Lasioptera rubi

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Lasioptera rubi
Lasioptera rubi adult Stephens 1846.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Cecidomyiidae
Genus: Lasioptera
Species:
L. rubi
Binomial name
Lasioptera rubi
(Schrank, 1803)
Synonyms [1]
  • Tipula rubiSchrank, 1803

Lasioptera rubi (also known as the raspberry gall midge) is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae and is found in Europe. It was first described in 1803 by the German priest, botanist and entomologist, Franz von Paula Schrank. The larvae feed within the tissue of brambles, creating abnormal plant growths known as galls.

Contents

Description

In the early summer the gall midge lays a cluster of up to forty eggs in young bramble shoots. Rapid cell growth of the tissue creates a rounded swelling of 5 x 2  cm in the stem, which sometimes has longitudinal fissures, and contains several irregular cavities with larvae. The cavities are lined with fungal mycelium on which the larvae feed. When young the larvae are white, and later in the summer and winter are orange-red. Usually the gall develops on one side of the shoot, but occasionally spreads to the other side. Initially the gall is green, but changes to reddish-brown as it matures. Larvae pupate the following spring and the adults emerge in the spring. Sometimes the gall is in a leaf petiole. [2] [3]

Lasioptera rubi galls have been found on the following species; [4]

Similar species

Galls of the gall wasp, Diastrophus rubi , are elongate (2–15 cm long and circa 1 cm wide) compared with the gall of Lasioptera rubi, which is rounded (5 x 2  cm). [3]

Lasioptera rubi gall Lasioptera rubi on Bramble Rubus fruticosus (25839083288).jpg
Lasioptera rubi gall

Distribution

The fly has been recorded in 24 European countries, from Ireland. France and Spain in the west, to Finland, Ukraine and Russia in the east. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Rubus</i> Genus of plants in the rose family

Rubus is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackberry</span> Fruit of Rubus species

The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus Rubus in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus Rubus, and hybrids between the subgenera Rubus and Idaeobatus. The taxonomy of blackberries has historically been confused because of hybridization and apomixis, so that species have often been grouped together and called species aggregates. For example, the entire subgenus Rubus has been called the Rubus fruticosus aggregate, although the species R. fruticosus is considered a synonym of R. plicatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramble</span> Grouping of plants

A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus Rubus, which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses. The fruits include blackberries, arctic brambleberries, or raspberries, depending on the species, and are used to make jellies, jams, and preserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewberry</span> Type of black berry

The dewberries are a group of species in the genus Rubus, section Rubus, closely related to the blackberries. They are small trailing brambles with aggregate fruits, reminiscent of the raspberry, but are usually purple to black instead of red. Alternatively, they are sometimes referred to as ground berries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gall</span> Abnormal growths especially on plants induced by parasitic insects and other organisms

Galls or cecidia are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or warts in animals. They can be caused by various parasites, from viruses, fungi and bacteria, to other plants, insects and mites. Plant galls are often highly organized structures so that the cause of the gall can often be determined without the actual agent being identified. This applies particularly to some insect and mite plant galls. The study of plant galls is known as cecidology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raspberry</span> Edible fruit

The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with woody stems. World production of raspberries in 2020 was 895,771 tonnes, led by Russia with 20% of the total.

<i>Rubus spectabilis</i> Plant species

Rubus spectabilis, the salmonberry, is a species of bramble in the rose family Rosaceae, native to the west coast of North America from west-central Alaska to California, inland as far as Idaho. Like many other species in the genus Rubus, the salmonberry plant bears edible fruit, typically yellow-orange or red in color, resembling raspberries in appearance.

<i>Rubus phoenicolasius</i> Berry and plant

Rubus phoenicolasius is an Asian species of raspberry in the rose family, native to China, Japan, and Korea.

<i>Rubus caesius</i> Species of flowering plant

Rubus caesius is a Eurasian species of dewberry, known as the European dewberry. Like other dewberries, it is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, related to the blackberry and raspberry. It is widely distributed across much of Europe and Asia from Ireland and Portugal as far east as Xinjiang Province in western China. It has also become sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Argentina, Canada, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green hairstreak</span> Species of butterfly

The green hairstreak is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayberry</span> Berry and plant

The tayberry is a cultivated shrub in the genus Rubus of the family Rosaceae patented in 1979 as a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and named after the River Tay in Scotland.

<i>Rubus rolfei</i> Berry and plant

Rubus rolfei, known as creeping raspberry, crinkle-leaf creeper, or Taiwanese creeping bramble, is a low-growing member of the genus Rubus and is related to the blackberry and raspberry. It is common in the horticultural trade. The species is originally from Taiwan where it grows at high elevations.

<i>Coraebus rubi</i> Species of beetle

Coraebus rubi is a species of jewel beetles belonging to the family Buprestidae, subfamily Agrilinae.

<i>Phragmidium</i> Genus of fungi

Phragmidium is a genus of rust fungus that typically infects plant species in the family Rosaceae. It is characterised by having stalked teliospores borne on telia each having a row of four or more cells. All species have a caeoma which is a diffuse aecidium lacking a peridium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raspberry spur blight</span> Species of fungus

Raspberry spur blight is caused by the fungus Didymella applanata. This plant pathogen is more problematic on red raspberries (Rubus idaeus) than on black or purple raspberries. The fungus infects the leaves first and then spreads to the cane. It causes necrotic spots on the cane near the base of the petiole attachment. Raspberry spur blight can cause a significant reduction in yield, fruit blight, premature leaf drop, and weak bud and cane growth. The magnitude of damage is not clearly understood in the United States, however, studies from Scotland suggest damage to the cane itself is limited. The disease has minor economic impacts by reducing leaves in the summer or killing buds. Major economic damage occurs if the disease manages to kill the entire cane. In the United States, this disease is found in Oregon and Washington.

<i>Rubus tricolor</i> Species of evergreen prostrate shrub native to southwestern China

Rubus tricolor is an evergreen prostrate shrub, native to southwestern China. Leaves are dark green above, pale green below, and stems have red bristles. It has white flowers in summer and edible red fruit. It grows approximately 0.3 m (0.98 ft) high and usually forming a vigorously spreading, dense mat. In cultivation, it is mainly used as groundcover. Common names include Chinese bramble, groundcover bramble, creeping bramble, Korean raspberry, Himalayan bramble, and groundcover raspberry. In Chinese, it is called 三色莓.

<i>Rabdophaga salicis</i> Species of fly

Rabdophaga salicis is a gall midge which forms galls on sallows. It was first described by Franz von Paula Schrank in 1803.

<i>Diastrophus rubi</i> Species of wasp

Diastrophus rubi is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae that live on the stems of bramble. The insect was first described by the German entomologist Peter Friedrich Bouché in 1834 and is found in Europe.

Dasineura plicatrix is a species of gall midge, an insect in the family Cecidomyiidae, found in Europe. It was described by the German entomologist Friedrich Hermann Loew in 1850. The larvae feed within the tissue of bramble leaves, creating an abnormal growth known as a plant gall.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lasioptera rubi (Schrank, 1803)". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  2. Chinery, Michael (2011). Britain's Plant Galls. Old Basing, Hampshire: WildGuides Ltd. p. 38. ISBN   978-190365743-0.
  3. 1 2 Redfern, Margaret; Shirley, Peter; Bloxham, Michael (2011). British Plant Galls (Second ed.). Shrewsbury: FSC Publications. pp. 275–6. ISBN   978-1-85153-284-1.
  4. Ellis, W N. "Lasioptera rubi (Schrank, 1803) raspberry gall midge". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 24 January 2022.