Longleaf Wattle Gall Wasp
Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae
They are highly effective biological control agents; their galls reduce the seed production of invasive Sydney Golden Wattle by over 90%.
- Scientific name
- Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Melanosomellidae › Trichilogaster
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Sclerophyll forests, coastal woodlands, and acacia-dominated shrublands.
- Diet
- Larvae feed on inner gall tissue of host plants; adults do not feed.
- Range
- Australia, South Africa, Portugal
- Size
- Adults are 2 to 3 mm in length; galls can reach 20 mm in diameter.
- Lifespan
- Adults live 2 to 3 days; total lifecycle is 1 year.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of host acacia species in native ranges, and widespread use of broad-spectrum chemical insecticides.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These tiny wasps do not possess a stinger capable of hurting humans. If encountered, observe the woody galls on acacia branches without damaging them, as they are crucial for natural ecosystem balance and biological control programs.
Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae is a species of Australian chalcid wasps that parasitises, among others, Acacia longifolia (long-leaved wattle, or Sydney golden wattle), which has become an invasive pest in several countries. T. acaciaelongifoliae has been introduced into South Africa as a generally successful biological control agent of A. longifolia .
Photo: Tony Rebelo, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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