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Asteromyia carbonifera
Females lay eggs on the underside of goldenrod leaves (Solidago sp.). The development from egg to adult takes 4-5 weeks, and there are several generations per year.
The galls are flat and circular. They contain a symbiotic fungus, Botryosphaeria dothidea, which the larvae does not eat. The fungus confers some protection against parasitoid wasps. The females carry spores of the fungus.
These galls were on goldenrod (Solidago sp.) that was growing in a disturbed meadow.
This is the first spotting of this species on Project Noah.
Spotted on Jun 21, 2018
Submitted on Jun 26, 2018
15 Comments
Thanks DrNamgyalT.Sherpa!
Congrats Christine for the SOTW! Wow!
Thanks Stephen!
Fantastic - well done!
Thank you Danièle for SOTW, I'm honored :). Thanks António and Leuba for your comments!
Congratulations - well deserved SOTW !
Great series Christine,showing all the process and all the info that you and Danièle collect about this particular gall is amazing,congrats on the well deserved SOTW and thanks for sharing
Congratulations Christine, this beautiful and fascinating series has been voted Spotting of the Week!
"There's both visual appeal and fascinating, complex ecological interactions in our Spotting of the Week! Galls are abnormal growths which can be found on plants and which are caused by a variety of organisms, including insects. Here, a North American midge fly (Asteromyia carbonifera; family Cecidomyiidae) has formed characteristic black blister-like galls by depositing its eggs on its host, a goldenrod leaf (Solidago. sp). Now comes the first twist in our story: the galls themselves are actually not composed of plant tissue, but made of the mycelium of a fungus (Botryosphaeria dothidea), the spores of which have been inoculated to the leaf together with the midge eggs. The midge fly and the fungus have what is known as an obligate mutualistic symbiotic relationship: without the fungus, the flies could not develop on goldenrod, and vice versa. The developing midge larva feeds on fungal tissue. However, this is not the only use for the fungus, and here comes our second twist: the hardened structure eventually formed by the fungus (known as stroma) protects the developing midge from the attacks of parasitoid wasps. Indeed Asteromyia can be attacked by a number of natural enemies, particularly hymenopteran parasitoids that will probe the gall with their ovipositor seeking to lay an egg in the immature flies. Their ovipositor will be stopped by the fungal stroma".
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Thanks so much for the nomination :)
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated Christine!
Thank you Leuba and DrNamgyalT.Sherpa! I wish I had collected a leaf - it would have been fun to rear them to adulthood :)
Nice spotting Christine Y.
Great spotting Christine - thanks !
Thanks Mark. It looked like crusty blueberries baked into the leaf. Pretty cool!
Fabulous pattern. ;)