Psylla buxi

Psylla buxi

Alternative names
Box Gall, Boxwood Psyllid
Spanioneura buxi
Description

The psyllid causes galls to form on the shoot tips of Box. The galls take the form of pale, cabbage like clusters, the bunched leaves being strongly concave and slightly thickened.  During the summer they conceal numerous tiny pale green nymphs covered with white wax. The adult psyllids are green with an orange tip to the abdomen, and have a dark collar; the wings are yellowish and unmarked. 

Similar Species

Spanioneura fonscolombii is also present on Box, but does not cause galls; the forewings are marked with 4 black dots at the apices of the cells

Identification difficulty

Gall Adult/Nymph

Recording advice

Photograph the gall on the host plant. If recording the adult or nymph, state host plant and provide good quality photographs

Habitat

Where Box, the host plant, is present.

When to see it

Adults mature in late summer and lay overwintering eggs

UK Status

Widespread in the UK, and locally common (ref.: British Bugs website; link below)

VC55 Status

Frequent on host plant

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured squares = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records