Blistering Ammania vs Cola-Nut Gall

Ammannia baccifera compared with Andricus lignicolus

Key Differences

• Blistering Ammania is Least Concern while Cola-Nut Gall is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blistering Ammania	Cola-Nut Gall
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Myrtales (Myrtales)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Lythraceae	Cynipidae
Genus	Ammannia	Andricus
Species	Ammannia baccifera	Andricus lignicolus

Conservation Status

Blistering Ammania

LC — Least Concern

Cola-Nut Gall

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blistering Ammania	Cola-Nut Gall
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blistering Ammania

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (5 countries), Europe (Greece, Italy, North Macedonia), and Oceania and the Pacific (Palau).

Cola-Nut Gall

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Blistering Ammania

The Blistering Ammania (Ammannia baccifera) is a species in the genus Ammannia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian

Cola-Nut Gall

<em>Andricus lignicolus</em> is a gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. The name "Cola-Nut Gall" refers to the gall structure this species induces on oak trees, rather than a conventional common name for the organism itself. <em>Andricus lignicolus</em> has been recorded across parts of western and northern Europe, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The species occupies a broad range of terrestrial and freshwater habitats within its range, reflecting the wide distribution of its host oak trees. Gall wasps in the genus <em>Andricus</em> have complex life cycles often involving alternating sexual and asexual generations, with different generations producing distinct gall morphologies on the same or different oak species. The species has not been assessed under the IUCN Red List. Diet data and specific biological measurements for <em>Andricus lignicolus</em> are not documented in available sources. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Its ecological role is tied to its host plants, and like other cynipid gall wasps, it likely hosts a variety of inquiline and parasitoid insects within its galls.