''Rabdophaga rosacea'' is a species of gall midge that creates rosette

gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...

s on roses found in the central plains of North America. The species was first described in 1908 by Ephraim Porter Felt from a collection made by

Norman Criddle Norman Criddle, born in 1875 in Addlestone, Surrey, England, died in 1933 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, was an entomologist active in the early development of control strategies for agriculturally important grasshoppers (Insecta: Orthoptera) in ...

in Aweme, Manitoba, Canada. The holotype, an adult male, is in the New York State Museum collection.

Description

The midge causes galls to form on the terminal buds of native roses ( Rosa spp.) The galls are tightly packed leafy rosettes with a central cavity.

Etymology

The genus name 'Rabdophaga' is formed from two Greek roots; rhabdos- meaning a rod or staff and -phaga meaning 'eater' In older references the genus name is spelled 'Rhabdophaga'. The specific name 'rosacea' refers to the genus of plants that are the hosts of the midge.

Taxonomy

As gall midges are one of the most diverse yet least known groups of true flies, a

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

revision of the world fauna of this group is in process. In 2014, it was proposed that ''Rhadophaga rosacea'' be placed in '' Dasineura,'' a broadly defined polyphyletic genus of gall midges, as ''Dasineura rosacea''. Both ''Radophaga'' and ''Dasineura'' are within the tribe Dasineurini, a group of plant feeders that share several physical similarities.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13623307 Gall-inducing insects Insects described in 1908 Taxa named by Ephraim Porter Felt rosacea Diptera of North America