Tripius gyraloura n. sp. (Aphelenchoidea: Sphaerulariidae) parasitic in the gall midge Lasioptera donacis Coutin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

A new nematode, Tripius gyraloura n. sp., is described from the arundo gall midge, Lasioptera donacis Coutin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). This gall midge is being considered as a biological control agent for use in North America against the introduced giant reed Arundo donax (L.) (Poaceae: Cyperales). Thus the present study was initiated to investigate a nematode parasite that was unknown at the time studies with L. donacis were initiated. The new species has a rapid development in the fly host and the mature parasitic female nematodes evert their uterine cells in the hosts’ hemolymph. Because large numbers of nematodes sterilise the host, eradication of the parasite from laboratory colonies of the midge may be necessary before populations of the fly are released.     

A new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gephyraulus</Emphasis> species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inducing flower bud galls on the European sea rocket <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cakile maritima</Emphasis> Scop. (Brassicaceae)

The European sea rocket Cakile maritima Scop. (Brassicaceae) is a common herb growing on sandy coastlines worldwide and is considered a useful plant because of its medicinal importance, its edibility, and potential as an oilseed crop. However, C. maritima is an invasive plant over a wide range, e.g., eastern South America, North America, northern Iran, Australia and New Zealand, and has a limited number of associated herbivorous insects. During investigations on gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Egypt, we found a gall midge inducing flower bud galls on C. maritima and preventing fruit production, which suggested that this gall midge is a potential pest of this plant. In this paper, we describe this gall midge species, Gephyraulus zewaili Elsayed and Tokuda sp. nov., as new to science by comparing its morphology with that of close congeners. Partial sequence data of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene are also provided.     

First known gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Arecaceae: Normanbyomyia fructivora gen. & sp. n. damaging fruit of the black palm, Normanbya normanbyi, in tropical Australia

Abstract  A new species of gall midge, Normanbyomyia fructivora gen. & sp. n., was found infesting flowers and fruit of the black palm, Normanbya normanbyi (Arecaceae), in the tropical forest of north-eastern Australia. Larvae of the gall midge live between the perianth and the young fruit causing abnormal fruit growth. Infested fruit are substantially smaller than healthy ones, fall off prematurely and decay on the ground without producing seedlings. Normanbyomyia , a new genus erected for the new species is placed within the supertribe Lasiopteridi and is characterised by a conspicuous female abdominal segment 8 that is inflated and strongly sclerotised, and wide male parameres that loosely sheath the aedeagus and bear no papillae. A key to Australian Lasiopteridi is provided. The new species becomes the first described gall midge that feeds on a plant from the palm family, Arecaceae.     

A new species of Aprostocetus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), parasitizing mango leaf gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), from India

A new species of Aprostocetus doonensis Singh sp. nov. is described from northern India. The new species is a parasitoid of mango leaf gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Some observations on biology and parasitization rate are also given.     

Genetic and ecological differences between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Asphondylia yushimai</Emphasis> and the ivy gall midge, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Asphondylia</Emphasis> sp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), with a new distribution record of the former from Hokkaido and South Korea

The soybean pod gall midge, Asphondylia yushimai, is known to utilize Laurocerasus zippeliana (Rosaceae) and Osmanthus heterophyllus (Oleaceae) as autumn–spring hosts. In addition, ivy, Hedera rhombea (Araliaceae), was thought to be a candidate for an additional autumn–spring host. However, our genetic analysis indicated that no haplotypes of the ivy fruit gall midge, Asphondylia sp., were identical to any of the haplotypes of A. yushimai. Furthermore, the life-history traits of the ivy fruit gall midge, such as voltinism, host-plant range, lower development threshold temperature (LDT), and developmental speed, were clearly different from those of A. yushimai. Thus, the results from genetic analysis and life-history traits revealed that the ivy fruit gall midge was not identical to A. yushimai and that H. rhombea is not an additional autumn–spring host plant for A. yushimai. We also discovered through morphological observation and genetic analysis that A. yushimai is distributed in Hokkaido and South Korea, and that the ivy fruit gall midge exhibits host plant alternation, utilizing both the fruit of Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae) and the flower buds of Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae) as spring–autumn hosts.     

