Aceria pseudoplatani

Aceria pseudoplatani
Underside of sycamore leaf with "felt" gall patches
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Family:	Eriophyidae
Genus:	Aceria
Species:	A. pseudoplatani
Binomial name
Aceria pseudoplatani Corti, 1905 [1]
Synonyms
Eriophyes pseudoplatani [2]

Aceria pseudoplatani causes the sycamore felt gall that is found on the leaves of sycamores ( Acer pseudoplatanus ) or Norway maple ( Acer platanoides ), ^[3] and is caused by an acarine gall-mite.

Appearance

The gall forms a bulge on the upper epidermis, where the pigment colour is usually light yellow to start with and brown later on in the year. The appearance on the lower epidermis is a concavity with cream- or white- coloured felt-like mat that later turns brown. ^{[2] [4]} The bulge is due to the erinae, or hairs, being wider at their top. In purple-leaved varieties of the sycamore, the patches are pink. ^[3] The size of the felt-like patches is variable, and they may appear from late spring onwards. ^[5]

Distribution

The sycamore felt gall is quite common, is widespread throughout the United Kingdom ^[6] and is also recorded in Poland, Belgium, and Germany. ^[7]

References

Notes:

1. European Environment Agency Retrieved : 2013-07-05
2. Hancy, Page 83
3. Plant Galls Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved : 2013-07-05
4. Redfern, Page 274
5. Darlington, Page 125
6. Naturespot Retrieved : 2013-07-05
7. Encyclopedia of Life Retrieved : 2013-07-05

Sources:

• Darlington, Arnold (1975). Plant Galls in Colour. Poole : Blandford Press. ISBN   0-7137-0748-8.
• Hancy, Rex (2000). The Study of Plant Galls in Norfolk. The Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society.
• Redfern, Margaret & Shirley, Peter (2002). British Plant Galls. Identification of Galls on Plants and Fungi. Shrewsbury : FSC Publications. ISBN   1-85153-214-5.

External links

• Aceria pseudoplatani In: DrfpLib