# Mayetiola thujae

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{{Short description|Species of fly}}
{{Speciesbox
| image =
| image_caption =
| genus = Mayetiola
| species = thujae
| authority = Hedlin, 1959 (Originally ''Phytophaga thujae'')
| synonyms = ''Phytophaga thujae''
}}

'''''Mayetiola thujae''''', the  '''redcedar cone midge''', is a species of [gall midge](/source/gall_midge) that infects western redcedar (''[Thuja plicata](/source/Thuja_plicata)'') cones.

==Description==
Males are {{convert|2.44|mm|in}} long on average. Females are somewhat larger, averaging {{convert|2.77|mm|in}} in length, and have retractible [ovipositor](/source/ovipositor)s.<ref name="Hedlin 1959">{{cite journal |last = Hedlin |first = A. F. |date = November 1959 |title = Description and Habits of a New Species of ''Phytophaga'' (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Western Red Cedar Cones |journal = [The Canadian Entomologist](/source/The_Canadian_Entomologist) |publisher = [Entomological Society of Canada](/source/Entomological_Society_of_Canada) |volume = 91 |issue = 11 |pages = 719{{ndash}}723 |doi = 10.4039/Ent91719-11}}</ref> The adults of both sexes are dark gray.<ref name="Forest Genetics BC">{{cite web |title = Cone and Seed Insect Pest Leaflet no. 1: Redcedar Cone Midge (''Mayetiola thujae'') |date = February 2014 |orig-date = August 2010 |website = forestgeneticsbc.ca |publisher = Forest Genetics Council of British Columbia |via = [British Columbia Ministry of Forests](/source/British_Columbia_Ministry_of_Forests) |url = https://forestgeneticsbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1-Redcedar-Cone-Midge-Mayetiola-thujae.pdf}}</ref>

==Ecology==
Eggs are laid on the inner surface of female western redcedar [cones](/source/Conifer_cone) in the March or April,<ref name="Hedlin 1980">{{cite encyclopedia |last = Hedlin |first = A. F. |date = 1980 |title = Cone and seed insects of North American conifers |publisher = [Environment Canada](/source/Environment_Canada), [Forest Service](/source/Canadian_Forest_Service). Co-published by the [United States Forest Service](/source/United_States_Forest_Service) and [Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources](/source/Secretariat_of_Agriculture_and_Rural_Development_(Mexico)) |via = Pacific Forestry Centre |page = 34 |url = https://d1ied5g1xfgpx8.cloudfront.net/pdfs/2026.pdf#page=41}}</ref> shortly after [pollination](/source/pollination) occurs.<ref name="Hedlin 1964">{{cite journal |last = Hedlin |first = A. F. |date = July 1964 |title = Life History and Habits of a Midge, ''Phytophaga thujae'' Hedlin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Western Red Cedar Cones |journal = [The Canadian Entomologist](/source/The_Canadian_Entomologist) |publisher = [Entomological Society of Canada](/source/Entomological_Society_of_Canada) |volume = 96 |issue = 7 |pages = 950{{ndash}}957 |doi = 10.4039/Ent96950-7}}</ref> The eggs are oblong and translucent, but appear to be orange due to the color of the larvae.<ref name="Hedlin 1964"/> The eggs hatch in April or May after a month of incubation.<ref name="Hedlin 1980"/> The larvae, which grow up to {{convert|4|mm|in}} long,<ref name="Forest Genetics BC"/> feed on the seeds and tissue of the cone before beginning to pupate in late summer.<ref name="Hedlin 1964"/>

As a control measure, [insecticide](/source/insecticide)s can be applied to western redcedar cones in the spring.<ref name="Forest Genetics BC"/> The larvae are often infected by [parasitoid](/source/parasitoid) wasps of the family [Chalcididae](/source/Chalcididae).<ref name="Hedlin 1964"/>

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q13619539}}

Category:Cecidomyiinae
Category:Insect pests of temperate forests
Category:Insects described in 1959

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mayetiola thujae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayetiola_thujae) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayetiola_thujae?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.