Rhopalomyia clarkei

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 clarkei
Pupa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Cecidomyiidae
Supertribe: Lasiopteridi
Tribe: Oligotrophini
Genus: Rhopalomyia
Species:
R. clarkei
Binomial name
Rhopalomyia clarkei
Felt, 1907

Galls and Biology

The galls are small, conical, and single-chambered, and typically occur on the lower side of leaves but sometimes on the upper side of leaves and on stems. Each gall contains a single white larva and is attached to either a major or minor vein when on leaves. On Solidago rugosa, the galls are 2.5–6 mm (0.10–0.24 in) long and .7–1.2 mm (0.03–0.05 in) wide at the widest part, tapering toward the apex, green to yellowish green, and covered by short, whitish hairs. Young galls may sometimes have a tuft of hair at their base, almost as long as the gall itself. [1]

R.clarkei gall on Solidago

The adult female is 2 mm long with a dull red abdomen and 17 antennal segments.[2]

References
  1. Dorchin, Netta; McEvoy, Miles V.; Dowling, Todd A.; Abrahamson, Warren G.; Moore, Joseph G. (July 2009). "Revision of the goldenrod-galling Rhopalomyia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in North America" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2152 (2152): 1–35. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2152.1.1. S2CID 85821972.
  2. Felt, E. P. (1908). "Gall Midges of the Goldenrod". The Ottawa Naturalist. 22: 246–248.
  • Gall-Inducing Insects: From Anatomy to Biodiversity [1]
  • A Catalog of the Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) of the World [2]
  1. Fernandes, G. W.; Carneiro, M. A. A.; Isaias, R. M. S. (March 2012). Gall-Inducing Insects: From Anatomy to Biodiversity (PDF). pp. 369–395. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. Gagné, Raymond J.; Jaschhof, Mathias (2017). "A Catalog of the Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) of the World, Fourth Edition" (PDF). Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
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