Hi there,



picture no.2 looks clearest in that the gall is attached - or has taken over -

the development of a leave. Also picture 1, and the lack of a sclerenchyma

around the larval chamber (although not that clear to see) suggests to me that

these are galls of the sexual generation of Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. A

colleague at CEH Edinburgh told me that they are very abundant up north this

year; almost to "outbreak" levels (although with cynipid galls that normally

does not imply damage).



I don't know how wide spread this area of high abundance is, but maybe Richard

is in it.



Just as a note - I haven't seen a single Neuroterus quercusbaccarum galls on the

trees this spring in my area (Oxfordshire/Bershire).



Cheers



Karsten



--- In british_galls@..., Janet Boyd <janetboyd_entomologist@...>

wrote:

>

>

>

>  Hi,

>

> I received this request last night - could someone identify the galls for

Richard?

>

> Janet

>

>

>

>

>

> >

> > I work for Forest Enterprise Scotland as their native woodland

> > ecologist. I was asked to identify a gall earlier this week and, despite

> > spending some time reading through Redfern et al, I could not

> > confidently identify it as the gall concerned was on the bark (on burrs

> > ) of oak trees as well as on the shoots. The wood is in Dunbartonshire

> > (just west of Glasgow) low elevation. I wonder if you would be good

> > enough to identify the species for me?

> >

> > Many thanks,

> >

> > Richard Thompson

> >

> >

>

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Get the best of MSN on your mobile

> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/

>

--- In british_galls@..., Janet Boyd <janetboyd_entomologist@...>

wrote:

>

>



Hi Jan,



I'm only guessing, never having seen it, but would it be the sexual generation

gall caused by the cynipid wasp Trigonaspis megaptera? Perhaps someone else is

able to do better. I would like to know too.

'bye for now,

Maggie

>

>  Hi,

>

> I received this request last night - could someone identify the galls for

Richard?

>

> Janet

>

>

>

>

>

> >

> > I work for Forest Enterprise Scotland as their native woodland

> > ecologist. I was asked to identify a gall earlier this week and, despite

> > spending some time reading through Redfern et al, I could not

> > confidently identify it as the gall concerned was on the bark (on burrs

> > ) of oak trees as well as on the shoots. The wood is in Dunbartonshire

> > (just west of Glasgow) low elevation. I wonder if you would be good

> > enough to identify the species for me?

> >

> > Many thanks,

> >

> > Richard Thompson

> >

> >

>

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Get the best of MSN on your mobile

> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/

>

--- In british_galls@..., "maggiefrankum" <maggiefrankum@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi Jan again,



I should have waited!  Thanks Karsten for your identification of the galls in

Richard's photos and the clues to look out for.  Experience is definitely better

than guesswork!  I'm still on that steep learning curve!

best wishes,

Maggie



--- In british_galls@..., Janet Boyd <janetboyd_entomologist@>

wrote:

> >

> >

>

> Hi Jan,

>

> I'm only guessing, never having seen it, but would it be the sexual generation

gall caused by the cynipid wasp Trigonaspis megaptera? Perhaps someone else is

able to do better. I would like to know too.

> 'bye for now,

> Maggie

> >

> >  Hi,

> >

> > I received this request last night - could someone identify the galls for

Richard?

> >

> > Janet

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > >

> > > I work for Forest Enterprise Scotland as their native woodland

> > > ecologist. I was asked to identify a gall earlier this week and, despite

> > > spending some time reading through Redfern et al, I could not

> > > confidently identify it as the gall concerned was on the bark (on burrs

> > > ) of oak trees as well as on the shoots. The wood is in Dunbartonshire

> > > (just west of Glasgow) low elevation. I wonder if you would be good

> > > enough to identify the species for me?

> > >

> > > Many thanks,

> > >

> > > Richard Thompson

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> > _________________________________________________________________

> > Get the best of MSN on your mobile

> > http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/

> >

>

========================================
Message Received: Jun 12 2009, 08:36 PM
From: "Janet Boyd"
To: "British Plant Gall group"
Cc:
Subject: RE: [british_galls] Re: FW: Help with identification please?

Many thanks Karsten and Maggie - I just wasn't sure if Neuroterus quercusbaccarum affected bark as well as catkins and leaves. I have an unidentified slide of currents on a tree trunk - now I can put a name to it! 
Janet
 

---

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 Optimised for MSN. Download Now

not a daft question. I was going on what I saw on the pictures 1 & 2. N.

quercusbaccarum as far as I know is never attached to the bark. So i took picure

3 as simply galls that droped but were not attached. In fact apart from one

alien species I am not aware of a cynipid that would affect the bark and is

native in Britain.





Cheers



K.





Karsten  Schönrogge



Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Associate Editor: Insect Conservation & Diversity

(http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1752-458X&site=1)

CEH Wallingford,

Maclean Building,

Benson Lane,

Crowmarsh Gifford,

Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB



T: +44 (0)1491 692410

M: +44 (0)7951 881468

F: +44 (0)1491 692424

Skype: karsten schonrogge, Wallingford, UK



>>> linaria@... 06/12/09 9:01 PM >>>

Ok now the daft question



What the difference between Trigonapsis megaptera and Neuroterus quercusbaccarum

when they are on bark?