Morphological,genetic and symptomatic identification of an invasive jujube pest in Korea,Dasineura jujubifolia Jiao & Bu (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Correct identification of invasive species is an important step for further management of this species. New type of leafcurling gall midge feeding on jujube, Ziziphus jujube Miller (Rhamnaceae), was discovered in Korea in 2011. At that time, this species was not identified as specific level, so it was recorded as Dasineura sp. Since then, the jujube gall midge has become a serious alien insect pest in Korea. In this study, this jujube gall midge was surveyed by collecting damaged leaf samples from different major jujube-producing regions in Korea. Morphological, genetic and symptomatic identification of this invasive jujube pest identified as Dasineura jujubifolia Jiao & Bu. Here we provided its taxonomic status, geographical distribution, morphological characteristics of all stages and infestation symptoms. In addition to classical morphological characters, mitochondrial COI barcoding sequences were generated for several specimens. The possible pathway of invasion and subsequent socioeconomic consequences were discussed.     

The first record of genus Bruggmanniella (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Taiwan with description of a new species inducing bud galls on Neolitsea parvigemma (Lauraceae)

The genus Bruggmanniella Tavares is newly discovered from Taiwan and Bruggmanniella brevipes sp. n. is described as new to science. This is the southernmost species of Bruggmanniella found in the Old World. Furthermore, the gall midge induces bud galls on Neolitsea parvigemma (Hayata) Kaneh (Lauraceae), an endemic species in Taiwan, and the plant genus Neolitsea is the third host genus of Lauraceae-associated Bruggmanniella in East Asia. The knowledge of its distribution and host information provide us to shed the light on evolutionary and biogeography issue of East Asian Bruggmanniella.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:820320EC-17BC-4E00-A401-2DBDA3EEE9C4     

Oviposition site of and gall formation by the fruit gall midge Asphondylia aucubae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in relation to internal fruit structure

Most gall insects use young developing plant organs for gall formation; however, little information is available on the histological identification of such tissues or the changes in their availability with plant growth. We investigated the oviposition site of and the tissue used for gall formation by the midge Asphondylia aucubae Yukawa and Ohsaki, which is responsible for galls on the fruit of Aucuba japonica Thunb., by comparing the internal structures of young developing fruit, mature intact (uninfested) fruit, and galled fruit. The midge deposited eggs between the integument and the carpel of young fruit. Larval chambers were made of callus‐like tissue and were formed between the embryo sac and the carpel, where the integument was initially situated. The integument and part of the carpel were thus identified as critical plant tissues used by A. aucubae in forming galls. The integument degenerates in mature intact fruit; therefore, the season of emergence and oviposition by the midge may be determined by the timing of integument degeneration.     

Invasive mango blossom gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Reunion Island: ecological plasticity, permanent and structured populations

Mango blossom gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (=Erosomyia mangiferae Felt), is an invasive pest that causes economic damage worldwide. The objectives of our study were to highlight the genetic and ecological abilities of this monophagous gall midge to invade new habitats and to evaluate its genetic structure on an isolated island. This study, carried out in subtropical Reunion Island, is based on data from population dynamics surveys and from molecular analyses (mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites). Using 11 microsatellite loci and an extensive sampling of 27 populations at 17 sites, we tested the genetic differentiation between populations sampled on different mango organs and cultivars at different seasons and under different climatic and cultural environments. We checked for the existence of a seasonal bottleneck. Our results showed that a single species, P. mangiferae, was present all year round with no genetic bottleneck at any of the sites sampled, regardless of the climatic and cultural conditions, and that it fed on inflorescences and young leaves. These characteristics showed the ecological plasticity of P. mangiferae, despite its low genetic diversity and, consequently, the invasive potential of this species. Populations in Reunion Island are structured into two clusters in sympatry and present in different proportions at each site. One cluster was more frequently found in the cultivated mango area. This work provides insights into the relationships between gall midges and tree host plants in a subtropical agro-ecosystem, as well as into the role of the population genetic structure in the establishment process of a monophagous invasive cecid fly.     

