Asphondylia pseudorosa (bud)

Asphondylia pseudorosa (leaf snap)

Asphondylia pseudorosa (capitulum)

Asphondylia solidaginis (leaf snap)

Asphondylia solidaginis (bud)

Asphondylia silva

Asphondylia rosulata (leaf snap)

Asphondylia rosulata (bud)

Asphondylia monacha (summer generation)

Asphondylia monacha (spring generation)

Asphondylia pumila (summer generation)

Asphondylia s-bicolor-bud-rosette

Asphondylia s-odora-bud-rosette

Asphondylia s-nemoralis-leaf-snap

Asphondylia s-tortifolia-bud-rosette-cluster

Asphondylia s-sempervirens-bud-rosette-gall

Asphondylia s-uliginosa-bud-rosette-gall

Asphondylia s-odora-bud-rosette-gall

The very common bud galls of A. pseudorosa sp. nov. on E. graminifolia ... cannot be mistaken for the only other bud galler on this host, Rhopalomyia lobata Felt, 1908, the galls of which are usually much bigger and contain a large mass of spongy tissue in which the larval chambers are embedded.

[this species was originally described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

Leaf snap galls are uncommonly found on E. graminifolia ... and we were unable to rear adults from them. We attribute these galls to A. pesudorosa based on the pupal morphology and on the similar situation observed in A. solidaginis and A. rosulata sp. nov., where the same species induces both snap and bud galls on its host plant.

[this species was originally described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

Infested inflorescence buds do not usually show any external signs of infestation, although they may appear somewhat wider than normal buds ... The larva feeds on the developing inflorescence within the closed bud, and the gall is accompanied by a white fungal mycelium that lines its internal walls.

[this species was originally described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

The galls that are formed in spring and early summer are blister leaf galls that join two (and sometimes three or four) leaves together like a snap... When made of two leaves, one leaf contributes the bottom part of the gall and the other contributes the upper part to form a single-chambered gall that is thickly lined by white mycelium on the inside.

[this species is re-described in detail in this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

...a rosette gall also appears in the apical or axillary buds of S. altissima. These rosette galls are small (3–5 cm in diameter), composed of shortened leaves, and contain a single chamber at their centre .... formed by several very short leaves that are attached together to form a small, rigid cone, and is lined internally by white mycelium.

[this species is re-described in detail in this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

This species induces very small, single-chambered galls in apical shoot tips ... The gall is composed of several very short leaves that are pressed together to form a conical chamber, the internal walls of which are lined by a white layer of mycelium.

[this species was originally described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

This species ... forms snap and bud galls ... similar to the situation in [Asphondylia] solidaginis. Snap galls join two or more leaves together, are formed in spring and early summer, and are usually found on leaves very close to the apical bud, rather than on more mature leaves farther down the shoot. In this respect, the galls of A. rosulata sp. nov. constitute intermediate steps between snap and rosette galls...

[this species was originally described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny

The small rosette galls develop only in apical buds and can be locally very common. These galls are composed of several shortened leaves that surround a single central, rigid chamber made of closely attached leaves, and are lined by white mycelium on the inside.

[this species was originally described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

This species has two generations a year that induce distinct bud galls on different *Solidago* species ... The much more conspicuous summer-generation gall of this species on *S. juncea* (the host was incorrectly identified as *S. canadensis* in the original description) is a rosette bud gall that is found in great numbers... They are usually composed of 15–30 individual units, each with a single larval chamber that is surrounded by shortened leaves and lined internally by white mycelium. These units form a spherical structure on shoot tips.

[this species was thoroughly researched and re-described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny, including evidence for *S. erecta* and *S. uliginosa* as hosts.]

This species has two generations a year that induce distinct bud galls on different Solidago species. The early-spring generation was found only on S. altissima in April–May ... they developed in buds that grew from the rhizomes and were barely visible above ground... Galled buds were wider and felt harder to the touch than normal buds, were 5 cm long and 2 cm wide, and contained a single chamber, the internal walls of which were lined by a thick layer of white mycelium... In May, some galls were found in much longer sprouts (∼15 cm long) that still appeared stunted and somewhat thicker than normal sprouts.

[this species was thoroughly researched and re-described by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

Aggregate bud galls that resemble those of *A. monacha* on *S. juncea* and *S. erecta* are known from several other goldenrod species, including *S. patula*, *S. odora*, and an undetermined *Solidago* species from Florida, based on material in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.

[the goldenrod-galling members of this genus were thoroughly researched by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

*[Asphondylia]* populations that are associated with *S. sempervirens* in Maine and Massachusetts... and with *S. bicolor* in Virginia... were studied in detail in the present work, and although we did not find morphological differences between them and *A. monacha*, our molecular analysis suggests that they belong to at least two undescribed species. These species are not described here because additional molecular data are needed in order to determine their boundaries and host associations. Their galls are locally common and appear similar in structure to those of *A. monacha*.

[The goldenrod-galling members of this genus were thoroughly researched by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny.]

Aggregate bud galls that resemble those of A. monacha on S. juncea and S. erecta are known from several other goldenrod species, including S. patula, S. odora, and an undetermined Solidago species from Florida, based on material in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. (USNM).

Leaf snap galls were observed once during this study on *S. nemoralis*, but we were unable to rear adults from them or to characterize them with molecular tools. Similar galls may be found on other *Solidago* hosts but the identity of the species that induce them requires further study.

Similarly, small rosette galls that resemble those of A. rosulata sp. nov. were observed by R.J. Gagné (pers. comm.) on Solidago tortifolia Elliott, 1823 in Maryland in late October, but the identity of the gall inducer is currently unknown.

Aggregated bud galls that are very similar to those of A. monacha are also found on S. sempervirens ... and S. bicolor ..., and although we could not find morphological differences between A. monacha and individuals from these populations, our molecular analysis indicates that the latter belong to one or more undescribed species.

[this genus on goldenrods was researched extensively for this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny]

*[Asphondylia]* populations that are associated with *S. sempervirens* in Maine and Massachusetts... and with *S. bicolor* in Virginia... were studied in detail in the present work, and although we did not find morphological differences between them and *A. monacha*, our molecular analysis suggests that they belong to at least two undescribed species. These species are not described here because additional molecular data are needed in order to determine their boundaries and host associations. Their galls are locally common and appear similar in structure to those of *A. monacha*. 
...
One individual from a rosette gall on *S. uliginosa* is also included in the *sempervirens/bicolor* clade, whereas another individual from this host grouped with *A. monacha*, suggesting that *S. uliginosa* is used by two different species.

[The goldenrod-galling members of this genus were thoroughly researched by the authors of this paper; please refer to it for many more details of gall biology, insect life history, anatomy, and phylogeny.]

"Aggregate bud galls that resemble those of *[Asphondylia] monacha* on *[Solidago] juncea* and *S. erecta* are known from several other goldenrod species, including *S. patula*, *S. odora*, and an undetermined *Solidago* species from Florida, based on material in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. (USNM)."

[GF note: Since this publication, *Solidago chapmanii*, formerly a variety of *Solidago odora*, has been elevated to species (per Kew's Plants of the World Online). It's not clear whether the record above refers to *S. odora* in the strict sense, or instead to *S. chapmanii*. *Asphondylia*-like galls have been observed on *S. chapmanii*; there is a separate gallformers page for those galls [here](https://www.gallformers.org/gall/4950), though they may be conspecific with these. However, they are not aggregated, as reported above for those on *S. odora*.] 

Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Asphondylia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) of North American goldenrods: challenging morphology, complex host associations, and cryptic speciation