gall midge

noun

: any of numerous minute dipteran flies (family Cecidomyiidae) most of which cause gall formation in plants

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Once stuck head-to-tail, the gall midge larva will pressurize its body by pumping internal fluids to its lower regions and then use that force to flick its head upwards for a liftoff. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 8 Aug. 2019

There is another possibility for the daylily symptoms – the daylily gall midge. —oregonlive, 31 July 2021

While the foliage of the daylily can be lush, the buds can become infested with the larvae of the daylily gall midge. —oregonlive, 31 July 2021

The secret of how these legless, wingless creatures — a form of gall midge larvae — managed these aerial acrobatics had yet to be pinpointed. —Alicia Petska, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above