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Gouty vein gall midge

Dasineura communis[3]

The gouty vein gall midge is a tiny, gnat-like fly whose larvae make the veins on the undersides of maple leaves swell into knobby, light green to red galls; the damage is mostly cosmetic.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Diptera
Family
Cecidomyiidae
US records
25 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-19
Swollen, knobby galls along the veins of a curled maple leaf, yellowish shading to red
Swollen, knobby galls along the veins of a curled maple leaf, yellowish shading to red. (c) Christine Young, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Galls are irregular swellings along the leaf veins on the underside of the leaf, light green to red, with discoloration or slight distortion on the upper surface.[1][2]
  • Leaves galled while still growing can curl or become misshapen.[1][2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Maple eyespot gall midgeIts galls are round, ringed spots in the leaf blade rather than swellings along the veins.[2]
Maple bladdergall miteBladder galls are separate globular bumps about 2.5 to 3 mm across on the upper leaf surface, not swollen veins underneath.[2]

Where it lives

NC State and Penn State describe it on maples in North Carolina and Pennsylvania; the most frequent hosts are sugar maple, red maple and boxelder, and Penn State also lists silver and striped maple for vein galls.[1][2]

US map: public records from 25 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

There is one generation a year. Females lay eggs on new, developing leaves in spring, and the larvae gather along the veins to feed.[1]

The leaf tissue swells around the larvae and protects them; they mature within about two months, the gall splits, and in early summer they drop to the ground.[1]

Larvae spin cocoons under leaves and debris at the base of the tree and pupate the next spring; the adults don't feed and live no more than three days.[1]

Damage and signs

  • The galls are largely an aesthetic problem; severe leaf curl can reduce a tree's ability to make food, but it isn't lethal.[1]

Health risk

It feeds only on maple leaves; NC State and Penn State mention no risk to people.[1][2]

Control

Sanitation

Raking up leaf litter and debris around the base of the tree removes overwintering cocoons, and hand-picking galled leaves also helps on small trees.[1]

Pesticides

Treatment usually isn't needed. On high-value trees galled year after year, NC State notes that systemic insecticides applied as a soil drench or sprayed on new leaves have worked.[1]

Common questions

Why are the veins on my maple leaves swollen and red?
Most likely gouty vein galls, made by the larvae of a tiny gall midge feeding along the veins in spring.[1][2]
Will gouty vein galls harm my maple?
Rarely. They are mostly cosmetic, and even heavy leaf curl isn't lethal to the tree.[1]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Gouty Vein Gall Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/gouty-vein-gall-midge-diptera-cecidomyiidae (accessed 2026-10-19)
  2. Penn State Extension, “Leaf Galls on Maple.” extension.psu.edu/leaf-galls-on-maple (accessed 2026-10-19)
  3. iNaturalist, “Dasineura communis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/473389 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-19. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.