Dasineura urticae

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Dasineura urticae
Nettle leaf vein with Dasineura dioica.JPG
Pouch gall on a leaf vein
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Clade: Euarthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Cecidomyiidae
Genus: Dasineura
Species:D. urticae
Binomial name
Dasineura urticae
(Perris, 1840)

The nettle pouch gall develops in leaf veins, leaf petioles, flower stalks and sometimes the stem of Urtica dioica and Urtica urens . This structure is caused by the gall midge or gnat Dasineura urticae, [1] also spelled Dasyneura urticae. [2] Synonyms are Perrisia urticae and Cecidomyia urticae. [3]

<i>Urtica dioica</i> species of plant

Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa, it is now found worldwide. The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact. The plant has a long history of use as a source for traditional medicine, food, tea, and textile raw material in ancient societies.

<i>Urtica urens</i> species of plant

Urtica urens, commonly known as annual nettle, dwarf nettle, small nettle, dog nettle or burning nettle, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant species in the nettle family Urticaceae. It is native to Eurasia and it can be found in North America and New Zealand as an introduced species. It is reputed to sting more strongly than the Common Nettle/Stinging Nettle.

Contents

Physical appearance of the galls

Pouch gall on nettle petiole Dasineura urticae on Urtica dioica.JPG
Pouch gall on nettle petiole

The galls are irregularly shaped, smooth, often shiny, and coloured from purplish to pale green, exhibiting thickened walls, with a narrow slit-shaped opening, normally on the underside. [1] The size is from 3–8 mm. A number of galls are often found next to each other on the same or different plant structures, and they may coalesce. [1] [3] The galls are mainly found around the growing apex and exhibit a wide range of forms, dependent on the organ in which they are situated. [3]

Life-cycle

A typical cecidomyiid laying eggs on grass Cecidomyiidae laying eggs.jpg
A typical cecidomyiid laying eggs on grass

Several, or sometimes one white larva are found in each gall, feeding upon the plant tissues. [1] The galls are first seen in May, mature in the autumn, at which point the larvae leave the pouch gall and pupates in the ground. The adults emerge in the following spring and the cycle starts again. [3]

Predators and inquilines

A common gall; red, pink or orange larvae are sometimes also found within the pouch of the galls. These larvae are predator or inquiline cecids flies. [1]

Distribution

The nettle pouch gall shows a scattered distribution throughout the United Kingdom and is under recorded. [4]

Related Research Articles

Small tortoiseshell species of insect

The small tortoiseshell is a colourful Eurasian butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Adults feed on nectar and may hibernate over winter; in warmer climates they may have two broods in a season. While the dorsal surface of the wings is vividly marked, the ventral surface is drab, providing camouflage. Eggs are laid on the common nettle, on which the larvae feed.

<i>Urtica ferox</i> species of plant

Urtica ferox, commonly known as tree nettle, or ongaonga in Māori, is a nettle that is endemic to New Zealand. It is sometimes known as "Taraonga", "Taraongaonga" or "Okaoka". Unlike other herbaceous species in the genus Urtica, ongaonga is a large woody shrub. It has woody stems and unusually large stinging spines that can result in a painful sting that lasts several days. The shrub can grow to a height of 3 m (9.8 ft) with the base of the stem reaching 12 cm (4.7 in) in thickness.

<i>Andricus kollari</i> species of insect

Andricus kollari is species of wasp which causes the formation of marble galls on oak trees.

<i>Andricus foecundatrix</i> species of insect

Andricus foecundatrix is a parthenogenetic gall wasp which lays a single egg within a leaf bud, using its ovipositor, to produce a gall known as an oak artichoke gall, oak hop gall, larch-cone gall or hop strobile The gall develops as a chemically induced distortion of leaf axillary or terminal buds on pedunculate oak or sessile oak trees. The larva lives inside a smaller hard casing inside the artichoke and this is released in autumn. The asexual wasp emerges in spring and lays her eggs in the oak catkins. These develop into small oval galls which produce the sexual generation of wasps. A yew artichoke gall caused by the fly Taxomyia taxi also exists, but is unrelated to the oak-borne species. Previous names or synonyms for the species A. fecundator are A. fecundatrix, A. pilosus, A. foecundatrix, A. gemmarum, A. gemmae, A. gemmaequercus, A. gemmaecinaraeformis and A. quercusgemmae.