Description of the soybean pod gall midge,Asphondylia yushimai sp. n. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a major pest of soybean and findings of host alternation

The soybean pod gall midge is an important pest of soybean in Japan and is known to occur also in Indonesia and China. This gall midge is described from Japan as Asphondylia yushimai sp. n. and is clearly distinguished from its congeners by the arrangement of the lower frontal horns of the pupa and the sequence of the mtDNA COI region. It is concluded that Prunus zippeliana Miquel is a winter host of the soybean pod gall midge since haplotypes of the soybean pod gall midge coincide with those of the Prunus fruit gall midge that produces fruit galls on P. zippeliana. In addition, phenological and distributional information on the two gall midges and on their host plants supports the identification of the winter host. In Japan, the soybean pod gall midge overwinters as a first instar in the fruit galls on P. zippeliana and emerges as an adult from the galls in May. In summer and autumn, the soybean pod gall midge has two or more generations in the pods of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill or wild fabaceous and caesalpiniaceous plants. Thus host alternation by A. yushimai is confirmed. This is the second finding of host alternation by a species of Asphondylia, the first instance being that of Asphondylia gennadii (Marchal) in Cyprus.     

The Switchgrass Gall Midge (Chilophaga virgati Gagné) in the Northern Great Plains

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is considered to be a highly promising bioenergy crop. However, little is known about insect pests that impact its utilization for this purpose. The switchgrass gall midge [Chilophaga virgati Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)], which was first discovered in 2008 at Brookings, SD, USA, is shown to have a negative impact on biomass and seed yields of switchgrass. Our objectives were to increase knowledge of the biology of the midge by describing its life stages and any parasitoids that have biological control potential. Data collections were made during May to December in 2011 and April to late autumn in 2012. The gall midge adult is active from early June to late July. This insect overwinters as a late instar larva, usually in large aggregations, enclosed in the sheath of the flag leaf of dry tillers. The mean number of larvae was 31, with a range of 6 to 85 per tiller. Infested tillers m^?2 varied among three phenologically distinct cultivars. The late flowering cultivar ‘Cave-In-Rock’ was more heavily infested (>2×) than the early flowering ‘Dacotah’. A newly discovered parasitoid, Platygaster chilophagae Buhl (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and a species of Quadrastichus sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were reared from gall midge larvae. These results will be valuable to entomologists, switchgrass breeders, and agronomists as a guide to the occurrence and activities of the gall midge.     

Lopesia indaiensis (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae), a new species of gall midge feeding on Andira fraxinifolia Benth (Fabaceae), an endemic plant in Brazil

Lopesia indaiensis (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), a new species of gall midge found causing galls on Andira fraxinifolia (Fabaceae), an endemic plant species in Brazil, is described based on larva, pupa, male and female. L. indaiensis galls were collected in Dores do Indaiá, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. Larvae were removed from the galls and pupae and adults were obtained by rearing. The specimens were mounted on slides and the most important morphological characters were illustrated. The new species was compared to the other species of Lopesia.     

Ecological divergence among morphologically and genetically related Asphondylia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), with new life history data for three congeners including the Alpinia fruit gall midge

Ecological data is crucial for determining the degree of reproductive isolation among closely related species, and in identifying the factors that have produced this divergence. We studied life history traits for three Asphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) species that induce fruit galls either on Alpinia, Ligustrum or Aucuba, and we compared the traits with those published for three other closely related Japanese Asphondylia species. We found that the six species were significantly differentiated in important life history traits, such as host range, voltinism, lower developmental threshold temperature, thermal constant and diapausing season. The data indicate that divergence in the assessed life history traits evolves before morphological divergence, and such ecological divergence could strengthen isolating barriers among the taxa. We present scenarios on how host range expansion, host plant shift and host organ shift for galling initiate the early stages of speciation. We also highlight the importance of ecological data in identifying cryptic species. Specifically, we confirm that Alpinia intermedia (Zingiberaceae) is not an autumn–spring host of the soybean pod gall midge Asphondylia yushimai based on many differences in the life history traits between the Alpinia fruit gall midge Asphondylia sp. and A. yushimai.     

