Eriophyes ulmi

Phytopus ulmi

Eriophyes campestricola

Aceria ulmicola

Aceria campestricola

Eriophyidae

Aceria

Ulmus alata

Alabama

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Georgia

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Indiana

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Kentucky

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Ohio

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Tennessee

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Ulmus americana

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Ulmus minor

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Ulmus rubra

Insect Galls of Ontario

Insect galls of Springfield, Massachusetts, and vicinity

Aceria near-campestricola

Eriophyes ulmi

The galls are intermediate in form between those of the hard and soft maples [ie, Vasates aceriscrumena and Vasates quadripedes] and somewhat balloon-shaped. The interior wall is ridged vertically. The galls usually occur on the upper side of the leaves. Occurs on soft elm (Ulmus americana) and Rock Elm (Ulmus racemosa [thomasii]). Very common.

Eriophyes ulmi Garman

Phytoptus ulmi

A small globular gall on the upper surface of the leaf. The neck is constricted somewhat. Not common. On elm, Ulmus americana.

Eriophyes ulmi

Ulmus

Globular leaf gall, on upper surface, on U americana, mite

Plant Galls and Gall Makers

Garman, on p. 187 of the Twelfth Report of the State Entomologist, Ill. 183, named Phytoptus ulmi, new species, causing galls on leaves of Ulmus americana L., and stating: " - -a slender species, with from 67 to 70 striae. Prongs of the feather-like appendage, three. Length of specimens in alcohol, .17 mm." The common mite forming galls on elm leaves in North America in one with what would be called a 2-rayed featherclaw, but perhaps we can harmonize this with Garman's statement. 

Nalepa, in the 1910 Zoologica, pp. 222 and 223, lists Eriophyes ulmicola Nal., 1890 and E. brevipunctatus Nal., 1889, as causing galls on the European Ulmus campestris (now procera), and on U. pedunculata, respectively.  I have examined mites from bead-like leaf galls on various elms from Alberta, Canada, to the Atlantic coast of North America, from England and from th Island of Cypress. In all of these galls two types of mites appear: one with heavily granular shield and completely granulated rings; the other with nearly smooth shiel and with ring granulations ventral only. But these two types are the same in the position of the dorsal shield setae and in both having the 2-rayed featherclaw. Since they are invariably found together it is my opinion that they all represent Garman's ulmi, with Nalepa's ulmicola as the deutogyne, and brevipunctatus as the protogyne. I am indebted to Dr. R. H. Richens, Commonwealth Bureau of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Cmbridge, England, for specimens from England and Cypress.

Eriophyid Stuies B-13

Eriophyes ulmi (Garman)

Phytoptus ulmi Garman, 1883, Ill. State Entom. Rep. 12: 187. 

Type host: Ulmus americana L. 
Type locality: Illinois 

Relation to host: The mites caused galls on leaves of elm. The South Dakota species was collected on elm galls, (Fig. 12-13), along with Eriophyes parulmi discussed on page 44. in this manuscript. The species are very closely related but only the study of their life histories will throw light to such relationships. 

South Dakota collection record: 
Host Ulmus americana 
Location Brookings Co. Yankton Co. 

The Eriophyid Plant Mites of South Dakota

Eriophyes ulmi

causes the formation of small, variable, bead like galls on the upper surface of leaves. Their exterior is rough, irregular and is covered with a few hairs like the rest of the leaf surface. They are the least impressive of the two galls. Specimens were collected in Canada and the Eastern United States on American elm and in England and Cyprus on elm.

An Illustrated Guide to Plant Abnormalities Caused by Eriophyid Mites in North America

Aceria campestricola (Nalepa 1889)

Phytoptus brevipunctatus
Eriophyes brevipunctatus

Hosts: Ulmus laevis, americana (error), Ulmus glabra, Ulmus minor, Ulmus campestris

Relationship: Small cephaloneon galls on leaf undersurface.

Range: Europe

Notes: Keifer 1965 claimed brevipunctata is the protogyne of Aceria ulmi (Garman), which is incorrect. Aceria brevipunctata is a distinct, valid species in Europe, causing cephaloneon galls on Ulmus laevis and other elms; the major diffference is the 4-5 longitudinal lines on the coverflap of brevipunctatus; these are absent in both forms of Aceria campestricola. Eriophyes ulmi (Nal. 1890) [invalid: junior homonym of Eriophyes ulmi (Garman)], then later renamed Eriophyes ulmicola Nalepa 1909, which, supposedly is the deutogyne of Aceria campestricola Frauenfeld. Eriophyes ulmicola punctata Nalepa,1920 appears to be a valid separate species on Ulmus minor and should be listed as Aceria punctata (Nalepa). Keifer 1965 listed brevipunctata as a junior synonym of Aceria ulmi (Garman). which is incorrect. Aceria ulmi (Garman) has three rays to the empodium, not two. The host, Ulmus americana, is very different from Ulmus minor, the host of campestricola Frauenfeld. Acarologists need to find the mites and conduct rearing studies on the European elm gall mites to be certain of their identity and host range.

