Willow-associate
Guides
Aphrophora
spittlebugs, conifer spittlebugs
Aphrophora is a genus of spittlebugs (family Aphrophoridae) comprising at least 80 described species. Nymphs produce characteristic frothy spittle masses on host plants for protection and moisture regulation. The genus includes species associated with conifers and broadleaved plants, with documented host relationships including Pinus and Salix species. Adults are often attracted to lights at night.
Coptodisca saliciella
Coptodisca saliciella is a small moth in the family Heliozelidae, described by James Brackenridge Clemens in 1861. The species is native to North America, with confirmed records from California and Ohio. Larvae are leaf miners that feed on willow species (Salix), specifically documented on Salix lasiolepis.
Euura californica
Willow Apple Gall Sawfly
Euura californica, the willow apple gall sawfly, is a tenthredinid sawfly that induces distinctive galls on arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis). Females oviposit into leaf tissue, triggering the formation of rounded, apple-like galls that enclose developing larvae. The species exhibits multivoltine breeding with up to six generations annually in favorable climates. Adults emerge through exit holes chewed in mature galls.
Euura robusta
Euura robusta is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, subfamily Nematinae. Sawflies in this genus are typically associated with willow (Salix) species, on which larvae feed and induce gall formation. The genus Euura contains numerous species that are morphologically similar and often require specialist examination for accurate identification. As with other Nematinae, this species lacks the narrow waist characteristic of wasps and bees, instead showing a broad connection between thorax and abdomen.
Lampetis drummondi
Drummond's metallic wood-boring beetle
Lampetis drummondi is a large, metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, reaching up to 50 mm in length. Adults are brilliant blue-green in color with distinctive punctation patterns on the elytra. The species occurs in the desert southwest of North America and Central America. Adults are often found resting on small trees and shrubs, particularly persimmon (Diospyros texana) in western Texas, and are notably sluggish and easily captured by hand. The larval biology remained unknown until 2004, when larvae were discovered feeding in living willow (Salix gooddingii) wood at the soil line.
Lygocoris rugicollis
Apple Capsid
Lygocoris rugicollis is a widespread plant-feeding bug in the family Miridae, commonly known as the Apple Capsid. Adults are small, yellow, and distinguished by a strongly wrinkled prothorax. The species has a broad geographic range spanning Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, and North America. It is primarily associated with willows and alders but has been reported as an occasional pest on cultivated fruit crops.
Pterocomma bicolor
Reddish-brown Willow Bark Aphid
Pterocomma bicolor is a species of aphid in the family Aphididae, commonly known as the Reddish-brown Willow Bark Aphid. It was described by Oestlund in 1887. The species belongs to the tribe Macrosiphini within the subfamily Aphidinae. As a member of the genus Pterocomma, it is associated with willow (Salix) host plants, though specific biological details remain poorly documented in available literature.