Andricus quercuscalifornicus usda buffington

This is picture 3 from a 12 picture invited series by Matt Buffington at the USDA Parastitic Hymentoptera group using specimens from the U.S. Natural History Museum Smithsonian. Matt uses a system very similar to ours to photograph and stack this super tiny wasp.As majestic as the Golden State itself,we present Andricus quercuscalifornicus. This oak gall wasp (Cynipini) is a common species in California, producing 'oak apples' on the singular and mysterious valley oak (Quercus lobata).