Golden Rod Gall Fly Research Paper

A Eurosta solidaginis, also known as the Golden Rod Gall Fly, is an insect that lives in a Solidago atlissma/ canadis. The female Gall Fly has an ovipositor which implants eggs in the Golden Rod plant. Eggs are implanted by the mother onto the apical meristem. At the apical meristem the larva releases a chemical that stimulates the host goldenrod which in return forms the gall (Abrahamson, Kenneth, McCrea, Whitwell, and Vernieri 1991). The gall acts as a protective barrier for the Eurosta Solidagnis. The larva transforms from larvae to pupa in the gall. The Eurosta solidaginis predators include other insects and birds. The ovipositon, which is the placing of the eggs, occurs in mid- late May (Abrahamson, Sattler, McCrea, and Weis 1989). The gall start to appear about 3 weeks after the oviposition, and they finish growing, reaching their full size three to four weeks later. The
The Eurytoma Gigantea is an external parasite. The Eurytoma gigantea attacks after the gall has reached its full size. The wasp remains in the central chamber of the gall after consuming the larva in mid-August. While in the gall this wasp feeds on the plant matter (Abrahamson et al. 1989). The Female Eurytoma giantea is technically a different parasitoid. The female wasps inject eggs into to the gall when the gall is thinner than the length of the parasitoid. This parasitoid is limited to smaller galls. The other type of Eurytoma is the Eurytoma obtusiventris. The Eurytoma are an internal parasite most prevalent during the hatching of the gall maker’s eggs during the time when the eggs hatch and the larva bore through the stem. When the Eurytoma obtusiventris attacks the larva, it causes the larva to prematurely pupate, and then the parasitoid consumes the gall fly. The Eurytoma obtusiventris remains in the gall throughout the winter until it pupates in the spring (Malcom