Grape Insect - Asphondylia uvarum

Moved

Moved from Asphondylia.

The species description has been published, with one of the adults you reared designated as the holotype.

"The biology . . . is presumably similar to that of other Asphondylia spp. that affect fruit on other plants. In spring females lay their eggs in flower ovaries by means of their needle-like ovipositors."

… Charley Eiseman, 29 November, 2018 - 8:03am

Moved

Moved from Gall Midges.

… Charley Eiseman, 23 June, 2014 - 3:32pm

Asphondylia seems like a good bet

To me it looks just like this Asphondylia.
Have you actually observed the adults laying eggs? If not, I would bet that they insert eggs in very immature fruit, if not the ovaries of the flowers. Assuming there are no longer grape flowers or young developing berries where you are, I suspect this species is a generalist or at least has one or more alternate hosts, as described in the blog post I linked to.

… Charley Eiseman, 23 June, 2014 - 3:16pm

You may be correct

I think you may be correct about them laying eggs in immature fruit b/c I have seen berries affected that were in the very center of a cluster where it would have been very difficult for any insect to get to.

… danshome, 23 June, 2014 - 4:27pm

Here is another article.

http://biocontrol.ucr.edu/hoddle/asphondylia_websteri.html

… danshome, 23 June, 2014 - 4:21pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… John F. Carr, 21 June, 2014 - 12:19pm

Cecidomyiinae

Subfamily Cecidomyiinae. Not tribe Lasiopterini, which contains some of the grape eaters.

… John F. Carr, 21 June, 2014 - 11:46am

Better Picture

I have one in the freezer right now waiting for it to die. Is there a better angle of picture I could take to help narrow in on the exact pest we are dealing with? Notice the little bulbs sticking out the sides, that seems to be a unique characteristic. You can see them on photo 941917.

… danshome, 21 June, 2014 - 12:09pm

Halteres

The things sticking out the sides are halteres. Almost all flies (except a few wingless species) have them. They are less conspicuous in, for example, house flies compared to crane flies and gall midges.

If you have a female, a closeup from the side or bottom will reveal whether it is related to Asphondylia. You probably can't tell the difference between sexes, so add a closeup of the tail end from side or bottom and we'll try to figure out what we're seeing. Unfortunately most species are hard to ID from photos. A sharper picture of the antennae would also help.

If you can send specimens to an expert you might get an ID.

… John F. Carr, 21 June, 2014 - 12:19pm

Gall Midge

Do you think it is a Gall Midge?

… danshome, 21 June, 2014 - 11:55am

Gall midge

Gall midge is a common name used for subfamily Cecidomyiinae. Most of them make galls. Some do not.

… John F. Carr, 21 June, 2014 - 12:04pm

Galls

We aren't seeing any signs of galls in the vineyard.

… danshome, 21 June, 2014 - 12:07pm

Also in fruit

Some species do not make visible galls. A Mexican species of Asphondylia has been found inside grapes, causing a swollen, sterile fruit. This may be something else.

… John F. Carr, 21 June, 2014 - 12:15pm

Do Asphondylia re-infest after hatching?

Do the Asphondylia typically re-infest after hatching, or do they fly off? Are there any systemic insecticides approved for grapes that could kill them while then are inside the berry so they never hatch? It's my understanding that not to many insecticides work on fly's is that correct? Would spraying IGR, Pyrethroid, or Carbaryl be of any help? Or is the damage already done at this point?

… danshome, 21 June, 2014 - 1:42pm

Probably

Most gall midges lay eggs in the same kind of plant they emerged from. Often there is a delay between emergence and egg laying. For example, a larva associated with an annual might emerge from the plant, bury itself in the ground, and emerge as an adult the following spring to seek out the next generation of plant.

A few are opportunistic, taking advantage of damaged plants of many species, or are predators of other gall midges and lay their eggs wherever they can find prey.

I don't know anything about control.

… John F. Carr, 21 June, 2014 - 3:03pm

New photos

I just uploaded new photos. There is a full set of photos and some video here: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A1Grq0zwGcLGiN

… danshome, 21 June, 2014 - 1:19pm