Celticecis celtiphyllia (Felt)

Mayetiola celtiphyllia
Phytophaga celtiphyllia

Hosts: Celtis laevigata, occidentalis, tenuifolia

Gall.--On twigs, petioles or major veins on either leaf surface and often distorting the leaf, usually in crowded clusters; campanulate, the flattened apex with central, fluted, elongate projection; surface green, turning buff or brown, entirely covered with long hairs not obscuring surface, lower portion smoothly rounded, upper portion beyond widest dimension may be furrowed; ca. 6 mm long and 5 mm in diameter at greatest width, distal appendage a further 1–2 mm long; connection to plant not prominent, ca. 1/3 gall diameter; wall woody, thin near base, much thickened at mid-length and beyond, larval chamber pear-shaped, the larva living in larger basal portion.

Biological notes.--For his gall description, Felt (1915b) cited Pergande’s unpublished notes, as follows: “very hard, obconic, the upper extremity produced as a long, slender nipple; at the base five or six low ridges. The galls are smooth inside and divided by a delicate though dense web into two compartments, the larva occurring in the lower.” This describes well the galls that are still at the USNM. The illustrations in Felt (1918, 1940) showed a separate series of young galls of this species growing on a stem, but their provenance was not indicated. With their slender shallotlike shape these galls look rather different from full-grown galls, but that is how the galls appear when the larvae are early second instars and before the galls broaden considerably. In Fort Pierce, Florida, galls were full grown with active second instars by March 7. Larvae had formed cocoons and were dehiscing by May 9. In both Louisiana and West Virginia, third instars were present by June 30. Galls did not always dehisce readily and were occasionally found with healthy larvae as late as September in West Virginia. Both second and third instars are very active and may be white to yellow-orange.

Distr.--This species is widespread in eastern U.S. on northern hackberry, dwarf hackberry and sugarberry.

AR, FL, GA, IA, KS, LA, MD, MS, OH, TX, WV

Celticecis celtiphyllia New Combination

Cecidomyiaceltis celtiphyllia
Mayetiola celtiphyllia

Celticecis celtiphyllia

In this study, C. celtiphyllia was found at three of the study sites in Pennsylvania and at the two New Jersey study sites (Figure 2), expanding the northeastern range and representing two new state records for this species.

Phytophaga celtiphyllia

Conical, flask-shaped or subglobular, slightly ribbed, greenish leaf or tender twig gall arising from a circular, truncate base, diameter 3-4 mm.

Phytophaga celtiphyllia Felt

A sub-balloon-shaped gall occurring on the leaves (either side), petioles and stems. 4-8 mm high, including the apical, variable, attenuate tip, which arises sharply from the distal end of the gall body. 4-5.5 mm. dia. through the broad distal half of the gall. The sides do not taper proximally in the typical balloon fashion, but show a definite constriction below the distal expanded portion. When isolated the galls show a perfect radially symmetric structure, but they are apt to be found in clusters, resulting in more or less loss of symmetry through mutual pressure. When on the leaves they generally are found on the upper side attached close to the principal veins. These galls retain their green color longer than any of the others ; when full size in mid-summer, the content of chloroplasts in the superficial cell layers is so great as to make them fully as green as the leaf. Coarsely pubescent. The chamber is constricted distally. Galls not uncommon in Kansas, but this form has not been seen in Ohio.

The writer is practically certain that this is the gall described by Pergande, whose notes are presented by Felt with the description of the above insect. Pergande states it to be a "very hard, obconic gall, the upper extremity produced as a long slender nipple; at the base five or six low ridges. The galls occur on the upper side of the leaf and drop when mature." Unfortunately no measurements are given. On the basis of the brief description, however, absolute certainty is not possible.