Author: Hashi

Feron kingi

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Feron kingi

Feron kingi, commonly known as the red cone gall wasp, is a member of the Cynipidae family.

The adult female lays her eggs within the leaves of several white oak species, including the valley oak (Quercus lobata). Once the egg hatches, the larva begins feeding on the leaf tissue, triggering the plant to form a hard, protective structure—a small red cone about 5 mm tall. This gall benefits the insect, providing it with additional plant tissue to consume. Inside the gall, the larva pupates and eventually matures into a parthenogenetic female adult before emerging from the tip of the cone. That’s right — there are no male gall wasps.

macula

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eyeanatomy

I got curious about the macula—where is it, and what does it do? The macula lutea is an oval-shaped, pigmented area located in the center of the retina. It’s responsible for sharp, detailed, color vision in good lighting—what we use for reading, recognising faces, and driving. Damage to the macula, such as in macular degeneration, impairs this central vision.

Though macular degeneration doesn’t cause total blindness, the loss of central vision can significantly impact daily life. The macula makes up only about 2.1% of the retinal area, yet nearly half of the brain’s visual cortex is dedicated to processing its input. The remaining 97.9%—the peripheral vision—usually remains unaffected.

In the U.S., White individuals are about six times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than Black or Hispanic individuals. Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure or treatment that can restore vision once it’s lost.