Feron izabellae
| Feron izabellae | |
|---|---|
| The gall formed by the asexual generation of F. izabellae, shown here on the leaf of Quercus durata, San Mateo County, 2025 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Cynipidae |
| Genus: | Feron |
| Species: | F. izabellae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Feron izabellae Melika, Nicholls & Stone, sp. nov.
| |
Feron izabellae, also known as the pink bow-tie gall wasp, is a species of oak gall wasp in the genus Feron in the family Cynipidae.[1][2] The wasp induces small (up to 5mm diameter) pink spangle galls,[3] with edges that fold towards the center in maturity to resemble a bow-tie, which gives rise to the common name.[4][5] F. izabellae galls can be found on the abaxial leaf surface of four white oak species: California scrub oak, Oregon oak, blue oak, and leather oak.[6] Only the asexual generation is known, and was first described from Northern California by George Melika, James, A. Nicholls, and Graham N. Stone. The leaf galls mature some time in September or October, after which the adults emerge.[3] Adults are almost uniformly light brown to yellowish in color, with a slightly darker head.[3]
Etymology
Feron izabellae was named in memory of Melika’s mother, Izabella, and Melika’s granddaughter who bears the same name.[3]
References
- ^ Porter, Mike. "Feron izabellae". Bugs With Mike. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ^ "Pink Bow-Tie Gall Wasp (Feron izabellae)". iNaturalist. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Cuesta-Porta, Victor; Melika, George; Nicholls, James A.; Stone, Graham N.; Pujade-Villar, Juli (2023). "Re-establishment of the Nearctic oak cynipid gall wasp genus Feron Kinsey, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini), including the description of six new species" (PDF). Zootaxa. 5366 (1): 1–174. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5366.1.1.
- ^ Russo, Ronald A. (April 20, 2021). Plant galls of the western United States. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691213408.
- ^ Boomer, Timothy. "Pink Bow Tie Gall Wasp (Feron izabellae)". WildMacro. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ^ "Feron izabellae (agamic)". gallformers. Retrieved September 15, 2025.