''Aculus craspedobius'' is a species of mite which causes galls on the leaves of willows (''Salix'' species). It was first described by

Alfred Nalepa Alfred Nalepa (19 December 1856, in Werschetz – 11 December 1929, in Baden bei Wien) was an Austrian zoologist specializing in the field of acarology. He studied natural sciences at the University of Vienna, and from 1886 was associated with th ...

in 1925.

Description

According to Redfern et al. (2011), the gall of ''A. craspedobius'' is similar to the gall of ''A. magnirostris'' and the mites need to be examined for firm identification. The gall of ''craspedobius'' is a short, 1–2 mm narrow twisted, downward roll on the leaves of eared willow ( ''S. alba''), crack willow ( ''S. fragilis'') and their hybrids in Great Britain. The gall is lined with red hairs and contains the mites. Elsewhere it has been found on goat willow ( ''S. caprea'') and purple willow ( ''S. pururea''). In comparison, the galls of ''A. magnirostris'' differ by a longer downward roll on the leaf edge. On the website ''Plant Parasites of Europe'', photographs of ''A. magnirostris'' are similar to the description for ''A. craspedobius''.

Distribution

''Aculus craspedobius'' has been found in Austria, Germany, Great Britain and Poland.

References

Eriophyidae Animals described in 1925 Arachnids of Europe Taxa named by Alfred Nalepa Willow galls {{acari-stub