robins pincushion gall

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robin's pincushion gall(rose bedeguar) A red and green or crimson, hairy growth on wild (dog) roses (Rosa canina), which is formed by the cynipid wasp Diplolepis rosae. Its eggs are laid in leaf buds, although the galls appear to grow from the twig or stem. The galls are multilocular, with an average of 30 progeny emerging in June. The average size of the galls is approximately that of a small pea, but the hairs may attain a length of 35 mm. Reproduction is normally parthenogenetic (offspring arising from unfertilized ova), less than 1 per cent of reared progeny being males.

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