Local feeder (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in stems of Laportea

I located inhabited galls of this cecidomyiid in September and October, 2017, and reared adults from an overwintered gall collected in April 2022.

There seems to be some variation in the degree of swelling of the stem with these galls; in some cases the galls are spindle-shaped and significantly thicker than unaffected portions of the stem, while in other cases the swelling is barely perceptible. The orange larvae dwell in the pith, which may blacken in places, presumably due to the presence of a symbiotic fungus. One of the April 2022 larvae that gave rise to an adult spun a cocoon inside the gall prior to pupation; the cocoon was covered in black fungal filaments when I examined it after the adult emerged.