ENT 532 Fall 2024: Image of inside of goldenrod gall

I collected a gall from the stem of a goldenrod plant (Solidago sp.) found between a road and a field. The following day, I cut the gall open. Inside was a goldenrod gall fly (Tephritidae) larva, a small, white larva. It reminded me in some ways of the Bombus impatiens larvae I frequently see in my lab. It’s interesting that the larvae of these species (and of many others) are visually similar despite the adults appearing quite different. I suspect this divergence of morphologies throughout development is common when taxa share a distant common ancestor; distantly related vertebrates also look similar in early stages of development (i.e. as embryos) even when they have drastically different morphologies as adults. When I removed the larva from the gall and placed in on a flat surface, it began moving, pulling its posterior end in towards the anterior end so that it looked nearly spherical, and then reaching the anterior end forward and flattening out slightly to move forward. I found this behavior interesting, as it appears to be an instinctive response to stimuli associated with being removed from the gall (perhaps changes in the amount of light or the temperature). I am curious whether goldenrod gall fly have any chance of surviving if prematurely removed from their gall. Could they induce the formation of another gall or is that ability lost as the larva develops? If there is no chance of survival, then why would these larvae evolve to respond to stimuli associated with removal from the gall?

Files

Metadata

Work Title ENT 532 Fall 2024: Image of inside of goldenrod gall
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Ella Messner
Keyword
  1. ENT532
  2. Gall
  3. Tephritidae
License CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)
Work Type Image
Publication Date September 24, 2024
Subject
  1. Entomology
DOI doi:10.26207/x6gh-x146
Geographic Area
  1. Huston Township, Pennsylvania, USA
Deposited September 24, 2024

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Updated
  • Updated Keyword, Subject, Geographic Area, and 2 more Show Changes
    Keyword
    • ENT532, Gall, Tephritidae
    Subject
    • Entomology
    Geographic Area
    • Huston Township, Pennsylvania, USA
    Description
    • I collected a gall from the stem of a goldenrod plant (Solidago sp.) found between a road and a field. The following day, I cut the gall open. Inside was a goldenrod gall fly (Tephritidae) larva, a small, white larva. It reminded me in some ways of the Bombus impatiens larvae I frequently see in my lab. It’s interesting that the larvae of these species (and of many others) are visually similar despite the adults appearing quite different. I suspect this divergence of morphologies throughout development is common when taxa share a distant common ancestor; distantly related vertebrates also look similar in early stages of development (i.e. as embryos) even when they have drastically different morphologies as adults. When I removed the larva from the gall and placed in on a flat surface, it began moving, pulling its posterior end in towards the anterior end so that it looked nearly spherical, and then reaching the anterior end forward and flattening out slightly to move forward. I found this behavior interesting, as it appears to be an instinctive response to stimuli associated with being removed from the gall (perhaps changes in the amount of light or the temperature). I am curious whether goldenrod gall fly have any chance of surviving if prematurely removed from their gall. Could they induce the formation of another gall or is that ability lost as the larva develops? If there is no chance of survival, then why would these larvae evolve to respond to stimuli associated with removal from the gall?
    Publication Date
    • 2024-09-24
  • Added Creator Ella Messner
  • Added ENT532 Goldenrod Gall.jpg
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated Description Show Changes
    Description
    • I collected a gall from the stem of a goldenrod plant (Solidago sp.) found between a road and a field. The following day, I cut the gall open. Inside was a goldenrod gall fly (Tephritidae) larva, a small, white larva. It reminded me in some ways of the Bombus impatiens larvae I frequently see in my lab. It’s interesting that the larvae of these species (and of many others) are visually similar despite the adults appearing quite different. I suspect this divergence of morphologies throughout development is common when taxa share a distant common ancestor; distantly related vertebrates also look similar in early stages of development (i.e. as embryos) even when they have drastically different morphologies as adults. When I removed the larva from the gall and placed in on a flat surface, it began moving, pulling its posterior end in towards the anterior end so that it looked nearly spherical, and then reaching the anterior end forward and flattening out slightly to move forward. I found this behavior interesting, as it appears to be an instinctive response to stimuli associated with being removed from the gall (perhaps changes in the amount of light or the temperature). I am curious whether goldenrod gall fly have any chance of surviving if prematurely removed from their gall. Could they induce the formation of another gall or is that ability lost as the larva develops? If there is no chance of survival, then why would these larvae evolve to respond to stimuli associated with removal from the gall?
    • I collected a gall from the stem of a goldenrod plant (_Solidago sp._) found between a road and a field. The following day, I cut the gall open. Inside was a goldenrod gall fly (Tephritidae) larva, a small, white larva. It reminded me in some ways of the _Bombus impatiens_ larvae I frequently see in my lab. It’s interesting that the larvae of these species (and of many others) are visually similar despite the adults appearing quite different. I suspect this divergence of morphologies throughout development is common when taxa share a distant common ancestor; distantly related vertebrates also look similar in early stages of development (i.e. as embryos) even when they have drastically different morphologies as adults. When I removed the larva from the gall and placed in on a flat surface, it began moving, pulling its posterior end in towards the anterior end so that it looked nearly spherical, and then reaching the anterior end forward and flattening out slightly to move forward. I found this behavior interesting, as it appears to be an instinctive response to stimuli associated with being removed from the gall (perhaps changes in the amount of light or the temperature). I am curious whether goldenrod gall fly have any chance of surviving if prematurely removed from their gall. Could they induce the formation of another gall or is that ability lost as the larva develops? If there is no chance of survival, then why would these larvae evolve to respond to stimuli associated with removal from the gall?
  • Updated Work Title Show Changes
    Work Title
    • ENT532: Image of inside of goldenrod gall
    • ENT 532 Fall 2024: Image of inside of goldenrod gall