Gnorimoschema gibsoniella

Family: Gelechiidae | Genus: Gnorimoschema
Detachable: integral
Color: brown, gray, green
Texture: hairy, hairless
Abundance: occasional
Shape: spindle
Season: Summer, Fall, Winter
Related:
Alignment: integral
Walls: thick
Location: stem
Form: tapered swelling
Cells: monothalamous
Possible Range:i
Common Name(s):
Synonymy:
missing image of Gnorimoschema gibsoniella

A Comparative Taxonomic-Natural History Study of Eight Nearctic Species of Gnorimoschema that Induce Stem Galls on Asteraceae, Including Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

"Reared adults for this study came from Aster spp., including the taxonomically variable Aster pilosus, which has several named varieties. Godfrey et al. (1987) reared G. gibsoniellum from Aster spp. Busck (1915) gives the foodplant as "Solidago rigida." S. rigida L. is a distinctive goldenrod which I scanned extensively in Minnesota and southwestern Manitoba without finding Gnorimoschema galls." [note: Despite this statement by Miller, it's hard for me to imagine Busck truly mistaking Solidago rigida for an aster, so I'm still including it in our gallformers.org database as a host. It is still possible that it was misidentified, however.]

"Discounting minor irregularities, the galls are vertically symmetrical to mildly pear-shaped. The pear-shaped galls occurred at ground level."

"I first detected this galler while mowing a rural lawn that was being invaded by Aster pilosus from an adjacent field. Most of the galls were at ground level, becoming apparent only after mowing exposed them.... Gibson also noted that the galls were near ground level."

"The opening of the adult exit is located in the upper one-third of the gall."

"No bung is made; only intact plant epidermis caps the finished adult exit, as in G. gallaespeciosum."

- William E. Miller: (2000) A Comparative Taxonomic-Natural History Study of Eight Nearctic Species of Gnorimoschema that Induce Stem Galls on Asteraceae, Including Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)©


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