United Kingdom. If was first recorded in Berkshire in 1997 and since then has spread all over the southern half of England. Only the asexual generation is known.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Hymenoptera Galls". British Plant Gall Society. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ram's-horn Gall Wasp - Andricus aries". NatureSpot. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 Bijkerk, J. (2004). "Andricus aries, the Ramshoorn gal, now discovered in the Netherlands". Cecidology. 19 (1): 19–20. ISSN 0268-2907.
  4. ↑ Giraud, J. E. (1859). "Signalements de quelques espèces nouvelles de Cynipides et de leurs Galles". Verhandlungen des Zoologisch-Botanischen Vereins in Wien. 9: 337–374.
  5. ↑ "Andricus aries (Giraud, 1859)". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Britain's Plant Galls, Michael Chinery, Wildguides 2011
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