Dasineura urticae

Species Information
Gall diameter 8 mm. A tiny Cecid fly called Dasineura urticae causes these swellings to form on Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica). The eggs are laid at the base of the leaf or in a leaf vein. The hatching white larva then forms a pouch, which can range from green to purple, in which it feeds on the plant tissue.

Found wherever the host plant Urtica dioica grows. Common and widespread throughout Britain.

Classification

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Insecta (Insects)
Diptera (True Flies)
Nematocera (Lower Diptera)
Bibionomorpha
Sciaroidea
Cecidomyiidae (Gall Midges)
Dasineura
Dasineura urticae (Perris, 1840)

Photographs

Dasineura urticae
July 2020. Local river, South Staffordshire
Dasineura urticae
July 2020. Local river, South Staffordshire
Dasineura urticae
July 2020. Local river, South Staffordshire
July 2020. Local river, South Staffordshire

All photographs copyright © Peter Hillman
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