Phytoptus acericola

Phyllocoptes aceris-crumena

Eriophyes crumena

Eriophyes aceris-crumena

Acarus aceris crumena

Maple Spindle Gall

Eriophyidae

Vasates

Acer floridanum

Alabama

Arkansas

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

Missouri

North Carolina

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

Acer leucoderme

Acer nigrum

Connecticut

Delaware

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Vermont

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Ontario

Quebec

Acer saccharum

Arizona

Colorado

Idaho

Montana

Nevada

New Mexico

Utah

Wyoming

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

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

An illustrated catalogue of American insect galls

Vasates aceriscrumena

Phytopus acericola

Acer saccharinum [Thompson's photo shows Acer saccharum]

Gall slender and tapers to both extremities

MA, June

Phyllocoptes aceris-crumena

Acer rubrum, saccharinum [sic--this seems to be mistaken compared to later literature]

Slender, fusiform leaf galls, length 5 mm. Sometimes very abundant, on the upper surface, also on sugar maple [Acer saccharum] and white-barked maple [Acer leucoderme].

Acer saccharum, leucoderme

Slender, fusiform leaf galls, length 5 mm. Sometimes very abundant, on the upper surface, also on soft maple [Acer saccharinum--sic] and white-barked maple [Acer leucoderme].

Key to American Insect Galls

Another common and abundant pouch gall that develops on the upper surface of sugar maple leaves is the spindle or finger gall, which is caused by Vasates aceriscrumena. The gall is distinguished from that of V. quadripedes Shimer by its form, position, color, and texture. The galls are solitary, elongate, with pointed or truncate apices, or spindle shaped. They are variable in size, up to 5 mm in length, and tend to crowd at the apical half of the leaf blade. They vary from greenish tinged with yellow to pink, to crimson. The exit hole on the underside of the leaf has a tuft of unicellular hairs, but the interior of the gall is thin walled and lacks hairs. 

Specimens are found in galls through July on sugar maple in the Eastern United States and Canada. 


Vasates aceriscrumena

Phytoptus acericola
Acarus aceris crumena
Eriophyes aceris-crumena
Eriophyes crumena
Phyllocoptes aceris-crumena

Hosts: Acer saccharum, leucoderme

Relationship: Upper surface, leaf finger galls with lower surface opening

Range: IN, OH, WV, Quebec

Amrine Catalog