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Amphibolips sp.
A wasp gall found on the ground after a wind storm. Not sure which tree it came from, as it was a wooded area with many different kinds of trees. I peeled a little of the damaged leafy shell away to see the insides, but was reluctant to probe any further for fear of hurting a potentially viable egg.
Rural deciduous area, Clermont County
Fun fact: The gall wasp lays its egg in the base of a leaf, which stimulates the leaf to grow tissue around the egg to protect it. Galls come in many shapes and sizes depending on the type of wasp and the type of tree, but this is easily the largest I've ever found.
Spotted on May 1, 2017
Submitted on Jan 25, 2018
4 Comments
I'd say that looks like a good match for genus. Thanks!
I suspect this is from Genus Amphibolips. There appears to be some difficulty identifying some of these without identifying them by phenology.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/356645
https://bugguide.net/node/view/39773/bgp...
Thank you! I'm flattered. :)
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!