''Andricus pattersonae'', also known as the plate gall wasp, is a species of gall-forming wasp in the genus ''

Andricus ''Andricus'' is a genus of oak gall wasps in the family Cynipidae. Life cycle As in all Hymenoptera, sex-determination in species of the genus ''Andricus'' is governed by haplodiploidy: males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, an ...

.'' Their hosts are among the

white oaks The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...

grouping of oaks, with

blue oak ''Quercus douglasii'', known as blue oak, is a species of oak endemic to (and found only in) California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is California's most drought-tolerant deciduous oak, and is a dominan ...

being common. Like most oak gall wasps, the plate gall wasp has two alternating generations a year: a parthenogenic all-female generation, and a bisexual generation. The all-female generation produces galls in summer that are flat and circular with scalloped edges. Attached to the underside of leaves, these galls are initially green, then yellow, and fade to brown. They are 7-9 mm in diameter and have a single larval chamber. Adults emerge in spring. The bisexual generation's galls are pear-shaped and much smaller. Andricus pattersonae on blue oak

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''Andricus pattersonae'' on gallformers
Cynipidae Gall-inducing insects Oak galls {{Apocrita-stub