A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midges, such as many Phlebotominae and Simuliidae, are vectors of various diseases. Many others play useful roles as prey for insectivores, such as various frogs and swallows. Others are important as detritivores, and form part of various nutrient cycles. The habits of midges vary greatly from species to species, though within any particular family, midges commonly have similar ecological roles.
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.
Orseolia oryzae, also called the Asian rice gall midge, is a species of small fly in the family Cecidomyiidae. It is a major insect pest of rice. The damage to the crop is done by the larvae which form galls commonly known as "silver shoots" or "onion shoots". The rice plant is stunted and the seed heads fail to develop.
Daphnephila truncicola is a species of gall midges first associated with stem galls on Lauraceae species, particularly Machilus thunbergii in Taiwan. 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. This genus appears to have originated tropically and dispersed to Japan through Taiwan.
Daphnephila taiwanensis is a species of gall midges first associated with leaf galls on Lauraceae species, particularly Machilus thunbergii in Taiwan. 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. This genus appears to have originated tropically and dispersed to Japan through Taiwan.
Daphnephila sueyenae is a species of gall midges first associated with leaf galls on Lauraceae species, particularly Machilus thunbergii in Taiwan. 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. This genus appears to have originated tropically and dispersed to Japan through Taiwan.
Daphnephila ornithocephala is a species of gall midge first associated with leaf galls on Lauraceae species, particularly Machilus thunbergii in Taiwan. 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. This genus appears to have originated tropically and dispersed to Japan through Taiwan.
Asphondylia is a cosmopolitan genus of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. All species in this genus induce galls on plants, especially on flowers and flower buds. There are over 300 described species in Asphondylia, with many more likely to be discovered and described, especially in the southern hemisphere.
Asphondyliini is a tribe of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are about six genera and at least 100 described species in Asphondyliini.
Rhopalomyia is a genus of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are at least 267 described species in Rhopalomyia. Most species in this genus induce galls on plants in the Asteraceae. This genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Rhopalomyia was first established by Ewald Heinrich Rübsaamen in 1892.
Neolasioptera is a genus of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are at least 130 described species in Neolasioptera.
Harmandiola castaneae is a species of gall midge, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. This species induces leaf galls on Castanea dentata. It was first described by Fannie Adelle Stebbins in 1910.
Rhopalomyia lobata is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. The galls form on stems and buds of Euthamia graminifolia the grass-leaved goldenrod. The species ranges from Florida to Mississippi, north to Oregon, New England and most of Canada.
Asphondylia solidaginis is a species of gall midge (Cecidomyiidae) that induces galls on goldenrods in North America where it is widespread. It was first described by William Beutenmuller in 1907.
Rhopalomyia hirtipes is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. They are found in the eastern part of North American on buds and stems of Solidago juncea
Rhopalomyia clarkei is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. The larvae induce galls on two hosts: Solidago altissima and Solidago rugosa and are found in north-eastern and north central North America.
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.
Anabremia is a genus of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. The six described species are found in the Palearctic and likely inquilines of Dasineura galls on plants in the legume family. This genus was first described by Jean-Jacques Kieffer in 1912.
Anantanarayanan Raman is a Professor of Ecology with Charles Sturt University, NSW and a scientist with CSIRO, Australia.
