Asphondylia auripila
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Asphondylia auripila, the large creosote gall midge, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. This species utilizes creosote bushes as host plants for forming galls. This species of midge can be found in southwestern North America, spanning around U.S. and Mexico states such as California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. The habitat of this species is based in deserts, spanning from the Mojave Desert to the Baja California Desert and Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico. Adults grow around 4 millimeters in length and appear brown-orange in coloration, but can be difficult to tell apart from other species due to looking morphologically similar. The galls of this midge can be identified by their spherical shape, bushy/leafy appearance, and green coloration for developing midges. Galls begin to turn brown after fully developed midges emerge. These midges create galls when females utilize their ovipositor to insert eggs into the host plant along with a fungal spore from the mycangia (A specialized body part used for transporting fungi). This fungi causes the plant to begin growing a gall while the fungal mycelium grows to line the inside of the gall. The eggs inside then hatch and the larvae feed on the mycelium before eventually developing into adults and emerge from the gall. The galls do not appear to cause the host plant any harm. The emergence of adults is timed with the host plants periods of growth associated with winter, spring, or summer rain fall. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Large Creosote Gall Midge sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 299 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 190 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Large Creosote Gall Midge in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April–June and August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Creosote Gall Midge sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Large Creosote Gall Midge sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Asphondylia
The closest relatives of the Large Creosote Gall Midge that you can see in Joshua Tree National Park (genus Asphondylia) are Creosote Cone Gall Midge (about 10%), Saltbush Woolly Stem Gall Midge (about 10%) and Tumor Stem Gall Midge (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Creosote Gall Midge is recorded against all the insects logged in Joshua Tree National Park (299 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
