''Rabdophaga clavifex'' is a

gall midge Cecidomyiidae is a family of diptera, flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. Cecidomyiidae are very fragile small in ...

which forms

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 buds of

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

species. __TOC__

Description

The tree/shrub genus ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

'' supports many galls, some of which are difficult to identify, particularly those caused by the gall midges in the genus ''Rabdophaga''. ''R. clavifex'' causes a cluster of hairy buds with a club-like swelling at the tip of the shoot on sallows. Each bud contains a red or orange larva.

Distribution

This species has been recorded in several European countries, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the UK ''R. clavifex'' has been found in Merseyside and Yorkshire.

References

clavifex Nematoceran flies of Europe Gall-inducing insects Insects described in 1891 Insect vectors of plant pathogens Taxa named by Jean-Jacques Kieffer Willow galls {{Bibionomorpha-stub