Ideal home or revolting distortion?

Galls caused by Dasineura sisymbrii.

Galls caused by Dasineura sisymbrii.

If you need a safe place to live, why not get a home built to your own specifications?

That’s what the larvae of Dasineura sisymbrii, a kind of gall midge do. The presence of the larvae amongst the developing flower buds of species of Rocket (Sisymbrium) or Yellow-cresses (Rorippa) cause the host plant to develop a mass of pale yellow growth in which the larvae can develop and feed. The mass of plant tissue also keeps the larvae safe from predators. I don’t think it helps the plant to set seed though!

Dasineura sisymbrii galls in situ.

Dasineura sisymbrii galls in situ.

These galls were found in a damp piece of grassland near Stenton Hall.

About Fay Newbery

PhD student in the Plant Pathology Research Group.
This entry was posted in Brassicaceae, Flowering Plants, Galls, Insects, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plants and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.