-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Flies Order (Diptera)

-Nematoceran Flies (Suborder Nematocera)​

-Gnats and Allies (Infraorder Bibionomorpha)

-Fungus Gnats and Gall Midges (Superfamily Sciaroidea)

-Gall Midges (Subfamily Cecidomyiinae)

-Supertribe Cecidomyiidi

-Genus Ctenodactylomyia

-Sea Grape Gall Midge (Ctenodactylomyia watsoni)

The Sea Grape Gall Midge (Ctenodactylomyia watsoni) is a tiny fly in the family Cecidomyiidae that specializes on the coastal plant commonly known as sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera). Although the adult insect is minute—typically only a few millimeters long and delicate, with narrow wings fringed by fine hairs and long, slender legs—its presence is most easily recognized by the distinctive galls it induces on the leaves of its host. After mating, the female deposits eggs into young sea grape leaves. When the larvae hatch, they begin feeding within the leaf tissue and release chemicals that redirect normal plant growth. This interaction causes the formation of small, rounded galls—often appearing as raised bumps or blister-like swellings on the leaf surface. These galls serve as both food source and shelter, enclosing the larvae in a protected chamber where they develop.