| Rhopalomyia hirtipes | |
|---|---|
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| R. hirtipes gall | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Cecidomyiidae |
| Genus: | Rhopalomyia |
| Species: | R. hirtipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhopalomyia hirtipes (Osten Sacken, 1862) | |
| Synonyms | |
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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
Galls of a this species form at the base of the stem in mid-June to mid-July, surrounded by a rosette of long leaves, and develop from vegetative buds. Young galls are wide at the base and have a tapered tip. As the gall matures, it becomes ovoid, 8-25mm long and 6-36mm wide, often changing its color from green to brownish. They contain 1-30 individual larvae in separate chambers, which face downwards while feeding. Before pupation in early August, the larvae turn to face upwards. The adult emerges from early to late September and galls are spongy, usually multi-chambered, and split open at the apex into several lobes. The galls can be difficult to locate, and were rare even in fields where S. juncea was the dominant plant. [1] [2] [3]
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.
Solidago juncea, the early goldenrod, plume golden-rod, or yellow top, is a North American species of herbaceous perennial plants of the family Asteraceae native to eastern and central Canada and eastern and central United States. It grows from Nova Scotia west to Manitoba and Minnesota south as far as northern Georgia and northern Arkansas, with a few isolated populations in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
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.
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.
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.
Rhopalomyia baccharis, the coyote brush twisted stem gall midge, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rhopalomyia pomum, the sponge gall midge, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. The midges form leaf galls on Great Basin sagebrush.
Rhopalomyia anthophilathe Downy Flower Gall Midgeis a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. It induces galls on the host Solidago altissima across much of North America.
Rhopalomyia californica, the coyote brush bud gall midge, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rhopalomyia solidaginis, the goldenrod bunch gall, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae The galls of this species have the following host species of goldenrods:Solidago altissima, Solidago canadensis, Solidago rugosa They have been found across eastern North American.
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.
Rhopalomyia audibertiae, the sage leaf gall midge, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rhopalomyia chrysothamni is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. The midge causes very small, conical-tubular stem galls on rubber rabbitbrush [Ericameria nauseosa].
Rhopalomyia grossulariae, the gooseberry gall midge, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rhopalomyia ericameriae is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
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.
Rhopalomyia lateriflori is a species of gall midge, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rhopalomyia astericaulis is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Rhopalomyia capitata, the giant goldenrod bunch gall, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. It is found across North America. They have been collected from Solidago canadensis, Solidago gigantea, and Solidago leavenworthiigallormers species page
Rhopalomyia thompsoni is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. It induces galls on the host Solidago altissima across much of North America.
external link to naturespot cecidomyiidae page
external link to inaturalist gall project
Gall-Inducing Insects: From Anatomy to Biodiversity [1]
A Catalog of the Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) of the World [2]
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