Galls of the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp on Wild Rose
These are the fantastic galls of the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp (Diplolepis polita) growing on foliage of native California Wild Rose (Rosa californica, Rosaceae). They look like something from under the sea! I'm not sure of my ID, because these galls have much longer spines that the specimens I see at BugGuide, but I don't know what else they could be. These galls are caused by a different genus of Cynipid Gall Wasps (Cynipidae) than the ones that cause the galls on oak trees, and they seem to work exclusively with roses. I was excited to find these in the canyon, as I've never seen them up here in our mountains before. (San Marcos Pass, 30 May 2020)
Galls of the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp on Wild Rose
These are the fantastic galls of the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp (Diplolepis polita) growing on foliage of native California Wild Rose (Rosa californica, Rosaceae). They look like something from under the sea! I'm not sure of my ID, because these galls have much longer spines that the specimens I see at BugGuide, but I don't know what else they could be. These galls are caused by a different genus of Cynipid Gall Wasps (Cynipidae) than the ones that cause the galls on oak trees, and they seem to work exclusively with roses. I was excited to find these in the canyon, as I've never seen them up here in our mountains before. (San Marcos Pass, 30 May 2020)