Evolving proteins at Darwin's bicentenary

A report of the Biochemical Society/Wellcome Trust meeting 'Protein Evolution - Sequences, Structures and Systems', Hinxton, UK, 26-27 January 2009.     

THE IDENTITY OF THE SWEDE MIDGE, WITH NOTES ON ITS BIOLOGY

A brief historical summary is given of the literature concerning Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer, C. torquens de Meijere and C. geisenheyneri Riibsaamen, three gall midges (Cecidomyidae) which have been associated respectively with leaf damage on Brassica spp. in England, identical malformation on the Continent and swollen and closed flowers of Brassica spp. in Europe.
Following the discovery in England of the true Contarinia nasturtii causing swollen and closed flowers oiRorippa amphibia, preliminary experiments have shown that midges from this source will also cause similar damage to swede flowers and that they are the same species as those attacking R. amphibia blossom in the Netherlands.
Further preliminary experiments have shown that swede midge derived from rape leaf axils will also cause identical damage to radish flowers in addition to breeding successfully on the leaves of turnip, swede, cabbage and radish.
Male midges derived from Rorippa blossom have been mated with females from rape leaf axils, and their offspring have been reared on Rorippa flowers and on turnip leaves.
This biological evidence confirms the previous supposition based on morphological grounds that the swede midge is Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer and will cause either flower or leaf damage. Consequently, C. torquens de Meijere and C. geisenheyneri Riibsaamen must remain synonyms.
The shortest time for a generation (from parent to first offspring midge) to develop was 24–39 days in an unheated open glasshouse during June-July in 1949 at Harpenden. Under the same conditions, the shortest time for the next generation from late July to August was 29–32 days. C. nasturtii is the first Contarinia species in which unisexual families have been discovered.