A new genus and species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Populus spp. (Salicaceae) in western North America

Summary. The species of gall midges whose larvae live in the stems of willows have been briefly reviewed. It is pointed out that, in the past, the so‐called “shot hole” midge damage on willow stems and branches has been frequently ascribed to R. saliciperda Dufour without considering either the insect itself or the species of willow. This study has shown that several species of gall midges are responsible for this type of damage and that, so far as can be ascertained from an examination of cultivated species of willows, with S. fragilis in addition, each species of midge is restricted to one (in one case three) species of willow. The adults, pupae and larvae of R. saliciperda Dufour, R. triandraperda sp.n., R. purpureaperda sp.n. and R. justini sp.n. have been described. The bionomics of these species have been worked out. It has been found that, while all multiply by means of unisexual families, the first three species are single brooded but that R. justini sp.n. has two broods a year. R. saliciperda Dufour lives on S. caerulea, S. fragilis and S. alba (Cecconi), R. triandraperda sp.n. will only attack S. triandra, while R. purpureaperda sp.n. and R. justini sp.n. are restricted to S. purpurea. The nature of the damage caused by the larvae of these midges has been described and control measures have been discussed. Tarring the stubs has been mentioned. It is suggested that cutting down the new growth in May, where practicable, would reduce the midge infestation. This latter treatment has the additional advantage of getting rid of initial caterpillar and frost damage which result in dead terminals and so produce side‐branching close to the stubs. Wild Crack willow (S. fragilis) should be destroyed as it can act as a reservoir for R. saliciperda Dufour. Keys have been drawn up for the identification of the midges using host plants, larval, pupal and adult female characters. The following parasites are recorded—Torymidae: Torymu ssp., near auratus Fonsc; Eurytomidae: Eurytoma aciculata Ratz., E. saliciperdae. Mayr.: Pteromalidae: Tridymus salicis Nees; Eulophidae: Pleurotropis? caenus Walk., Tetrastichus flavovarius Nees, T. roesellae De Geer; Platygasteridae: Platygaster cecidomyiae Ratz., P. sp. (?philinna Walk.).

The diversity of plant species belonging to the Poaceae family in Iran is very rich with about 500 known species. Many species of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) have a feeding relationship with plants of the Poaceae family. Despite the great species richness of Poaceae in Iran and the association between Cecidomyiidae/Poaceae, only 6 species of gall midges have been collected and identified from the plants of the Poaceae in Iran. In the present investigation related to the gall midge fauna of Iran, 3 genera namely, Calamomyia Gagné, 1969, Epicalamus Sylvén, 1998 and Mayetiola Kieffer, 1896 and 13 species namely, C. echinochloa Felt, 1916, Contarinia festucae Jones, 1940, C. floricola (Oettingen, 1927), C. lolii Metcalfe, 1933, Dasineura alopecuri (Reuter, 1895), E. phalaridis Sylvén, 1998, Lasioptera arundinis Schiner, 1854, L. calamagrostidis Rübsaamen, 1893, L. donacis Coutin, 2001, Mayetiola poae (Bosc, 1817), Stenodiplosis sorghicola (Coquillett, 1899), S. geniculati (Reuter, 1895) and S. panici Plotnikov 1926 are reported for the first time from the country. The adult specimens were obtained by rearing from their larvae on 13 genera and 13 species of Poaceae. The genus Calamomyia Gagné 1969, which is distributed in the Nearctic region, is reported for the first time from the Palearctic region.

Journal Article New Species of Gall Midges Get access E. P. Felt E. P. Felt Albany, N. Y. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 4, Issue 5, 1 October 1911, Pages 476–484, https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/4.5.476 Published: 01 October 1911

A new species of gall midge,Procontarinia schreineriHarris, which attacks mango foliage in Guam, is described and the results of field observations on its pest status, biology and population fluctuations are reported. Eggs are laid on young mango leaves and larvae, which develop rapidly over about 5 days, induce blister galls before leaving to pupate. Secondary damage to infested foliage is caused by the fungusColletotrichum gloeosporioides, which invades damaged leaf tissue and causes mango anthracnose disease.P. schreineripopulation fluctuations on mangoes were assessed at four localities on Guam over three years by counting the numbers of galls. It was concluded that the main factors affecting populations were rainfall and location. More galls were present during rainy periods, possibly because high humidity improves larval and pupal survival. Gall populations were generally low and unlikely to have direct effects on fruit yields but the introduction of new improved varieties of mango might increase susceptibility to damage. In addition, old galls on damaged leaves may provide reservoirs of anthracnose inoculum.

