Celticecis ovata Gagne, new species

Hosts: Celtis laevigata, occidentalis, tenuifolia

Gall.--On twigs, petioles or major veins of either leaf surface and often distorting the leaf, usually in crowded clusters; bulbous basally, the distal 1/3–2/3 gradually tapering to apex; connection to twig a pad as wide as gall base; surface green, turning brown, the surface then weakly longitudinally sulcate along entire length; covered with long white hair not obscuring surface; 5–6 mm long and 4–5 mm at widest diameter; wall woody, uniformly thick or thin, larval chamber of same shape as spheroid part of gall, not extending into tapered apical portion.

Affinities.--See under C semenrumicis. [Affinities.--Celticecis semenrumicis, C. ramicola, and C. ovata are distinguishable mainly from their galls. Galls of all three species are usually found attached to twigs. Those of C. semenrumicis ultimately develop distinct wings, are hairless, have a slender, curled apex, dehisce by early summer, and are known from the Mississippi Basin and Texas. Galls of C. ramicola have the same general distribution, are also hairless but never winged, have a short, straight apical extension, develop in late summer and early autumn and are slow to dehisce, in some cases persisting through late autumn. Galls of C. ovata are not sympatric with those of the other two, are instead more northern and eastern and hairy and wingless.]

Biological notes.--The generally globular gall base becomes longitudinally sulcate when dried, lending the galls some slight resemblance to those of C. semenrumicis. young galls are similar to those of C. celtiphyllia, but those of the latter species eventually broaden apically and, when dry, may develop longitudinal sulcations only on the basal half.

Distribution (Map 11). — This species was mainly found on northern hackberry but was found in southeastern Virginia on both northern hackberry and sugarberry growing next to one another and in Georgia on dwarf hackberry.

GA, IA, KY, MD, OH, VA, WV, WI

- Raymond J. Gagne, John C. Moser: (2013) The North American Gall Midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) of Hackberries (Cannabaceae: Celtis spp.)^©

Reference: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51467028#page/33/mode/1up