Aciurina notata

Valentibulla dodsoni

Procecidochares e-nauseosa-swollen-flower-bud

Lateral stem gall, globular with short tomentum.

Valentibulla dodsoni Foote is a recently described species (Blanc and Foote, 1987) from New Mexico which represents a considerable range extension for the genus. Valentibulla was established by Foote and Blanc (1959) and the other 5 members of the genus are restricted to California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington (Blanc and Foote, 1987). The host plant reported here, C n. ssp. bigelovii, is added to the only other host plant records for this genus: C parryi and two other subspecies of C nauseosus (Wangberg, 1978). The gall of this species is a rather inconspicuous swelling of the stem (Fig. 1 D). The biology and behavior of V. dodsoni is described elsewhere (Dodson, 1987). [According to this paper all other Valentibulla species are found outside of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, so maybe any Valentibulla found within this region can be presumed to be dodsoni]

Procecidochares sp. nr. minuta (Snow)

Eggs are laid in May on C. n. bigelovii [Ericameria nauseosa var. bigelovii] in what appears to be the apical buds of the current year’s new growth. Larvae feed inside galls which become recognizable only when the flowerheads begin to form (generally July-August). Procecidochares sp. galls consist of enlarged, unopened flowerheads (Fig. 1E-F). Pupation takes place within the galls. The first puparia were found on 19 and 23 August, 1981, at the two study sites and the percentage of the gall samples containing puparia reached 95% by 16 and 19 September. The first adult emergences followed within a few days in both the field and laboratory .... I dissected 236 galls and never found more than one tephritid larva or evidence of more than one larval chamber. 

Host-Plant Records and Life History Notes on New Mexico Tephritidae (Diptera)