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Midge galls on coastal tea tree
Dasineura tomentosa
-38.4686, 145.177
Field Notes
Description:
Looking very much like small Camellia flower buds, these pea-sized growths could easily be mistaken for flower buds on the tea tree (pic 1 -3). They were globose, had scaly bract like outer growth and layers of soft sheaths within. They did not appear to have stalks and were seen on branches between nodes. <br>
Pic 3 shows two small emerging galls in the lower branch.
On cutting one of them open, I found at least two very small maggots at the base, not much over 1 mm in length. The inside of the gall was soft with white fibrous layers.
Habitat:
Spotted on Coastal Tea Tree ( Leptospermum laevigatum) <br>
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/869816010
Notes:
I have noticed these bud-like growths for many years and thought nothing of it until recently, when I realised that they looked odd on this shrub. the normal flower buds are much smaller and have stalks. <br>
From research material I suspected that these galls were induced by a midge Dasineura. My thanks to Tony D for confirming this and providing supporting documentation <br>
www.rbg.vic.gov.au/documents/Muelleria_30-1_5_Veenstra.pdf <br>
Order: Diptera
Family: Cecidomyiidae
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