Goldenrod gall - Procecidochares atra - BugGuide.Net

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Tephritoidea » Fruit Flies (Tephritidae) » Tephritinae » Cecidocharini » Procecidochares » Procecidochares atra

Photo#443421

Copyright © 2010 Beatriz Moisset

Goldenrod gall - Procecidochares atra

Horsham trail. Horsham, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
August 13, 2010
Size: ~ 2.5 mm

This seems to be a different kind of goldenrod bunch gall. There were clusters of smallish galls (about 1 cm each) along a stem, near the tip. The other bunch galls are larger and looser. There was only one chamber in the center of the gall and each had only one larva, which I assume is a Cecidomyiid. The inside of the other bunch galls is quite different.
I found only one plant with this type of galls. I hope that I can raise some.

Images of this individual: tag all

Goldenrod gall - Procecidochares atra

Goldenrod gall - Procecidochares atra

Goldenrod gall - Procecidochares atra

Goldenrod gall - Procecidochares atra

Contributed by Beatriz Moisset on 17 August, 2010 - 9:38am
Last updated 5 January, 2019 - 2:32pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Beatriz Moisset, 29 September, 2010 - 7:11am

Indeed, this is Procecidochar

Indeed, this is Procecidochares atra. Its galls are most common on S. altissima, S. gigantea, S. rugosa.
The species has two generations a year and these are the summer generation galls. Interestingly, the spring generation develops in large stem galls at the base of the host plant and each gall contains several larvae, unlike the pictured bud galls of the summer generation, each of which contains a single larva.

… Netta Dorchin, 29 September, 2010 - 1:12am

Procecidochares?

Following up on my comment here...
This larva reminds me of the fat, juicy tephritid larva at the center of a goldenrod ball gall, rather than a cecidomyiid. I just determined that Oedaspis polita and O. atra, mentioned by Felt (1) as making rosette galls on Solidago altissima, are now placed in the genus Procecidochares, so I'm betting that's what this is.

… Charley Eiseman, 28 September, 2010 - 3:02pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: