Abstract

ZAMORA-MACORRA, Erika J. et al. Oak gall wasps of Cerro Gordo State Park in the State of Mexico. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2019, vol.10, n.54, pp.58-73. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v10i54.502.

Cerro Gordo State Park is a reserve constituted by ejidos and communal and private areas within the Valley of Mexico. The native vegetation is represented by several unidentified oak species, which are infested with galls, and the identity of causative agent of the disease is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this work was to identify the oak species, as well as the insects associated with the galls. Three sites were selected and marked, oak specimens and galls were collected on a monthly basis from February to July 2017. The plant specimens were dried, identified and integrated into the herbarium collection of the Forest Division of the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo. The galls were placed in emergency chambers under controlled conditions, and the insects were fixed in ethanol for taxonomic identification. The oak species identified were Quercus laurina (register number 69 367), Q. crassipes (69 368), Q. rugosa (69 369) and Q. microphylla (69 370). Andricus carrilloi was found in the galls on the branches of Quercus microphylla, Synergus mexicanus as its inquiline, as well as another species of Synergus that is in the process of being described. Amphibolips hidalgoensis was found in galls collected from Quercus crassipes. These are the first records of both these gall wasps and their oak hosts in the Valley of Mexico.

Keywords : Amphibolips hidalgoensis Pujade-Villar y Melika 2011; Andricus carrilloi Pujade-Villar 2013; Cynipidae; Quercus spp.; Synergus mexicanus Gillette 1896.