Dactylosphaera subellipticum

Phylloxeridae

Phylloxera

Carya ovata

Alabama

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Carya tomentosa

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North American Phylloxerinae affecting hicoria (Carya) and other trees

Phylloxera subelliptica

Dactylosphaera subellipticum, n. sp.
Gall No. 3

Hosts: Carya alba [tomentosa]

 On June 7th, I observed, placed in the common petiole of the leaf, large, elongate, subelipsoidal, nut-like galls, of a deep leaf-green color, mottled with paler green, and somewhat nodulated; some were irregular, being on the side of the stem; but most of them are quite regular in form, and completely surrounding the stem; in these latter the leaves are very much dwarfed. The opening is on the middle of the side, slightly elongate, but at this date so close as to be scarcely apparent. These galls contain capacious cavities, in which were found vast colonies of larvae, and an abundance of eggs. Transverse diameter 5/8 inch; conjugate diameter 3/8 inch. 

By June 20th, these galls had considerably changed in appearance, being contorted into different shapes ; they had began to crack open, having transverse fissues [sic] on their outer surface. The first one opened contained many hundred winged imagos, all dead, and in the midst of them was a large syrphidian larva. I found only one gall that contained perfect living imagos, the inhabitants of all the other galls that were examined, having been destroyed by various enemies. 

A summers study of hickory galls, with descriptions of supposed new insects bred therefrom

Phylloxera subelliptica Shimer. 

Dactylosphcera subellipticum Shimer. 

Of this species I am familiar with the gall only and reproduce, therefore, Shimer' s description as published in the Transactions of the American Entomological Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 2, 1868, page 389: 

"On June 7th I observed, placed in the common petiole of the leaf, larvae, elongate, subelipsoidal, nut-like galls, of a deep leaf-green color, mottled with paler green, and somewhat nodulated ; some were irregular, being on the side of the stem ; but most of them are quite regular in form and completely surrounding the stem ; in these latter the leaves are very much dwarfed. The opening is on the middle of the side, slightly elongate, but at this date so close as to be scarcely apparent. These galls contain capacious cavities, in which were found vast colonies of larvae, and an abundance of eggs. Transverse diameter five-eighths inch ; conjugate diameter three-eighths inch. " By June 20th these galls had considerably changed in appearance, being contorted into different shapes ; they had began to crack open, having transverse fissures on their outer surface. The first one opened contained many hundred winged unagos, all dead, and in the midst of them was a large syrphidian larva. I found only one gall that contained perfect living imagos, the inhabitants of all the other galls that were exam- ined haying been destroyed by various enemies."

This may possibly be but a variety of Pk. caryaecaulis Fitch, but not having had an opportunity to study its architects I prefer, for the present, to leave it as a distinct species. 

Phylloxera subelliptica

Carya sp.
Petiole or twig galls
Large, oval, smooth, growing on the petioles, a slight, central depression covered with short hairs, length 20 mm, diameter 10 mm.

Key to American Insect Galls

Phylloxera caryaecaulis (Fitch)

Shimer (1869) described three other closely-related phylloxerid species producing somewhat different twig or petiole galls on other species of Carya, which may or may not be synonymous with P. caryaecaulis: P. subelliptica, producing ellipsoid mottled green galls on side of twig of C. alba (= ovata) in Illinois (see also Pergande 1904).  

Aphids on the world's plants

Phylloxera subelliptica

Hosts: Carya ovata

 Oval and mottled green, glabrous, diameter about 10.0 mm and length about 20.0 mm; occurring on side of petiole or completely surrounding it with a slit-like opening apparent when mature.

Range: AL,

Species Diversity of Hickory-feeding Phylloxerans (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) in the U.S.