Two new species of gall midges are described whose larvae feed on the small morphotype of Guinea grass Megathyrsus maximus in Africa. Arabukodiplosis basalis Kolesik, gen. et sp. nov. causes galls at the base of plant's crown in Kenya and Arabukodiplosis vesicaria Kolesik, gen. et sp. nov. causes blister galls on the stems in South Africa and Kenya. Description of the morphology and the sequence of a fragment of the COI mitochondrial gene of the insects are provided. A new genus is erected to contain the two new species. Arabukodiplosis Kolesik, gen. nov. belongs to the supertribe Cecidomyiidi and its closest relative is Mitodiplosis Kieffer, 1914, an African genus containing a single species that induces stem thickening galls on pyp grass Ehrharta villosa (Poaceae) in South Africa. Like Mitodiplosis, Arabukodiplosis Kolesik, gen. nov. cannot be satisfactorily accommodated in any of the currently recognised tribes. The crown of the plant, where A. basalis Kolesik, gen. et sp. nov. forms galls, is where new tillers and shoots originate, so the galls develop where stems would usually form. Stems infested by A. vesicaria Kolesik, gen. et sp. nov. continue to develop above the galls, but the gall is expected to act as a resource sink, reducing the fitness of the host plant. Both species are possible candidates for biological control of M. maximus, which is a serious invasive alien pest outside of its native distribution.

Journal Article New Species of Gall Midges Get access E. P. Felt E. P. Felt Albouy, N. Y. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 4, Issue 6, 1 December 1911, Pages 546–559, https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/4.6.546 Published: 01 December 1911

This study analyses the pollination systems and biogeography of three allopatric species of Schisandra (Section Euschisandra) consisting of S. glabra (North America), S. bicolor (China), and S. repanda (Japan); the clade is delimited in a phylogenetic tree of Schisandraceae constructed with nuclear and plastid genes. The male and female flowers of these species have similar floral structures, but exhibit different pollination systems. At the base of the clade, S. glabra is pollinated by a wide variety of beetles and flies in a generalist pollination system that also includes floral heat and the use of male and female flowers as brood sites for insects. In Asia, however, S. bicolor and S. repanda are pollinated exclusively by one or two different species of gall midges (Resseliella spp.) in a specialist pollination system. In this system only female, pollen-eating gall midges pollinate the flowers and breed on nearby spiderwebs. The gall midge pollination system is specialized and derived from the generalist system in S. glabra, and basal in the clade. Pollen is the main floral resource, and we hypothesize it is exploited to enrich eggs, and as a result species of gall midges could increase reproductive fitness by feeding on a single dependable food source. Subsequently the life cycles of the plants and insects evolved into a tight association in old stable plant communities in the Sino-Japanese flora. Divergence times for the plant species are presented and correlated with past distributions and migration routes.

This is a third of a series of papers dealing with zoophagous gall midges of the world. The first, “ Gall Midges as Enemies of Aphids,” was published in 1929 (Bull. Ent. Res., xx, 1929, pp. 433–442) and the second, “ Gall Midges as Enemies of the Tingidae, Psyllidae, Aleyrodidae, and Coccidae,” appeared more recently (op. cit., xxi, 1930, pp. 319–329).In this paper the species of gall midges whose larvae have been reported as preying on mites are dealt with, the first reference mentioned being in each case that of the original description or record. Practically all the literature available consists of specific descriptions and little is stated about the bionomics of the species with a few exceptions. It is a matter for regret that such scant attention has been paid to this aspect of biological control, especially in view of certain statements claiming that the larvae of various gall midges are of considerable importance in the natural control of red spider. It is with a view to stimulating further research in this direction that the present paper has been compiled.It has been thought advisable to divide the paper somewhat arbitrarily into separate sections, dealing firstly with those species of gall midges preying on free-living mites and secondly with those species preying on gall-inhabiting mites. A further section deals with those Cecidomyids which may feed on mites. As an additional convenience, a list of plants on which the mites live is appended. The Cecidomyids which may be predacious on mites (see section 5) are not, however, included in this list.

