Rosette Gall Midge vs Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rosette Gall Midge Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Dasineura urticae Propylea quatuordecimpunctata
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Cecidomyiidae Coccinellidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 3-5mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Gall Makers Predators
Regions Europe Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Rosette Gall Midge

A tiny midge that causes distinctive rosette galls on the tips of stinging nettles. The growing tip is stunted and swollen. Very common wherever nettles grow.

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Did You Know?

The distinctive bunched rosette galls on nettle tips are so common that most people have seen them without knowing the cause.

Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle

A small yellow and black ladybird with a distinctive checkerboard pattern of rectangular black spots. It is an effective aphid predator.

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Did You Know?

Its unusual checkerboard pattern makes it one of the most recognizable ladybird species in Europe.