Host-partitioning

Guides

• Asphondylia auripila

  Large Creosote Gall Midge

  Asphondylia auripila is a gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae that induces stem galls on creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). It is part of a species group of 15 closely related Asphondylia species that have partitioned creosote bush ecologically, with different species inhabiting leaves, stems, buds, and flowers. A. auripila specifically occupies the stems, forming distinctive pom-pom-like galls. The larvae develop within these plant-generated structures, which provide both shelter and nutrition.

  gall-midgeCecidomyiidaeLarrea-tridentatacreosote-bushstem-gallecological-speciationhost-partitioningdesert-insectSonoran-Desertherbivoryplant-manipulationadaptive-radiation