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Aylax minor Hartig, 1840 1 km.sq. records: 3 ?Scarce
Host: Papaver rhoeas L., P. dubium L.
Part galled: capsule septa
As in A. papaveris, the seed capsules of various Papaver species are galled, but galling by
A. minor produces no distortion of the capsule. The galls are internal and attached to the septa.
To locate the galls it is necessary to break open the capsules, a rather hit and miss affair, or
alternatively galled capsules can be located later in the season by searching for emergence holes.
It is likely ihat A. minor is very under-recorded due to its cryptic life cycle.
The adult insect has a coriaceous scutellum, rugulose apically, usually without a shallow medial
depression. The notaulices are usually absent anteriorly.
Genus ISOCOLUS Foerster, 1869
The second segment of the gaster is smooth basally and punctate posteriorly. The pronotum is
coriaceous.
Isocolus rogenhoferi Wachtl, 1880 lkm.sq. records: 1 Rare
Host: Centaurea scabiosa L., Greater knapweed.
Part galled: involucral bract
A single record of this species from Arkesden is apparently the first for the County. Galls can be
located by searching the mature flowers and consist of a single chamber 2-3mm in diameter
attached to the base of the bract. The cryptic nature of the galls makes them difficult to find and
the species is doubtless under-recorded
Adults are distinguished by having the scutellum without a longitudinal furrow, distinct
nolaulices and the antennal flagellum black.
Genus LIPOSTHENUS Foerster, 1869
Liposthenus glechomae (Linnaeus, 1758) lkm.sq. records: 30 Local Plate 14
[latreillei (Kieffer, 1898)]
Host: Glechoma hederacea L.. Ground ivy
Part galled: leaf, petiole.
Known in the past from Birdbrook, Burnham and Widford (Fitch, 1882) but not recorded by
Niblett (1957). The distribution today is wider but the species should still be considered local.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 16 (1999)