Eriophyes tiliae · liepinė gumbadarė erkutė

• lime nail gall, bugle gall
• Lindengallmilbe
• liepinė gumbadarė erkutė, liepinė gyslinė erkė
• liepu lapu radziņērce
• rożkowiec lipowy, szpeciel lipowy

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriophyes_tiliae
• https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/eriophyes-tiliae

Eriophyes tiliae is a mite that forms the lime nail gall or bugle gall. The mites move onto the foliage in the spring, having overwintered in bark crevices and around buds. Individually, Eriophyes tiliae are less than 0.2 mm long, but the chemicals it releases while drinking sap from the lower leaf epidermis have a dramatic, consistent and colourful effect. An upright, hollow, red finger-like extension grows from the leaf around the mite. Before the autumn, the mites, which up to now have been actively feeding and growing inside the galls, depart from these shelters and seek protected sites elsewhere on the tree. The mites will pass the winter in such locations and then the cycle will be repeated. This species is one amongst a number of gall-formers which can be superficially similar in appearance; however E. tiliae is restricted to lime trees.