''Lauritrioza'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

of sap-sucking

Psyllid Psyllidae, the jumping plant lice or psyllids, are a family of small plant-feeding insects that tend to be very host-specific, i.e. each plant-louse species only feeds on one plant species (monophagous) or feeds on a few closely related plants ( ...

bugs in the family

Triozidae Triozidae is one of seven families, collectively referred to as Psylloidea, plant lice, based on the type genus ''Trioza''. They had traditionally been considered part of a single family, Psyllidae, but recent classifications divide the superfam ...

. The single species ''Lauritrioza alacris'' (originally described as ''Trioza alacris'') creates

gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...

s on the leaves of ''

Laurus ''Laurus'' () is a genus of evergreen trees or shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus contains three or more species, including the bay laurel or sweet bay, ''L. nobilis'', widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and a cul ...

'' species: mostly in Europe, including the British Isles, but also introduced to western N. America.GBIF: ''Lauritrioza'' Conci & Tamanini, 1986
(retrieved 29 March 2025) Trioza alacris gall on bay

Description of the gall

''Lauritrioza alacris'' causes the edges of leaves to thicken and roll downwards forming pale, elongated pouches. The galls can house two generations in a summer, of up to thirty pale-green nymphs, which are covered in a white wax. Adults can also be found in the gall. The adults usually overwinter in leaf litter but can also spend the winter in the gall. Species of ''Laurus'' galled include the Azores laurel (''

Laurus azorica ''Laurus azorica'', the Azores laurel or Macaronesian laurel, is a small, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), found only on the Azores island group in the North Atlantic. Description The Azores laurel is a small dioecious tree, grow ...

''), bay tree (''

Laurus nobilis ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. According to Flora Cretica (Kleinsteuber Books, 2024, ISBN 978-3-9818110-5-6) the stem can be 1 ...

''), '' Laurus novocanariensis'' and ''

Persea indica ''Persea indica'' is a large, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to humid uplands on Madeira and the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic. It belongs to the genus '' Persea'', a group of evergreen trees including the avocado. ...

''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q133728868, from2=Q10704088 Triozidae Hemiptera of Europe Gall-inducing insects Insects described in 1861 Taxa described in 1986 Monotypic Hemiptera genera