Oak Marble Gall Wasp vs Common Web Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Oak Marble Gall Wasp Common Web Spinner
Scientific Name Andricus kollari Embia major
Order Hymenoptera Embioptera
Family Cynipidae Embiidae
Size 3-5 mm 10.0-15.0 mm
Habitat Parks Woodlands
Diet Gall Makers Gall Makers
Regions Europe, Western Asia Europe, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Oak Marble Gall Wasp

A tiny wasp that induces marble-shaped galls on oak twigs where its larvae develop. The galls were historically used to make iron gall ink.

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Did You Know?

The ink made from its galls was used to write the US Declaration of Independence and Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks.

Common Web Spinner

A dark brown web spinner that constructs silk galleries on tree bark and under stones. Males are winged while females are always wingless.

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Did You Know?

Web spinners produce silk from glands in their enlarged front feet, the only insects to spin silk with their tarsi.