willow pinecone gall midge
(Rabdophaga strobiloides)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | not listed |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Willow pinecone gall midgeis a small fly. Adults are about 3 ⁄16″ in length. It is most often identified by the conspicuous and distinctive gall that houses the growing larva. The gall appears at the end of a willow stem. It consists of numerous, stunted, overlapping, loosely appressed, scale-like leaves. In the summer it is green, more or less globular, and densely covered with long, white, matted and tangled, woolly hairs. In the fall the cone turns brown and the shape resembles a pine cone. |
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Size |
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About 3 ⁄16″ long |
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Similar Species |
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This is the only midge that forms pinecone-shaped galls at the tips of willow stems. |
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Habitat and Hosts |
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Many species of willow |
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Biology |
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Season |
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One brood per year in Minnesota |
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Behavior |
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Life Cycle |
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Adults emerge on warm days in late April or May. The female lays eggs singly on the leaves and stems near the stem tips of a host plant. The egg hatches in early May and the larva crawls to the tip of the stem. It then burrows into the soft tissue at the base of the tip of the shoot. It emits a chemical that causes the shoot tip to develop abnormally. The shoot ceases to elongate and instead produces numerous overlapping leaves that envelope the larva. The loosely overlapping leaves allow up to 31 other species of insects to deposit their eggs, including beetles, moths, sawflies, cypnid wasps, midges, and grasshoppers. The larva pupates inside the gall and overwinters as a pupa. It produces high levels of glycerin which allows it to survive even harsh winters. In the spring a young midge emerges. |
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Larva Food |
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Adult Food |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 6/2/2021 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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Order |
Diptera (flies) | ||
Suborder |
Nematocera (long-horned flies) | ||
Infraorder |
Bibionomorpha (gnats and allies) | ||
Superfamily |
Sciaroidea (fungus gnats and gall midges) | ||
Family |
Cecidomyiidae (gall gnats, gall midges, cécidomyidés) | ||
Subfamily |
Cecidomyiinae (gall midges) | ||
Supertribe |
Lasiopteridi | ||
| Tribe | Oligotrophini | ||
Genus |
Rabdophaga | ||
Synonyms |
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Cecidomyia salicisstrobiloides Cecidomyia strobiloides Rabdophaga strobilina |
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Common Names |
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willow pinecone gall midge |
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Glossary
Midge
A small fly, somewhat resembling a mosquito, in one of several families in the suborder Nematocera.
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Habitat |
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Gall |
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Slideshows |
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| Willow Pinecone Gall Midge (Rabdophaga strobiloides) Andree Reno Sanborn |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this insect. |
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Other Videos |
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| Willow Pine Cone Gall ,Griffith Indiana Christopher Stokes |
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About
Published on Jul 28, 2013 A variety of insect species induce galls on host plants. Several studies have implicated phytohormones in insect-induced gall formation. However, it has not been determined whether insects can synthesize phytohormones. It has also never been established that phytohormones function in gall tissues. Liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) were used to analyse concentrations of endogenous cytokinins and the active auxin IAA in the gall-inducing sawfly (Pontania sp.) and its host plant, Salix japonica. Feeding experiments demonstrated the ability of sawfly larvae to synthesize IAA from tryptophan. Gene expression analysis was used to characterize hormonal signalling in galls. Sawfly larvae contain high concentrations of IAA and t-zeatin, and produce IAA from tryptophan. The glands of adult sawflies, the contents of which are injected into leaves upon oviposition and are involved in the initial stages of gall formation, contain an extraordinarily high concentration of t-zeatin riboside. Transcript levels of some auxin- and cytokinin-responsive genes are significantly higher in gall tissue than in leaves. The abnormally high concentration of t-zeatin riboside in the glands strongly suggests that the sawfly can synthesize cytokinins as well as IAA. Gene expression profiles indicate high levels of auxin and cytokinin activities in growing galls. sharing what i seen today with you. and thank you very much for watching my videos.. pictures of Griffith IN here Visit Griffith Indiana's Nature on facebook join me on Google+ Join me on Twitter |
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| Willow Pine Cone Gall ,Griffith Indiana Christopher Stokes |
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About
Published on Jul 23, 2013 sharing what i seen today with you. and thank you very much for watching my videos.. pictures of Griffith IN here Visit Griffith Indiana's Nature on facebook join me on Google+ Join me on Twitter |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this insect. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
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| Heather Nybo 9/23/2018 |
Location: New Prague, MN (Scott County) |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit Badoura Jack Pine Woodland SNA Hill River State Forest John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Rengstorf Unit Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Spieker Unit |
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