Buffingtonella polita




Galls of Polystepha americana (Felt), a possible host of Buffingtonella. A–B: Nearly mature galls. C: Preserved galls into which the type of B. polita was ovipositing. Photo credits—A–B: Beth Burrous via iNaturalist observation # 190798947. C: Replicated from Figure 2m in Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar (2019).

Distribution	USA.
Biology	The type specimens of B. politus were collected ovipositing into elongate, subfusiform swelling galls on the abaxial leaf veins of Quercus rubra L. (Ashmead 1896, Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar 2019). Based on the morphology of these galls, its true host is probably Polystepha americana (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), as this midge induces highly similar galls on the leaf veins of the same host plant (Nastasi, 2026).
References	Buffington ML, Forshage M, Liljeblad J, Tang CT, van Noort, S. 2020. World Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera):a key to higher-level groups. Insect Systematics and Diversity 4(4): 1–69. https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa003 Lobato-Vila, I., Pujade-Vilar, J. 2019. Revision of world Ceroptresini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) with the description of a new genus and five new species. Zootaxa. 4685: 1–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4685.1.1 Mayr, G. 1881. Die genera der gallenbewohnenden Cynipiden. Jahresberichte der Rossauer Communal Oberrealschule im I. Bezirke20:1–38 Nastasi, L.F. 2026. Description of the second known species of Buffingtonella Lobato-Vila & Pujade-Villar, 2019 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Ceroptresini) and a possible host association for the genus. Zootaxa, 5810 (2), 395–400. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5810.2.11 . Ritchie, A.J. 1993. Superfamily Cynipoidea (pp. 521-536). In GOULET, H. & HUBER, J. (eds). Hymenoptera of the World: an identification guide to families. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 668 pp. Ronquist, F. 1999. Phylogeny, classification and evolution of the Cynipoidea. Zoologica Scripta 28:139–164. Ronquist, F. & Liljeblad, J. 2001. Evolution of the gall wasp–host plant association. Evolution 55: 2503–2522. Ronquist, F., Nieves-Aldrey, J.-L., Buffington, M. L., Liu, Z., Liljeblad, J., & Nylander, J. A. A. 2015. Phylogeny, Evolution and Classification of Gall Wasps: The Plot Thickens. PLoS ONE, 10(5), e0123301. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123301
Credits	Photographs © Matt Buffington (Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA/ARS), or © Louis Nastasi (Department of Biology, University of Iowa).

Buffingtonella polita (Ashmead)

Credits