Mayetiola thujae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Cecidomyiidae
Genus: Mayetiola
Species:
M. thujae
Binomial name
Mayetiola thujae
Hedlin, 1959 (Originally Phytophaga thujae)
Synonyms

Phytophaga thujae

Mayetiola thujae, the redcedar cone midge, is a species of gall midge that infects western redcedar (Thuja plicata) cones.

Description

Males are 2.44 millimetres (0.096 in) long on average. Females are somewhat larger, averaging 2.77 millimetres (0.109 in) in length, and have retractible ovipositors.[1] The adults of both sexes are dark gray.[2]

Ecology

Eggs are laid on the inner surface of female western redcedar cones in the March or April,[3] shortly after pollination occurs.[4] The eggs are oblong and translucent, but appear to be orange due to the color of the larvae.[4] The eggs hatch in April or May after a month of incubation.[3] The larvae, which grow up to 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long,[2] feed on the seeds and tissue of the cone before beginning to pupate in late summer.[4]

As a control measure, insecticides can be applied to western redcedar cones in the spring.[2] The larvae are often infected by parasitoid wasps of the family Chalcididae.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Hedlin, A. F. (November 1959). "Description and Habits of a New Species of Phytophaga (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Western Red Cedar Cones". The Canadian Entomologist. Entomological Society of Canada. 91 (11): 719–723. doi:10.4039/Ent91719-11.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cone and Seed Insect Pest Leaflet no. 1: Redcedar Cone Midge (Mayetiola thujae)" (PDF). forestgeneticsbc.ca. Forest Genetics Council of British Columbia. February 2014 [August 2010] – via British Columbia Ministry of Forests.
  3. 1 2 Hedlin, A. F. (1980). Cone and seed insects of North American conifers (PDF). Environment Canada, Forest Service. Co-published by the United States Forest Service and Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources. p. 34 – via Pacific Forestry Centre.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hedlin, A. F. (July 1964). "Life History and Habits of a Midge, Phytophaga thujae Hedlin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Western Red Cedar Cones". The Canadian Entomologist. Entomological Society of Canada. 96 (7): 950–957. doi:10.4039/Ent96950-7.
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