Eriococcidae gall

Description:

A large gall appearing as a stressed and twisted leaf. The thickened base contains a female gall forming hemipteran bug without legs or wings and permanently contained in her capsule. The orange mass nearby seems to be eggs or crawlers, as the hatchlings are called.

Habitat:

Bushland, on eucalyptus.

Notes:

There were three of these observed, a species that I had not seen before. I have dissected one for the purpose of documenting the species.