Aceria campestricola (Frauenfeld, 1865)

?Phytoptus brevipunctatus
Phytoptus ulmi
Eriophyes ulmicola
Phytoptus campestricola

Hosts: Ulmus minor, glabra, laevis, procera. The mites forming cephaloneon galls on North American elms are different species, not campestricola. americana, rubra (error)

Relationship:  Galls on Ulmus procera are supposedly beadlike; galls are embedded in the leaf disc, hemispherical on upper surface, protruding from lower surface with narrow aperture free of hairs, smooth internally [4979]. On Ulmus americana a different mite produces somewhat elongate, smooth, yellowish cephaloneon galls on the upper surface of leaves; whereas, on slippery elm (Ulmus rubra Muhlenb.) another mite produces nearly spherical galls that are hairy on the outer surface, first green then reddish or yellowish. The two distinctive gall mites make identification of the American and Slipery elms very easy, when galls are present. The mites on these nearctic elms are distinct, separate species; we need to do DNA and rearing transfer studies to demonstrate separate identification.

Range: IL, OH, NY, SD, WV (the USA records are probably an error as it now appears that these are all different species)

Notes: This is the valid name for the gall mite with a 2-rayed empodium, producing cephaloneon galls on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves of various European Elms, especially Ulmus minor and Ulmus laevis. Aceria brevipunctata and Aceria ulmicola were made a junior synonyms of Aceria ulmi (Garman, 1883) by Keifer 1965 (B13: 9). Keifer's concept for Aceria ulmicola was that it is Aceria ulmi (Garman, 1883) (Keifer 1965 (B13:9). The host is different from that of campestricola Frauenfeld, which was the original description of the elm gall mites in Europe; we consider brevipunctata to be a valid, separate species. Harry Green sent us specimens from Ulmus laevis in Worcestershire, UK, from which we photographed deutogyne females, protogyne females, males, nymphs and larvae; it is very different from campestricola and from the cephaloneon galls on elms in the USA. Aceria ulmi (Garman) has 3 rays to the empodium, as described by Garman; they are not Aceria campestricola, but a distinct, separate species that does not form galls, but takes over the galls of gall-making species on Ulmus americana. The cephaloneon galls on Ulmus americana and Ulmus rubra are apparently not Aceria campestricola but distinctly different mites that need new names. The mite on Japanese elm is probably a different, distinct species as well. 

Verbatim from Keifer, 1965, B13: p. 9: 
"Garman, on p. 187 of the Twelfth Report of the State Entomologist, Ill. 183, named Phytoptus ulmi, new species, causing galls on leaves of Ulmus americana L., and stating: " - -a slender species, with from 67 to 70 striae. Prongs of the feather-like appendage, three. Length of specimens in alcohol, .17 mm." The common mite forming galls on elm leaves in North America in (is) one with what would be called a 2-rayed featherclaw, but perhaps we can harmonize this with Garman's statement. (Meaning that Garman's mite had two rays, not three! It has three and is a distinct, valid species.)

Nalepa, in the 1910 [1911] Zoologica, pp. 222 and 223, lists Eriophyes ulmicola Nal., 1890 [no. 1909] and E. brevipunctatus Nal., 1889, as causing galls on the European Ulmus campestris (now procera), and on U. pedunculata, respectively.  I have examined mites from bead-like leaf galls on various elms from Alberta, Canada, to the Atlantic coast of North America, from England and from th Island of Cypress. In all of these galls two types of mites appear: one with heavily granular shield and completely granulated rings; the other with nearly smooth shiel and with ring granulations ventral only. But these two types are the same in the position of the dorsal shield setae and in both having the 2-rayed featherclaw. Since they are invariably found together it is my opinion that they all represent Garman's ulmi, with Nalepa's ulmicola as the deutogyne, and brevipunctatus as the protoyne. I am indebted to Dr. R. H. Richens, Commonwealth Bureau of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Cmbridge, England, for specimens from England and Cypress."

Amrine Catalog

The taxonomic history of eriophyid galls on elms is complicated. 

In 1883 Garman described Phytoptus ulmi from galls similar to Vasates quadripedes but more slender and with sparse hairs on Ulmus americana in Illinois. Keifer 1965 gave Aceria ulmi (Garman) as the inducer of all cephaloneon galls on American elms. However, the mite Garman and Keifer took to be the inducer was found to be an inquiline, so the inducers (distinct for at least 3 different galls on Ulmus rubra and americana) are unnamed. 

Amrine in one entry codes the undescribed galls as "bead galls made by Aceria new species" and "cephaloneon galls made by Aceria n sp 2, near campestricola" both on Ulmus americana. In another entry he states "On Ulmus americana a different mite produces somewhat elongate, smooth, yellowish cephaloneon galls on the upper surface of leaves; whereas, on slippery elm (Ulmus rubra Muhlenb.) another mite produces nearly spherical galls that are hairy on the outer surface, first green then reddish or yellowish. The two distinctive gall mites make identification of the American and Slipery elms very easy, when galls are present."

Gallformers ID Notes