Rabdophaga rosacea explained

Rabdophaga rosacea is a species of gall midge that creates rosette galls on roses found in the central plains of North America.^{[1] [2]}

The species was first described in 1908 by Ephraim Porter Felt from a collection made by Norman Criddle in Aweme, Manitoba, Canada.^[3] The holotype, an adult male, is in the New York State Museum collection.

Description

The midge causes galls to form on the terminal buds of native roses (Rosa spp.) The galls are tightly packed leafy rosettes with a central cavity.^{[1] [2] [4]}

Etymology

The genus name 'Rabdophaga' is formed from two Greek roots; rhabdos- meaning a rod or staff^[5] and -phaga meaning 'eater'^[6] In older references the genus name is spelled 'Rhabdophaga'.^[2] The specific name 'rosacea' refers to the genus of plants that are the hosts of the midge.^{[1] [2] [4]}

Taxonomy

As gall midges are one of the most diverse yet least known groups of true flies, a taxonomic revision of the world fauna of this group is in process.^[7] In 2014, it was proposed that Rhadophaga rosacea be placed in Dasineura, a broadly defined polyphyletic genus of gall midges, as Dasineura rosacea.^[8] Both Radophaga and Dasineura are within the tribe Dasineurini, a group of plant feeders that share several physical similarities.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Wong. H.R.. Melvin. J.C.E.. Harper . A.M. . Common insect and mite galls of the Canadian Prairies . Northern Forest Research Centre . 1 December 2019. 1977. 54, 55.
2. Web site: Felt . Ephraim Porter . New York State Museum Bulletin: Key to American Insect Galls . Albany, N.Y. : University of the State of New York . 1 December 2019 . 1916. 148, 154.
3. Web site: Catalogue of Life : Rabdophaga rosacea (Felt, 1908) . www.catalogueoflife.org . Species 2000/Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) . 1 December 2019.
4. Web site: Stein . John D. . Kennedy . Patrick Charles . Key to Shelterbelt Insects in the Northern Great Plains . Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture . 1 December 2019 . en . 1972.
5. Web site: GreekLexicon.org: Dictionary entry for Strong's number 4464: ῥάβδος, Noun, Feminine: a rod, staff . greeklexicon.org . 1 December 2019.
6. Web site: -phage Origin and meaning of suffix -phage by Online Etymology Dictionary . www.etymonline.com . 1 December 2019 . en.
7. Web site: The Gall Midge Project forskning - Station Linné & Porten till Alvaret . www.stationlinne.se . 1 December 2019.
8. Web site: Gagné . R.J. . Jaschhof . M. . A Catalog of the Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) of the World. Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture . 2017. 1 December 2019. 4th.