Plants, insect herbivores and parasitoids can form tritrophic networks that are species rich and complex in interactions. In the present study, we describe the network structure of an assemblage composed of host plants, cecidomyiid gall midges and hymenopteran parasitoids in a restinga in Brazil. We used data collected between 1992 and 2011 to build plant‐galling and galling‐parasitoid networks. In total we recorded 44 species of host plants, 79 species of gall midges and 70 taxa of parasitoids. The network of host plants and gall midges was very specialized, being characterized by 79 distinct interactions, low connectance, low linkage density and high modularity. This specialized pattern is because all species of gall midges have been monophages. In contrast, galling‐parasitoid interactions were more numerous (203 distinct interactions) and were more connected, and less modular than expected based on the null model. The occurrence of generalist parasitoids (i.e. 35.7% of parasitoid species occurring on two or more hosts) is the main factor that explains this lower specialization in the galling‐parasitoid network when compared to the plant‐galling network. Our findings corroborate previous studies indicating high specialization for the interactions of gall midges with their plants but indicate a slightly smaller specialization of the parasitoids in relation to the gall midge species.

<p>Professor Dr Duška Simova-Tošić, retired full-professor of entomology at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, died on 19 June 2018.</p> <p>In 1956, she graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Biology, in Skopje. After completing her studies, she worked for one year as a curator-entomologist at the Natural History Museum in Skopje, and from 1958 to 1962 as an assistant at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Skopje. From 1962, she was employed as an assistant at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Belgrade, where, after moving up through all academic teaching levels, she worked as an entomologist until her retirement on October 1, 1999. At the same faculty, she obtained her MSc, and subsequently PhD. She defended her master’s thesis, “Contribution to knowledge of the harmful fauna of Cecidomyiidae of Serbia”, in 1964, and in 1969, she defended her doctoral dissertation entitled “Cecidomyiidae of Serbia and the importance of some morphological characters for its determination”. She was elected assistant professor in 1971, associate professor in 1977, and full professor in 1982. In 1968, she specialized in nematology at the Nematology Laboratory in Wageningen in the Netherlands, and on study tours in the USSR (1972) and the Netherlands (1973 and 1976).</p> <p>During her time at the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade she lectured on the subject of Special Entomology and Insect Ecology at the Department for the Protection of Plants and Food Products, and Entomology at the Department of Farming. During her postgraduate studies in entomology, she gave lectures in the fields of Insect Physiology, Insect Systems and Entomology. She also taught Entomology at the Faculties of Agriculture in Skopje and Novi Sad, and in high schools in Vršac and Zrenjanin. She had a reputation as a strict teacher, but one that was respected by her students. In 1999, she was awarded an honorary professorship of the University “Saints Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje.</p> <p>She mentored dozens of master’s theses and doctoral dissertations at the Faculties of Agriculture at the universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Skopje and Zagreb.</p> <p>Professor Duška Simova-Tošić was dedicated to the teaching of students, and, as author or co-author, she organized a number of teaching aids: “Insect Determination Charts” (1969), “Insect Collection Handbook” (1969), “Practicum of Special Entomology” (1975 and 1995), scripts and textbooks on General Entomology (1985, 1987) and Special Entomology (1985, 1987). For students of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences in Skopje she wrote the textbook “Environmental Entomology (Part I)”, Skopje (1987).</p> <p>Her field of scientific interest was the study of gall midges (Cecidomyiidae), crane flies (Tipulidae and Limoniidae), and other species and groups of insects. Her main preoccupations were Cecidomyiidae and Tipulidae, which she studied from the aspect of systematics, taxonomy, development cycle, natural enemies, harmfulness and importance in plant production. Her work of many years within these taxonomic groups, which continued after her retirement, resulted in published monographs: “Crane Flies − Tipulidae (Diptera-Insecta)” in “Fauna of Macedonia III” (1977); “Tipulidae” (Insecta, Diptera) in “Fauna of Durmitor” (1987); “Atlas of Gall Midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae)” (2014), and as a special edition of the journal Acta entomologica Serbica, “Phytophagous Species of Gall Midges in Serbia, Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Cecidomyiinae” (2016). Also, in agricultural entomology, she was the author of the chapter “Soybean Pests and Diseases” in the monograph “Soya − Production and Processing” (1995), and one of the authors of the Handbook on Quarantine and Pest Control (1980, Belgrade).