Neuroterus quercusbaccarum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The common spangle gall on the underside of leaves and the currant gall on the male catkins or occasionally the leaves, develop as chemically induced distortions on pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), or sessile oak (Quercus petraea) trees, caused by the cynipid wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum which has both agamic and bisexual generations.
Previous names or synonyms for this species are Neuroterus baccarum, N. lenticularis, N. malpighii, Cynips lenticularis, C. quercus-baccarum, Spathegaster baccarum, S. varius, S. interruptor. The spangle gall generation on the underside of the oak leaves are flat discs, with a distinct central elevation, slightly hairy, yellow-green at first and reddish later, attached by a short stalk. These galls are up to 6 mm in diameter, unilocular, unilarval with a whitish or yellow undersurface; they mature in September, detach and fall to the ground before the leaves themselves. The larva continue to develop in the fallen spangle and, protected by the leaf layer, they overwinter. Any spangle galls that remain attached to the leaves dry and die.
The smooth surfaced currant gall generation appears in April and lay unfertilised eggs in the staminate... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 6 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 10 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spangle Gall Wasp sighting in Rome on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 214th most-seen of the 289 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, August–September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spangle Gall Wasp in Rome on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, May–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Spangle Gall Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 21
Of the 21 cities where we can rate Common Spangle Gall Wasp sightings, Rome ranks 14th at about 10%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 20%), London (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 20%).
Same family: Cynipidae
The closest relatives of the Common Spangle Gall Wasp that you can see in Rome (family Cynipidae, Gall Wasps) are Andricus dentimitratus (about 10%), Andricus quercustozae (about 10%) and Hedgehog Gall Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Spangle Gall Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Rome (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