Robert





========================================

Message Received: Jun 12 2009, 08:36 PM

From: "Janet Boyd"

To: "British Plant Gall group"

Cc:

Subject: RE: [british_galls] Re: FW: Help with identification please?









Many thanks Karsten and Maggie - I just wasn't sure if Neuroterus

quercusbaccarum affected bark as well as catkins and leaves. I have an

unidentified slide of currents on a tree trunk - now I can put a name to it!

Janet









Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 Optimised for MSN. Download Now





--

This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC

is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents

of this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless

it is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to

NERC may be stored in an electronic records management system.

I just wanted to clarify my previous message. As far as cynipid galls are

concerned and with the exception of an alien species, N. saliens, I know of no

species that would induce galls on the trunk of trees within the UK. There are a

few, like Andricus conificus, on the continent, but none look like what is in

the pictures. If those galls in picture 3 are attached and emerge straight out

of the tree trunk, one would need to think again. Pictures 1 & 2 seem to show a.

a cynipid galls and b N. quercusbaccarum.



Cheers



Karsten





Karsten  Schönrogge



Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Associate Editor: Insect Conservation & Diversity

(http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1752-458X&site=1)

CEH Wallingford,

Maclean Building,

Benson Lane,

Crowmarsh Gifford,

Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB



T: +44 (0)1491 692410

M: +44 (0)7951 881468

F: +44 (0)1491 692424

Skype: karsten schonrogge, Wallingford, UK



>>> janetboyd_entomologist@... 06/12/09 9:48 PM >>>



That is interesting - I suppose they could look as if they were attached to bark

if there was a small twig protruding through moss. My photo could be that - it's

difficult to see whether Richard's could be that too. I don't think they fell.



Janet



> To: linaria@...; british_galls@...

> From: ksc@...

> Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:29:11 +0100

> Subject: RE: [british_galls] Re: FW: Help with identification please?

>

> not a daft question. I was going on what I saw on the pictures 1 & 2. N.

quercusbaccarum as far as I know is never attached to the bark. So i took picure

3 as simply galls that droped but were not attached. In fact apart from one

alien species I am not aware of a cynipid that would affect the bark and is

native in Britain.

>

>



_________________________________________________________________



MSN straight to your mobile - news, entertainment, videos and more.



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--

This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC

is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents

of this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless

it is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to

NERC may be stored in an electronic records management system.

Dear Janet,

I've just seen your gall images, and catching up on the opinions of the wise.



I am certain that the gall on shoot image is of a sexual generation

NEuroterus quercusbaccarum.



I think the other galls on the bark are probably sexual generation

Trigonaspis megaptera. The more variable gall shape, and the cross

section, match illustrations of this species and my own limited

experience of finding them in continental Europe. I don't have a

photograph of this gall to compare Richard's with, though, or i'd post

it.



Would you put me in direct contact with Richard? I am compiling a set

of images for a big book on oak galls, and would love to ask him if we

could use a higher resolution version of this picture. Even better

would be to get a sample of the galls. Even if he doesn't have adults,

we can tell very quickly what the gall inducer is from a larva or

pupa, for sure!



Sincerely,



Graham Stone









Quoting Janet Boyd <janetboyd_entomologist@...>:



>

>

>  Hi,

>

> I received this request last night - could someone identify the

> galls for Richard?

>

> Janet

>

>

>

>

>

>>

>> I work for Forest Enterprise Scotland as their native woodland

>> ecologist. I was asked to identify a gall earlier this week and, despite

>> spending some time reading through Redfern et al, I could not

>> confidently identify it as the gall concerned was on the bark (on burrs

>> ) of oak trees as well as on the shoots. The wood is in Dunbartonshire

>> (just west of Glasgow) low elevation. I wonder if you would be good

>> enough to identify the species for me?

>>

>> Many thanks,

>>

>> Richard Thompson

>>

>>

>

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Get the best of MSN on your mobile

> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/







--

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in

Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in

Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

Dear Janet,

Thankyou for remembering my request, and your offer of a hi resolution

scan would be very welcome, thankyou!

Regards, Graham



Quoting Janet Boyd <janetboyd_entomologist@...>:



>

> Hi Graham,

>

> I'm still not getting any response from Richard. If you are still

> looking for a similar photo of Trigonaspis megaptera sexual galls,

> there is always the slide I could scan at high res and send you? If

> you remember I mentioned that his photo looked just like one I took

> and couldn't be sure of the identity of the causer.

>

> Best wishes,

>

> Janet.

>

>

>

>> you wrote:

>> Would you put me in direct contact with Richard? I am compiling a set

>> of images for a big b! ook on oak galls, and would love to ask him if we

>> could use a higher resolution version of this picture. Even better

>> would be to get a sample of the galls. Even if he doesn't have adults,

>> we can tell very quickly what the gall inducer is from a larva or

>> pupa, for sure!

>>

>> >

>>

> _________________________________________________________________

>

> MSN straight to your mobile - news, entertainment, videos and more.

>

> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/







--

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in

Scotland, with registration number SC005336.