Melikaiella flora, formerly Callirhytis milleri, the live oak petiole gall wasp, is a species of hymenopteran that produces leaf galls on coast live oak, interior live oak, and canyon live oak trees in California in North America.[1][2] The gall often subsumes the entire petiole and occasionally part of the leaf body.[1] Pregnant females of the second generation oviposit on acorns; these acorns are usually dropped by the tree and become food for squirrels, deer, Steller's jays, etc.[1]
| Melikaiella flora | |
|---|---|
| |
| Morro Bay State Park, 2021 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Cynipidae |
| Genus: | Melikaiella |
| Species: | M. flora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Melikaiella flora (Weld, 1922)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Callirhytis milleri | |
References
edit- ^ a b c Russo, Ronald A. (2021). Plant Galls of the Western United States. Princeton University Press. p. 96. doi:10.1515/9780691213408. ISBN 978-0-691-21340-8. LCCN 2020949502. S2CID 238148746.
- ^ "Live Oak Petiole Gall Wasp (Melikaiella flora)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
External links
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