n. The winner was the Tarantula Hawk Wasp (specifically, Pepsis formosa).
The RQ-16 T-Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle has been named after the Tarantula Hawk.
Gall Wasps-Cynipidae. These tiny wasps are also called gallflies with about 1300 species worldwide. As indicated they are generally very small creature (1-8 millimeters).
The reproduction of the gall wasp is partly pure two-sex propagation and partly pure parthenogenesis, in which a male is completely unnecessary. With most species, however, there is an alternation of generations with one two-sex generation and one parthenogenic generation annually.
The plant galls mostly develop directly after the female insect lays the eggs. The reason for gall formation is largely unknown but is a result of the present of the developing gall insect; it is speculated that chemical, mechanical and viruses triggers the process. The hatching larvae feed within the tissue of the galls and are also well-protected from external environmental effects. The host plants and the size and shape of the galls are specific to the majority of gall wasps with about 70% of the known species living in various types of oak trees. Galls occur on nearly all parts of trees including leaves, buds, branches, and roots. Other species of plant where galls are commonly found include eucalyptus, rose or maple trees, as well as many herbs. Frequently, identification a of species of gall forming insect is easier by the shape of the galls produced rather than the insect itself. Some of the more common types of galls caused by the feeding of these insects are discussed below.
Oak artichoke galls develop as a chemically induced distortion of leaf axillary or terminal buds on Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) or Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) trees, caused by the parthenogenetic gall wasp Andricus fecundatrix which lays single eggs within leaf buds using their ovipositor. The larva lives inside a smaller hard casing inside the artichoke and this is released in autumn.
Oak Artichoke Galls. Image Courtesy Rasbak
T