''Asteromyia carbonifera'' is a species of
gall midge
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 us ...
s in the family
Cecidomyiidae
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 usu ...
.
[ It creates galls on '''' plants. Females can lay up to 300 eggs at a time and often collect ]conidia
A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to the ...
of the fungus ''Botryosphaeria dothidea
''Botryosphaeria dothidea'' is a plant pathogen that causes the formation of cankers on a wide variety of tree and shrub species. It has been reported on several hundred plant hosts and on all continents except Antarctica.Crous, P.W., B. Slipper ...
'', which is deposited on the plant alongside the eggs. The larvae grow within the gall that the fungus creates, a form of mutualism. Solidago altissima
''Solidago altissima'', the tall goldenrod or late goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae which is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is common in much of its range ...
References
Further reading
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External links
Cecidomyiinae
Articles created by Qbugbot
Insects described in 1862
{{Bibionomorpha-stub