Andricus curvator Hartig 1840

Andricus curvator Hartig, 1840 Host plants. Israel: Q. ithaburensis. Elsewhere: common on Quercus petraea, Q. pubescens, Q. robur, and a few other species. Life history. Both the sexual and asexual generations are known, but only the sexual generation was found in Israel, in either leaves or branch tips. Leaf galls constitute inconspicuous, spherical, 2 mm swellings of the leaf margin or along leaf veins, yellowish-green when young, turning pale brown when mature (Sternlicht 1968b, Fig. 46). Branch-tip galls (Sternlicht 1968b, Fig. 58) constitute swellings of the shoot, 4–8 mm long and 3–6 mm wide, and are the same color of the branch. The asexual generation develops in smooth, ovoid, thin-walled, single- chambered bud galls within the bud scales, 3–4 mm in length and 2 mm in diameter. The base of the mature gall remains concealed within the bud scales. The gall is initially greenish-red, turning brown when mature. Usually found singly, rarely in pairs. The larval chamber is surrounded by spongy tissue. Phenology. Galls of the sexual generation appear in April and adults emerge from them in May-June. Sternlicht (1968b) recorded the branch galls in January-February and the leaf galls in March, and adults emerged from them in June-July. The galls of the asexual generation begin to develop in June and mature by October. Adults usually emerge from them in February-March, although some remain in diapause inside the gall for another year. Distribution. Israel: Rare in Tivo’n. Elsewhere: a very common and widespread species throughout the distribution range of European white oaks, Morocco, east to Transcaucasia and Iran. Comments. Sternlicht (1968b) attributed the branch galls to Andricus nr. curvator and the leaf galls to Andricus sp., but both of types of galls indeed belong to A. curvator.Published as part of Shachar, Einat, Melika, George, Inbar, Moshe & Dorchin, Netta, 2018, The oak gall wasps of Israel (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Cynipini) - diversity, distribution and life history, pp. 451-498 in Zootaxa 4521 (4) on pages 462-463, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4521.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/261002