Eriophyes homophyllus

A gall-causer on Blackthorn Prunus spinosa.

These galls were keyed using third edition of British Plant Galls (2023). There is a note there which seems to infer some doubt about the reliability of the identification from the galls, though I'm not sure I completely understand what it's alluding to. I think in the absence of further clarity it makes sense to identify these as homophyllus for now, accepting that as the taxonomic position is clarified in future this may need to be revised. That seems to be the pragmatic approach taken elsewhere, e.g. NatureSpot.

Eriophyes homophyllus galls on Blackthorn, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 9th June 2025

Some mites were found in these galls when examined under the microscope, but they were moving too fast for me to get a clear photo of them through the microscope. Here are my best efforts for what they're worth.

Eriophyes homophyllus in galls on Blackthorn, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 9th June 2025