Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 5, 2026

Polystepha pilulae

Polystepha pilulae, the oak leaf gall midge, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. It is found in eastern North America.

Last revised
Jul 5, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
255 w
Citations
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Source
Polystepha pilulae
Polystepha pilulae galls on Quercus rubra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Cecidomyiidae
Genus: Polystepha
Species:
P. pilulae
Binomial name
Polystepha pilulae
(Beutenmüller, 1892)
Synonyms1
  • Cincticornia pilulae Beutenmüller, 1892

Polystepha pilulae, the oak leaf gall midge, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae.123 It is found in eastern North America.4

Description of the gall

The larvae of this species of midge form circular galls that can be flat or convex. These form on the upper surface of oak leaves of the red oak group (Quercus sect. Lobatae), between the veins. The galls are thick-walled and reddish-brown in colour.5 They are 3 to 4 mm in diameter.6

References

References

  1. "Polystepha pilulae Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  2. "Polystepha pilulae species details". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  3. "Polystepha pilulae". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  4. "Polystepha pilulae Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  5. Gagné, Raymond J. (1989). The plant-feeding gall midges of North America. Ithaca, N.Y.: Comstock Publishing Associates.
  6. Felt, EP (1910). "Gall midges of Aster, Carya, Quercus, and Salix" (PDF). Journal of Economic Entomology. 3 (4): 347–356. doi:10.1093/jee/3.4.347.
Further reading

Further reading