Belonocnema kinseyi

Belonocnema kinseyi

Belonocnema kinseyi

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Houston

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

85 Verified sightings at Houston
February Best month

About the Belonocnema kinseyi

Belonocnema kinseyi is a species of gall wasp that forms galls on Quercus virginiana and Quercus fusiformis. There are both asexual and sexual generations. The asexual generation forms galls on the underside of leaves whereas the sexual generation form galls on the roots. It can be found in the United States, where it is known from Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. It, along with the other described Belonocnema species, have been used to study speciation.

Belonocnema kinseyi was first named in 1921 by Lewis Hart Weld based on individuals raised from asexual leaf galls collected on Quercus fusiformis in Boerne, Texas. The specific epithet "kinseyi" honors prominent entomologist and sexologist Alfred Kinsey, who greatly contributed to knowledge of North American gall wasps.

In 1998, it was discovered that the asexual generation described from Texas induced sexual root galls, which at the time was believed to only be associated with Belonocnema treatae. Thus, B. kinseyi was placed as a junior synonym under B. treatae. It was subsequently re-elevated to species status through genetic and morphological analysis in 2021.

Genetic data places Belonocnema... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Belonocnema kinseyi in Houston?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Belonocnema kinseyi sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 192nd most-seen of the 1057 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Belonocnema kinseyi in Houston?

January–February, July–September and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Belonocnema kinseyi in Houston on a given day, against under 5% in March–June, October and December, the lowest months.

Is Houston the best place to see a Belonocnema kinseyi?

4th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Belonocnema kinseyi sightings, Houston ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), San Antonio (United States, about 10%) and Dallas (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Belonocnema kinseyi sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Belonocnema kinseyi is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (85 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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