Phylloxera notabilis

Hosts: Carya aquatica, cordiformis, laciniosa

Oval or round and more convex above, yellowish-green or slightly red, with or without a central depression, pubescent, and diameter 2.0–10.0 mm; below somewhat conical, green or yellow, and pubescent. Occurs along midvein of leaf and opening stem-like which splits into several long bracts.

Leaf gall: oval

Range: AL, GA, SC

Phylloxera notabilis Pergande

Galls on leaves of Carya illinoiensis are ovoid to spherical, bladder-like, very variable in size (diameter 2-18 mm), situated close to mid-rib, projecting on both sides of leaf, green on top with a central nipple, and reddish-green beneath covered with dense short yellowish hairs. Alatae emerge from the top of the gall, which generally splits into long slender bract-like segments in June-July. There is no host alternation. Several generations of galls are produced each year; the smaller, secondary galls occurring mainly on seedling trees (Stoetzel & Tedders 1981). Brachypterous and migratory alatae, sexuparae and sexuales are all produced in the primary galls. Sexuales lay overwintering eggs on bark (Whitehead & Eastep 1937). In eastern and southern USA. Andersen & Mizell (1987) studied the physiological effects of galling on the host. Calcote (1983) studied resistance of pecan clones to P. notabilis. Medina et al. (2011) demonstrated that populations identified as P. notabilis collected from water hickory (C. aquatica) in east Texas always lacked two species of symbiotic bacteria that were present in populations on pecan. There were also found to be distinct differences in DNA (AFLP) profiles, and in host preferences and performance of alatae in reciprocal transfers between the two Carya species (Dickey & Medina 2010, 2011), all of which indicate that the phylloxerid on water hickory is a different, presumably undescribed, species.

Phylloxera notabilis

Carya sp.
Conical or globose leaf galls with distinct orifice and containing aphids
Gall large, walls fleshy, more or less irregular, convex above, more prominent and conical beneath, splitting at maturity into several very long bracts, diameter 5 to 10 mm, height 3 to 8 mm.

Phylloxera notabilis n. sp., Pergande.

A few galls belonging to this species, growing along the midrib of the leaves of the Pecan, Hicoria olivaeformis [Carya illinoiensis], were received July 3, 1877, from Mr. J. Monell, St. louis, Mo., which bear a general resemblance to those of Ph. caryaecaulis when growing upon the leaves, though more convex above and more conical beneath, where they split into a number of rather long and slender pubescent bracts or filaments. The color of these galls, which had partly become quite dry, appears to have been somewhat reddish above and green or yellowish beneath. Their shape was more or less oval above and compressed laterally beneath, caused evidently by the drying of the substance. Their largest transverse diameter was 5 to 10 mm and the vertical diameter 3 to 8 mm.

Apparently the same species of galls on leaves of Pecan was received June 1, 1891, from Mr. L. Biedeger, Idlewild, Tex., but, unfortunately, all were empty when received, the contents of most having been destroyed by some Tortricid larva.

The same kind of galls were found during August of 1891 to be very numerous on the leaves of young trees of a variety called the "Meier Pecan," imported two years prior from Bluffton, Mo., to the Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C. Numerous additional galls were also received from I. H. Evans, from Austin, Texas.

The fresh galls, as found at Washington, are yellowish-green or slightly reddish, circular and bladder-like, from 2 to 10 mm in diameter at the circumference, and from 2 to 7 mm vertically; they are convex on both sides and situated either near the midrib or between the transverse veins, and generally more prominent on the upper side with a more or less distinct fovea or dimple about the middle. There is a more or less central nipple or a trans- verse slit on the under side, from which four to eight or more depressed lines radiate towards the base, along which the gall gradually splits into slender bracts in order to facilitate the escape of the inhabitants. Both sides of the galls are pubescent, though the under side is covered most densely with short, yellowish hairs.

The great majority of these galls contained, besides the stem- mother, numerous eggs and pupae in various stages of development, numbers of the true sexes, many of which were also observed running about on the outside of the galls, and but one or a few of the winged migrants. This leaves no doubt that most of the sexes were the progeny of the pupae, whereas the few migrants were destined to perpetuate their species on distant trees.