Galls or cecidia are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. 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 some insect and mite plant galls. The study of plant galls is known as cecidology.
Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120 species of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. They are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into Europe and other parts of the world.
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves or of structures resembling leaves.
Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. Cecidomyiidae are very fragile small insects usually only 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) in length; many are less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long. They are characterised by hairy wings, unusual in the order Diptera, and have long antennae. Some Cecidomyiids are also known for the strange phenomenon of paedogenesis in which the larval stage reproduces without maturing first. In some species, the daughter larvae consume the mother, while in others, reproduction occurs later on in the egg or pupa.
Creosote gall midges are a species of gall-inducing flies in the Asphondylia auripila group. This group consists of 15 closely related species of flies which inhabit creosote bush sensu lato. They have partitioned the plant ecologically with different gall midge species inhabiting the leaves, stems, buds, and flowers of creosote bush. Each species induces a uniquely shaped gall but the insects are otherwise morphologically very similar and very difficult to tell apart.
Rabdophaga rosaria is a gall midge which forms Camellia galls or terminal rosette gall on willow species. It was first described by Hermann Loew in 1850.
Solidago altissima, the tall goldenrod or late goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is common in much of its range, and fairly tolerant of landscapes which have been disturbed by humans. It has become naturalized in many parts of the world.
Dasineura crataegi, the hawthorn button-top gall-midge, is a dipteran gall-midge. It causes the hawthorn button-top gall, which develops in the terminal shoots of common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Midland hawthorn C laevigata (Poir.) DC and their hybrid, C × media Bechst. Synonyms are Perrisia crataegi and Cecidomyia crataegi.
Cremastobombycia solidaginis is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Quebec in Canada and Florida, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Michigan in the United States.
Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis, the solidago gall moth, goldenrod gall moth or goldenrod gallmaker, is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Riley in 1869. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Alberta, British Columbia, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
The goldenrod gall fly, also known as the goldenrod ball gallmaker, is a species of fly native to North America. The species is best known for the characteristic galls it forms on several species in the Solidago, or goldenrod, genus. The fly's eggs are inserted near the developing buds of the plant. After hatching, the larvae migrate to an area below the plant's developing buds, where they then induce the plant's tissues to form into the hardened, bulbous chamber referred to as a gall. E. solidaginis’s interactions with its host plant(s) and insect, as well as avian, predators have made it the centerpiece of much ecological and evolutionary biology research, and its tolerance of freezing temperatures has inspired studies into the anti-freeze properties of its biochemistry.
Asphondylia is a genus of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are at least 60 described species in Asphondylia.
Polystepha is a genus of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are more than 20 described species in Polystepha.
Celticecis is a genus of hackberry gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are about 18 described species in Celticecis.
Rabdophaga rigidae, the willow beaked-gall midge, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. It is found across North America. Some sources state that it is also present in parts of eastern Asia including Japan; however, a 2006 study shows that the Asian populations likely represent a separate species: Rabdophaga salicivora.
Rhopalomyia solidaginis, the goldenrod bunch gall, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Asteromyia is a genus of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are about nine described species in Asteromyia.
Asphondylia ceanothi, the ceanothus bud gall midge, is a species of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rabdophaga salicisbrassicoides, known generally as the willow rosette gall midge or willow cabbage gall midge, is a species of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. Their galls and larvae thrive in association with the mutualistic relationship between Formica neoclara and Chaitophorus aphids found on their host species Salix exigua. The larva overwinter in their galls, and adults emerge in late April.
Daphnephila is a genus of gall midge that appears in the Palearctic and Oriental biogeographic realms. Daphnephila species create leaf and stem galls on species of laurel plants, particularly in Machilus. Based on analysis on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, it has been suggested that in this genus, the stem-galling habit is a more ancestral state as opposed to the leaf-galling habit.
