Galls or cecidia are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or warts in animals. They can be caused by various parasites, from viruses, fungi and bacteria, to other plants, insects and mites. Plant galls are often highly organized structures so that the cause of the gall can often be determined without the actual agent being identified. This applies particularly to insect and mite plant galls. The study of plant galls is known as cecidology.
Eriophyidae is a family of more than 200 genera of mites, which live as plant parasites, commonly causing galls or other damage to the plant tissues and hence known as gall mites. About 3,600 species have been described, but this is probably less than 10% of the actual number existing in this poorly researched family. They are microscopic mites and are yellow to pinkish white to purplish in color. The mites are worm like, and have only two pairs of legs. Their primary method of population spread is by wind. They affect a wide range of plants, and several are major pest species causing substantial economic damage to crops. Some species, however, are used as biological agents to control weeds and invasive plant species.
Aceria chondrillae is a gall-forming deuterogynous eriophyid mite. It is often used as a biological control of the noxious weed Chondrilla juncea, a highly competitive herbaceous perennial composite found in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.
Aceria malherbae is a species of gall mite known as the bindweed gall mite. It is used as an agent of biological pest control on invasive species of bindweed, particularly field bindweed.
Aceria is a genus of mites belonging to the family Eriophyidae, the gall mites. These tiny animals are parasites of plants. Several species can cause blistering and galls, including erineum galls. A few are economically significant pests, while others are useful as agents of biological pest control of invasive plants such as rush skeletonweed, creeping thistle, and field bindweed.
Eriophyes is a genus of acari that forms galls, specially on trees of the family Rosaceae. Some are called blister mites. The blue butterfly Celastrina serotina has been reported to feed on these galls and also on the mites, making it one of the uncommon carnivorous Lepidoptera.
Aceria anthocoptes, also known as the russet mite, rust mite, thistle mite or the Canada thistle mite, is a species of mite that belongs to the family Eriophyidae. It was first described by Alfred Nalepa in 1892.
Aceria fraxinivora, also known as the cauliflower gall mite and the ash key gall, causes the growths, known as galls, found on the hanging seeds or "keys" of the ash (Fraxinus) species.
Eriophyes tulipae, commonly known as the dry bulb mite, is a species of mite in the genus Eriophyes. This mite feeds on members of the lily family, and has damaged garlic crops. At one time, it was also thought to feed on wheat and other grasses, but the wheat curl mite is now regarded as a different species, Aceria tosichella.
Aceria iteina is a species of mite which causes galls on the leaves of sallows and their hybrids. It was first described by Alfred Nalepa in 1925.
Phyllocoptes goniothorax is a species of mite belonging to the genus Phyllocoptes, which causes galls on the leaves of hawthorns. It was first described by Alfred Nalepa in 1889.
Acalitus brevitarsus is an eriophyid mite which induces domed, blister like swellings, known as galls, on some species of alder.
Phyllocoptes malinus, also known as the apple leaf mite, is a species of mite belonging to the genus Phyllocoptes. It causes a gall, which is a swelling on the external tissues, on the leaves of apples. The mite is found in Europe and was first described by the Austrian zoologist Alfred Nalepa in 1892.
Aceria nervisequa is a species of mite that belongs to the family Eriophyidae. It is found in Europe and was first described by Giovanni Canestrini in 1891. The mite causes galls on the leaves of beech,
Acalitus ferrugineum is a species of eriophyid mite. This microscopic organism induces erineum galls on the leaves of American beech, and is known from the United States and Canada.
Aceria elongata, the crimson erineum mite, is a species of eriophyid mite. This microscopic organism induces erineum galls on the upper leaf surfaces of sugar maple, and is known from the east coast of United States and Canada.
Aceria campestricola, is a species of mite in the family Eriophyidae. The mite causes galls on the leaves of elms and was described by Georg Ritter von Frauenfeld in 1865.
Aceria fraxini, the ash bead gall mite, is a species of mites in the family Eriophyidae, the gall mites.
Aceria fraxiniflora, the ash flower gall mite, is a species of gall mite that produces galls on ash trees. The male flowers of ash are greatly distorted by the mites, which results in a highly disfigured and disorganized gall that remains yellow or green, and later dries and turns brown. However, there is little evidence that this injury has a substantial impact on the ash plant's health.
Aceria brachytarsus, formerly Eriophyes brachytarsus, also known as the pouch gall mite or the walnut purse gall mite, is an eriophyoid mite that produces leaf-pouch galls on various species of walnut trees including Juglans californica. The gall produced by this mite initially looks like a bladder gall. This gall has been observed in California, Iran, and Spain.
