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Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae
Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae is a species of Australian chalcid wasps that parasitises, among others, Acacia longifolia (long-leaved wattle, or Sydney golden wattle), which has become an invasive pest in several countries.
Wildlife corridor just off the beach in Phillip Island.
Gall of the chalcid wasp, Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae. Host: Acacia sophorae.
Spotted on Sep 27, 2014
Submitted on Oct 2, 2014
10 Comments
thankyou John La Salle for all this information. A real botany lesson! I do appreciate it. There are so many different kinds of galls on the plants around here. I think Leuba will probably post some that we saw this Friday. In the meantime, I think both you and Vinny gave me a very full ID and I thank you both.
There you go Pam some real expertise. Thanks so much John.
Prinsloo & Neser did a paper on Trichilogaster species (2007, African Entomology, 15(1): 161-184). Seems that some of the Trichilogaster are relatively host specific to their Acacia species, and acaciaelongifoliae is the only one recorded from A. sophorae. You would really want adults to be 100% sure.
This is not a mutualism or symbiosis - the gall inducer (in this case Trichilogaster) tricks the plant into producing a gall (probably through the production of some enzyme that mimics a plant growth hormone), and the gall is a rich food source for the developing wasp larva.
Trichilogaster is just one Australian example of a secondary return to phytophagy in a predominantly parasitoid lineage (the Chalcidoidea).
These galls are wonderful systems - full of parasitoids and other things that take advantage of the rich food source or simply the protected environment.
hehehe, I stand corrected Mark! Whatever, it was beautiful... red and shiny and big! More than an inch long.
You're right Pam about 'not symbiotic' and no 'not parasitic' but wrong about 'Gall experts' :-) There is a mission for animal structures though... https://www.projectnoah.org/missions/808...
thanks Mark. I looked up wiki, and there is a photo of young galls shown there that is identical to ones I saw today. I'll take a photo tomorrow.
Though plant and animal are equal players, would it be a symbiotic relationship? I don't see how the tree benefits. Otherwise is there a mission for parasites it would fit in, do you know? As the "Gall experts"!!
Category arthropods, 'Chalcid wasp gall' plant name in notes... it's interesting though isn't it as plant and animal are equally critical players in this structure.
thanks Vinny and Mark. How do I label this? "Gall of chalcid wasp", then put the scientific name of plant and wasp in the notes?
I think this is the chalcid wasp Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae in action.
Looks like a gall on Acacia sophorae