C. Dieguez et al., FOSSIL GALLS (ZOOCECIDS) FROM THE UPPER MIOCENE OF LA CERDANA (LERIDA, SPAIN), Review of palaeobotany and palynology, 94(3-4), 1996, pp. 329-343
Upper Miocene strata of the La Cerdana basin, Spain, have provided div
erse flora of leaf remains assignable to the Magnoliidae, Hamamelidida
e, Dilleniidae, Rosidae and the Asteridae. Thirteen different types of
fossil galls were identified on representatives of all these subclass
es except for the Asteridae. The galls are two-dimensional impressions
on the leaves and can be attributed to the following gall-inducing ar
thropods based on their similarity with modern galls: Acari, Eriophyoi
dea-Aceria nervisequa on Fagus gussonii, Eriophyies vilarrubiae on Que
rcus drymeja, Artacris macrorhynchus on Acer pyrenaicum, an undetermin
ed species on Persea, Zelkova zelkovaefolia and Acer pyrenaicum; Dipte
ra, Cecidomyiidae-Mikiola pontensis on Fagus pristina, Contarinia? on
Quercus drymeja; Hymenoptera, Cynipidae-Neuroterus sp. on Quercus hisp
anica. The fossil gall collection studied here from La Cerdana, Spain,
confirms that an arthropod gall-inducing fauna was already well estab
lished in the Miocene. Gall-inducer interaction is reported for the fi
rst time for all the fossil plants mentioned. The host plant record fo
r two cecidogenous taxa is expanded, and two taxa of parasitized plant
s as well as two new plant/animal associations are mentioned for the f
irst time.