Ocellate Gall Midge

Acericecis ocellaris · Order: Diptera · Family: Cecidomyiidae

Also called: maple eyespot gall midge, maple ocellate gall midge

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Ocellate Gall Midge
Photo: Katja Schulz, CC BY

The maple eyespot gall midge makes small, blister-like growths on the leaves of several maple species. These galls can affect the appearance and health of the trees.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It is also called the maple eyespot gall or maple leaf spot gall.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

A North American (Nearctic) species, found on maples such as red, sugar and silver maple.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Ocellate Gall Midge photo 3
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY
Ocellate Gall Midge photo 4
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY
Ocellate Gall Midge photo 5
Photo: unknown, CC0
Ocellate Gall Midge photo 6
Photo: unknown, CC0

Same family (Cecidomyiidae)

Willow Pinecone Gall MidgeWillow Pinecone Gall MidgeRabdophaga strobiloidesOak Leaf Gall MidgeOak Leaf Gall MidgePolystepha pilulaeGoldenrod Bunch Gall MidgeGoldenrod Bunch Gall MidgeRhopalomyia solidaginisLarge Creosote Gall MidgeLarge Creosote Gall MidgeAsphondylia auripilaWillow Rose Gall MidgeWillow Rose Gall MidgeRabdophaga rosariaGiant Goldenrod Bunch Gall MidgeGiant Goldenrod Bunch Gall MidgeRhopalomyia capitata

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acericecis_ocellaris

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.