Celticecis ramicola Gagne, new species

Hosts: Celtis laevigata

Gall.--Usually on stem, occasionally on petiole or base of leaf and then often crowded and distorting leaf; closely placed galls may be partially connate; cylindrical or subcylindrical, abruptly tapering distally to narrow, elongate apex; connection to plant as wide as gall, apparent on other side when on leaf as a conspicuous convexity; hairless, granulose, may be weakly furrowed longitudinally, green, eventually turning brown; 3.0–4.0 mm high, ca. 2.5 mm in diameter; wall eventually woody, uniformly thin throughout, larval chamber of same shape as gall.

Affinities.--See under C. semenrumicis concerning the close similarity and presumed affinity among it, C. ramicola and C. ovata. [Celticecis semenrumicis, C. ramicola, and C. ovata are distinguishable mainly from their galls. Galls of all three species are usually found attached to twigs. Those of C. semenrumicis ultimately develop distinct wings, are hairless, have a slender, curled apex, dehisce by early summer, and are known from the Mississippi Basin and Texas. Galls of C. ramicola have the same general distribution, are also hairless but never winged, have a short, straight apical extension, develop in late summer and early autumn and are slow to dehisce, in some cases persisting through late autumn. Galls of C. ovata are not sympatric with those of the other two, are instead more northern and eastern and hairy and wingless.]

Biological note.--Galls of this species mostly appear late in the season. Although seen as early as May in Alexandria, Louisiana, they were much more common there from August through October. In late September, many still contained second instars but by October all contained third instars. This is the only gall we have seen that may persist on branches into the next spring, and then not with viable larvae but with dead larvae or parasitoids. This gall may appear similar to those of C. aciculata. Galls of the latter species are always on the leaves and their attachment to the leaf is only half the diameter of the gall. Galls of C. ramicola are usually on twigs and their attachment to the substrate is at least as wide as the gall. The larvae of the two species are distinct.

Distribution (Map 16). — This species is restricted to southeastern U.S. and has been found only on sugarberry.

GA, LA, MS, TN, TX