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We describe Diastrophus wushei Davis & Nastasi sp. nov. and D. renai Davis & Nastasi sp. nov., two gall wasp species collected on Wushe Mountain, Taiwan by the late Henry Townes. These species represent the first Diastrophini and potentially the first non-Fagaceae associated species of gall wasp described from Taiwan. We speculate on potential hosts plants for further study and possible avenues to elucidate their biology.  

Two new species of Ormyrus Westwood, 1832 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Ormyridae) are described: Ormyrus myrae Nastasi, Alcorn, & Davis sp. nov. and Ormyrus bellbowl Nastasi, Alcorn, & Davis sp. nov. Species of Ormyrus are parasitoids in insect galls, especially those induced by Cynipidae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea), and the new species are parasitoids in galls induced by Antistrophus Walsh, 1869 (Cynipidae: Aulacideini) on rosinweeds of the genus Silphium L. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae). Ormyrus bellbowl is a parasitoid of Antistrophus meganae Tooker & Hanks, 2004 in stems of S. terebinthinaceum Jacq., as well as other species of Antistrophus inducing inconspicuous galls in stems of S. laciniatum L. Ormyrus myrae is a parasitoid of Antistrophus laciniatus Gillette, 1891 on S. laciniatum and S. terebinthinaceum; the latter represents a new association of A. laciniatus with S. terebinthinaceum. Previous records of O. labotus Walker, 1843 in association with Antistrophus species are suggested as the results of misidentifications.  

Robust keys exist for the family-level groups of Cynipoidea. However, for most regions of the world, keys to genera are not available. To address this gap as it applies to North America, a fully illustrated key is provided to facilitate identification of the tribes and genera of rose gall, herb gall, and inquiline gall wasps known from the region. For each taxon covered, a preliminary diagnosis and an updated overview of taxonomy, biology, distribution, and natural history are provided. 

We describe new species in the genus Ceroptres Hartig, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Ceroptresini) represented by voucher material sequenced by Ward et al. (2024). We describe 22 new species, all authored by Nastasi, Smith, & Davis: C. anansii sp. nov., C. anzui sp. nov., C. bruti sp. nov., C. curupira sp. nov., C. daleki sp. nov., C. dandoi sp. nov., C. demerzelae sp. nov., C. iktomii sp. nov., C. jabbai sp. nov., C. jarethi sp. nov., C. lokii sp. nov., C. lupini sp. nov., C. mallowi sp. nov., C. promethei sp. nov., C. sandiegoae sp. nov., C. selinae sp. nov., C. soloi sp. nov., C. songae sp. nov., C. swiperi sp. nov., C. thrymi sp. nov., C. tikoloshei sp. nov., and C. zorroi sp. nov. After our taxonomic treatment, the genus Ceroptres includes 43 species, all but three of which are known from North America. Among our new species are two reared from cecidomyiid midge galls, an association previously recorded but without valid taxonomic association. We provide new records for two additional previously described species; we record C. ensiger (Walsh, 1864) from Pennsylvania and confirm characters for the male, and we record C. lanigerae Ashmead, 1885 from Texas. We also examined several putative species corresponding to either C. cornigera Melika & Buss, 2002 and/or C. frondosae Ashmead, 1896, which we regard as a species complex that requires elucidation in future studies. To enable further studies on Ceroptres, we provide an updated key to North American females. Overall, we find that species of Ceroptres are host specialists associated with a single host gall species or several galls that are phylogenetically or ecologically related. We suggest that there are many North American species of Ceroptres, possibly hundreds, still awaiting collection and characterization.  

Cryptic species present challenges across many subdisciplines of biology. Not all “cryptic” species, however, are truly cryptic; many are simply underexplored morphologically. We examined this idea for theAntistrophus rufusspecies complex, which previously contained three species thought to be morphologically cryptic. To determine whether theA. rufuscomplex are truly cryptic species, we assessed species boundaries of members of theA. rufusspecies complex using morphological, ecological, and DNA barcode data, and tested whether a set of 50 morphological characters could adequately diagnose these species. We revealed that this complex includes five species, and that there are useful phenotypic diagnostic characters for all members of this species complex. This enabled redescription of four species and the description ofAntistrophus laurenaeNastasi,sp. nov., which induces externally inconspicuous galls in stems ofSilphium integrifoliumMichx., a host not associated with other members of the complex. We use these new diagnostic characters to construct a key to the five species of therufuscomplex. We conclude that theA. rufuscomplex was not a true case of cryptic species. Our Bayesian analysis of DNA barcode data suggests possible cospeciation of members of therufuscomplex and theirSilphiumhost plants, but further study is necessary to better understand the evolution of host use in the lineage. 

We review the tribes of Cynipidae that are known to contain gall inducers on herbaceous plants, which are presently classified in four tribes: Aulacideini, Aylacini, Diastrophini, and Phanacidini. We provide a revised key to these tribes, diagnostic characters for each tribe, and an updated key to brachypterous and apterous Cynipoidea including the inclusion of brachyptery in Phanacidini. We propose the replacement name Eubothrus Förster, 1869 for the genus Isocolus Förster, 1869 (Aulacideini) as the latter is a homonym of the trilobite genus Isocolus Angelin, 1854 (Trilobita: Isocolidae). We also provide a checklist of world herb gall wasp species including host plant and geographic distribution data. Overall, we report 166 species of herb gall wasps, finding 96 species in 11 genera in Aulacideini, 6 species in 3 genera in Aylacini, and 39 species in 4 genera in Phanacidini, as well as 25 gall-inducing species in 3 genera in Diastrophini, of which 11 are or probably are associated with herbaceous plants. Online Lucid identification keys and images of all the taxa treated herein are available at: http://www.waspweb.org. 

Abstract Several recent reappraisals of supposed generalist parasite species have revealed hidden complexes of species, each with considerably narrower host ranges. Parasitic wasps that attack gall-forming insects on plants have life history strategies that are thought to promote specialization, and though many species are indeed highly specialized, others have been described as generalist parasites. Ormyrus labotus Walker (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) is one such apparent generalist, with rearing records spanning more than 65 host galls associated with a diverse set of oak tree species and plant tissues. We pair a molecular approach with morphology, host ecology, and phenological data from across a wide geographic sample to test the hypothesis that this supposed generalist is actually a complex of several more specialized species. We find 16–18 putative species within the morphological species O. labotus, each reared from only 1–6 host gall types, though we identify no single unifying axis of specialization. We also find cryptic habitat specialists within two other named Ormyrus species. Our study suggests that caution should be applied when considering host ranges of parasitic insects described solely by morphological traits, particularly given their importance as biocontrol organisms and their role in biodiversity and evolutionary studies.