Taxonomic status of two species of andricus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) described by Shinji (1940, 1941) as gall inducers on cyclobalanopsis

Abstract

Andricus shirakashii Shinji, 1940 and Andricus shirokashicola [sic] Shinji, 1941 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) were described from leaf galls on the evergreen oak, Quercus (Cyclobalanopsis) myrsinifolia Blume [Japanese: shirakashi], but their assignment to oak gall wasps (tribe Cynipini) has long been considered enigmatic. These species are in fact inquiline gall wasps that were described as gall-inducing wasps. Because the morphological characteristics of these species are typical of the genus Ufo (tribe Synergini), we transfer A. shirakashii and A. shirokashicola to this inquiline genus. Due to the loss of the type specimens of each species, the neotypes are here designated and the two species are redescribed. © 2011 Entomological Society of America.