Cynips of the oak

The Cynips of the oak ( Cynips quercusfolii ) is a representative of the family of the “wasp in Wales” or “fly in Wales” (Cynipidæ). This insect whose size reaches 3 mm develops, like the majority of the wasps in Wales, on the oaks, where it trains Galle on the posterior face of the sheets of the tree.

The common wasp with Galle appears each year under two species, of which one reproduces in a bisexuée way, the other by Parthénogenèse. After the coupling the summer, the insect female lays its eggs on the sheets of a oak, then the larvae, long 2 mm form Galle S under the sheets. Each one of these Wales, which takes a red color, shelters a larva, which reaches the stage of Chrysalide in spring. The winter, the chrysalis becomes always an insect female, which lays its eggs not fertilized on the Bourgeon S. Galle is formed there still, but whose size is only of two or three millimetres, and who is covered with russet-red filaments. Between May and June, sexuées wasps are born from these Wales: they are smaller than those hatched the winter.

It was believed at one time that the sexués and not sexués subjects represented two different species of insects (“ Cynips quercusfolii ” and “ Spathegaster taschenbergi ”).

Sources

taxonomy Fauna Europæa

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