<i>Diplolepis rosae</i> species of insect

Diplolepis rosae is a hymenopteran gall wasp which causes a gall known as the rose bedeguar gall, Robin's pincushion, or moss gall. The gall develops as a chemically induced distortion of an unopened leaf axillary or terminal bud, mostly on field rose or dog rose shrubs. The female lays up to 60 eggs within each leaf bud using her ovipositor. The grubs develop within the gall, and the wasps emerge in spring; the wasp is parthenogenetic with fewer than one percent being males. Previous synonyms for the species are Diplolepis bedeguaris, Rhodites rosae and Cynips rosae.

<i>Andricus lignicola</i> species of insect

Cola-nut galls develop as a chemically induced distortion of leaf axillary or terminal buds on pedunculate oak or sessile oak trees, caused by the agamic gall wasp Andricus lignicola which lays single eggs within leaf buds using their ovipositor. A previous name or synonym for the species A. lignicola is A. lignicolus and A. venheurni.

<i>Rabdophaga rosaria</i> species of insect

Rabdophaga rosaria is a gall midge which forms Camellia galls or terminal rosette gall on willow species. It was first described by Hermann Loew in 1850.

<i>Neuroterus albipes</i> species of insect

Neuroterus albipes is a gall wasp that forms chemically induced leaf galls on oak trees which has both bisexual and agamic generations and therefore forms two distinct galls, the smooth spangle gall and Schenck's gall. Neuroterus laeviusculus and Spathegaster albipes are previous binomials found in the literature.

<i>Neuroterus numismalis</i> species of insect

Neuroterus numismalis is a gall wasp that forms chemically induced leaf galls on oak trees. It has both bisexual and agamic (parthenogenetic) generations and forms two distinct galls on oak leaves, the silk button gall and blister gall. The galls can be very numerous with more than a thousand per leaf.

<i>Neuroterus anthracinus</i> species of insect

Neuroterus anthracinus is a widely distributed gall wasp that forms chemically induced leaf galls on oak trees. N. anthracinus has both sexual and agamic generations and in consequence forms two distinct galls, the oyster gall and April-bud gall.

<i>Taphrina pruni</i> species of fungus

Taphrina pruni is a fungal plant pathogen of blackthorn that causes the Pocket or bladder Plum gall, a chemically induced distortion of the fruit (sloes), producing swollen on one side, otherwise deformed and flattened fruit gall without a stone. The twigs on infected plants may also be deformed with small strap-shaped leaves.

<i>Taphrina padi</i> species of fungus

Taphrina padi is a fungal plant pathogen that induces the form of pocket plum gall that occurs on Bird Cherry. The gall is a chemically induced distortion of the fruits, which are swollen, hollow, curved and greatly elongated, without a seed or stone, but retaining the style. The twigs on infected plants may also be deformed with small strap-shaped leaves.

<i>Puccinia poarum</i> species of fungus

Puccinia poarum,, the coltsfoot rust gall or meadow grass rust, is a plant pathogen. This fungal parasite forms a bright yellow gall, 1–2 cm across, on the underside of leaves of the coltsfoot and infects, but does not gall grasses of the Poaceae family.

<i>Dasineura crataegi</i> species of insect

Dasineura crataegi, the hawthorn button-top gall-midge, is a dipteran gall-midge. It causes the hawthorn button-top gall, which develops in the terminal shoots of common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Midland hawthorn C laevigata (Poir.) DC and their hybrid, C × media Bechst. Synonyms are Perrisia crataegi and Cecidomyia crataegi.

<i>Chirosia betuleti</i> species of insect

The knotting gall, is caused by the fly Chirosia betuleti. The gall develops in the terminal shoots of ferns, such as broad buckler fern, male fern, lady fern, and ostrich fern.

<i>Eriophyes inangulis</i> species of arachnid

Eriophyes inangulis is a mite that forms the alder vein angle gall. It develops in a chemically induced gall; a sub-spherical distortion rising up from the upper surface of the leaves of alder trees Alnus glutinosa along the midrib. Synonyms are Eriophyes laevis inangulis, Phytoptus laevis, and Cephaloneon pustulatum.

<i>Phyllocoptes eupadi</i> species of arachnid

Phyllocoptes eupadi is a mite that chemically induces a pouch gall to develop as a sub-spherical distortion rising up from the upper surface of the lamina of leaves of blackthorn shrubs Prunus spinosa and other Prunus spp. Synonyms are Eriophyes padi (Nalepa) and Phytoptus padi prunianus.

<i>Aceria fraxinivora</i> species of arachnid

Aceria fraxinivora, also known as the cauliflower gall mite and the ash key gall, causes the growths, known as galls, found on the hanging seeds or "keys" of the common ash tree.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Redfern, Page 467
  2. Stubbs, Page 72
  3. 1 2 3 4 Darlington, Page 141
  4. NBN Gateway

Sources

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