Life history strategy and taxonomic position of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inducing leaf galls on Styrax japonicus (Styracaceae)

Four gall midge species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) that induce leaf galls on Styrax japonicus (Styracaceae) were identified to generic level based on larval morphology. Three of these gall midges, which induce whitish hemiglobular galls, flattened subglobular galls, and purple globular galls, respectively, were identified as three genetically distinct species of Contarinia, and the remaining species, which induces globular galls with dense whitish hairs, was identified as a species of Dasineura. Field surveys in Fukuoka, Japan, revealed that adults of these gall midges emerged and oviposited in late March to mid‐April at Mount Tachibana (approximately 200 m a.s.l.) and in late April to early May at Mount Sefuri (about 1050 m a.s.l.), coinciding with the leaf‐opening season of S. japonicus. Larvae of these gall midges mostly developed into third instars by June and then left their galls and dropped to the ground. These species therefore have a life history strategy that differs from that of another S. japonicus‐associated gall midge, Oxycephalomyia styraci, which overwinters as the first instar in ovate swellings, matures rapidly in spring, and emerges directly from the galls.     

An endoparasitic species of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) attacking Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

A solitary endoparasitic species of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) was reared from pupae of an aphidophagous gall midge, Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), in Japan. The parasitoid was identified as Gastrancistrus fuscicornis Walker, a species that has been recorded from Europe. An unidentified aphid has been proposed as being a host of G. fuscicornis, but the study reported here confirmed that G. fuscicornis is an endoparasitoid of A. aphidimyza. I consider that G. fuscicornis may not be a parasitoid of aphid. I found a nontentorial pit on the head of male and female of G. fuscicornis. According to the definition of the nontentorial pits, the pit found in G. fuscicornis corresponds to the facial pit. This is the first finding of the facial pit in Chalcidoidea. Morphological differences between G. fuscicornis and its allied species are provided.     

First steps towards biological control of the pear gall midge (Contarinia pyrivora) with the insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum

Gall midges are important pests in many crops. In fruit, they are difficult to control due to their life cycle, which takes place partially within the fruit. Here, we provide the first successful laboratory experiment to infect pear gall midge (Contarinia pyrivora) with the insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum. We developed a procedure for sampling larvae, maintaining them in the laboratory and subjecting them to the fungus. We demonstrated that dipping larvae in a fungus suspension or adding a fungus suspension to the soil result in significant fungus induced mortality of the pear gall midge. An immune response in treated larvae was recorded proving that there was a real pathogenesis. Finally, we discuss next steps and a strategy for field experiments.     

A New Species of Schizomyia Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Rubber Vine and Other Asclepiadaceae in Madagascar

A new species of gall midge, Schizomyia cryptostegiae Gagné, that forms leaf and bud galls on Cryptostegia grandiflora in Madagascar is described and its biology summarised. the gall midge is a candidate for the biological control of C. grandiflora in northern Queensland, Australia.     

New gall midge taxa of the subfamilies porricondylinae and lasiopterinae (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) from the Rovno amber

Five new gall midge taxa of the subfamilies Porricondylinae and Lasiopterinae are described from the Late Eocene Rovno amber: Adsumyia integra gen. et sp. nov. (Dicerurini), Gratomyia inexigentis gen. et sp. nov. (Holoneurini), Winnertzia recusata sp. nov. (Winnertziini), Kovaleviola injusta gen. et sp. nov., and Spungisiola insuperabilis gen. et sp. nov. (Brachineurini).     

Two new species of Paraclius from China (Diptera,Dolichopodidae)

Thirty-one species of Paraclius Loew were known to occur in China. In this paper, two species are described as new to science: Paraclius ventralis sp. nov. and Paraclius wutongshanus sp. nov. A key to the Chinese species of Paraclius is provided.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3E803E27-5E44-4A55-91D5-DA088F986485.