Rabdophaga clavifex

Rabdophaga clavifex is a gall midge which forms galls on the buds of willow species.

Rabdophaga clavifex
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Cecidomyiidae
Genus:	Rabdophaga
Species:	R. clavifex
Binomial name
Rabdophaga clavifex (Kieffer, 1891)
Synonyms[1]
Bertieria rosariella Cecidomyia clavifex Dasineura davifex Rhabdophaga repenticola

Description

The tree/shrub genus Salix 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.^[2]

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.^[1][3] In the UK R. clavifex has been found in Merseyside and Yorkshire.^[4]