Iteomyia major
Iteomyia major | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Diptera |
Family: | Cecidomyiidae |
Genus: | Iteomyia |
Species: | I. major
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Binomial name | |
Iteomyia major (Kieffer, 1889)
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Synonyms | |
Oligotrophus major Kieffer, 1889 |
Iteomyia major is a gall midge which forms galls on willows (Salix species). It was first described by Jean-Jacques Kieffer in 1889.
Description of the gall
[edit]The gall is a coalesced group of 2–10 hard round galls, on the midrib or side vein and are equally prominent on either side of the leaf.[1] Each gall has a single larva, initially white and later orange or red.[2] There is a single generation each year and pupation takes place in the soil.[3] Females prefer to lay their eggs on the ″broad-leaf willows″ and the galls are found on sallows, or their hybrids, which include bay willow (S. pentandra), bitter willow (S. elaeagnos), dark-leaved willow (S. myrsinifolia), eared willow (S. aurita), goat willow (S. caprea), gray willow (S. glauca), grey willow (S. cinerea), purple willow (S. purpurea), tea-leaved willow (S. phylicifolia) and woolly willow (S. lanata).[3]
Similar species
[edit]Iteomyia capreae galls are small, hard, green pouches, up to 4 mm in diameter and, as they mature, have a reddish or purplish tinge. They are not as prominent on the lower leaf surface, having red-rimmed conical pores.[1]
Distribution
[edit]Recorded from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and the Netherlands.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Chinery, Michael (2011). Britain's Plant Galls. Old Basing: WildGuides Ltd. p. 62. ISBN 978-190365743-0.
- ^ a b Redfern, Margaret; Shirley, Peter; Boxham, Michael (2011). British Plant Galls (Second ed.). Shrewsbury: Field Study Council. pp. 282–299. ISBN 978-185153-284-1.
- ^ a b c Ellis, W N. "Iteomyia major (Kieffer, 1889)". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
External links
[edit]- Nature spot
- Media related to Iteomyia major at Wikimedia Commons