''Rabdophaga rosariella'' is a species of gall midge 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, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...

s on sallows (''Salix'' species). It was first described by Jean-Jacques Kieffer in 1897.

Description

The gall is a small rosette, most often in an axillary bud on sallows. In Britain sallow usually refers to ''S. aurita'', ''S caprea'', ''S. cinerea'' and the hybrids between these species. The rosette leaves are not obviously hairy and the full grown larva does not have a sternal spatula (i.e. a structure on the underside of the thorax of the final (third) instar larva of Cecidomyiidae). Larvae of ''R. rosariella'' are unique as all other known ''Rabdophaga'' larvae have a sternal spatula.

Distribution

Recorded from Belgium and Great Britain.

References

rosariella Nematoceran flies of Europe Gall-inducing insects Insects described in 1897 Taxa named by Jean-Jacques Kieffer Willow galls {{Bibionomorpha-stub