Neuroterus is a
genus of
gall wasps that induce
galls on
oaks in which the wasp larvae live and feed. Some species produce galls that fall off the host plant and 'jump' along the ground due to the movement of the
larvae within.
Neuroterus saltatorius—formerly named Cynips saltatorius—produces such
Mexican jumping bean-like jumping galls about 1 to 1.5 mm in diameter.[1][2]
This genus was first described by
Theodor Hartig in 1840. Like most
oak gall wasps, Neuroterus species have two generations each year, one sexual and one
asexual (or agamic). The galls induced by each generation of the same species are usually produced on different parts of the host plant.
Recent studies indicate this genus is
poly- or
paraphyletic, thus many species will likely be moved to other genera.[3]
^Pedro Ferreira Pinto Brandão-Dias; Y. Miles Zhang; Stacy Pirro; Camila C. Vinson;
Kelly L. Weinersmith; Anna K. G. Ward; Andrew A. Forbes; Scott P. Egan (10 January 2022). "Describing biodiversity in the genomics era: A new species of Nearctic Cynipidae gall wasp and its genome". Systematic Entomology. 47: 94–112.
doi:
10.1111/SYEN.12521.
ISSN0307-6970.
WikidataQ110526665.