</p> <p>Depending on the subject of interest at a given time during her working life, Prof. Dr. Simova-Tošić took part in the realization of programs in several scientific research projects. She participated in scientific meetings and congresses at home and abroad. She developed strong scientific and professional cooperation with colleagues from all republics of ex-Yugoslavia and from abroad. However, her greatest scientific cooperation was with scientists studying Tipulidae and Cecidomyiidae from the former USSR, especially Ukraine, and from the Netherlands, Germany, England and Romania. Particular mention should be made of her close cooperation with the Czech entomologists Marcela Skuhravá and Václav Skuhravý, with whom she published a number of papers on the topic of Cecidomyiidae. The monograph “Cecidomyiidae Fauna in Europe and Asia 1955-2008” by Skuhravá and Skuhravý cites the results of Prof. Simova’s research on the number of established species of Cecidomyiidae, not only in Serbia, but also in all the republics of former Yugoslavia. Thanks to her dedicated work and exhaustive research, the fauna of Serbia’s gall midges is the best studied when compared to neighboring countries. Before retiring, Prof. Simova had established 283 species of gall midges in Serbia, but this was not the end of her activities and creative opus. After 2000, she published two monographs and eight scientific papers. According to the 2nd Annex to the knowledge of gall midges of Serbia published in 2008 in the journal “Bulletin of the Natural History Museum”, Belgrade, there are 19 species, 17 of which are new to Serbia, 5 to the fauna of gall midges of the Balkan Peninsula, and 4 are for the first time established for the former Yugoslav republics. With this data, and with another 24 species that have not been identified and for which it is reliably believed that they are new to science (as the author herself pointed out in her last paper), the total number of species that she identified during her life and work in Serbia was 326, among which there are invasive species, species that are new to the fauna of Serbia, new for the Balkan Peninsula and for Europe, and new to science. In addition to over a hundred scientific papers published in domestic and foreign journals and at domestic and foreign scientific conferences, Prof. Dr Duška Simova-Tošić has left behind a rich collection of insects and herbarium materials. During her lifetime, Prof. Simova deposited in and formally bequeathed to the Natural History Museum in Belgrade the collection “Diptera: Tipuloidea”, with a total of 146 species and 4143 specimens of Tipulidae, as well as a collection of herbaceous plants with Cecidomyiidae (“Herbarium cecidologicum Duška Simova”). The Limoniidae collection is kept at the Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology of the Institute of Phytomedicine at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.</p> <p>At the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade, Prof. Simova was an active member of many management boards and she was Head of the Department of Entomology and Director of the Institute for the Protection of Plants and Food Products (today called Phytomedicine). She was a member of the Yugoslav Entomological Society and the Plant Protection Society of Serbia, and a very active member of the Entomological Society of Serbia, which awarded her with a special certificate of thanks as a meritorious member in 2008. She was a member of the editorial board of the journal “Acta entomologica Serbica”.</p> <p>Prof. Simova was serious, hardworking, systematic, strict, authoritative, committed to her scientific and pedagogical work, recognized and respected by her colleagues and students, and, above all, modest. Despite all her obligations and engagements, Prof. Simova found the time to return to her hometown of Skopje, where she loved going as often as she could.</p> <p>We who knew Prof. Simova remember working together and socializing, as well as her curiosity and zeal until the last day of her life. All that she gave to science remains as a permanent and valuable legacy for future generations of entomologists.</p>

Identity, distribution, and seasonal phenology of parasitoids of the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Europe

Although most insects reproduce in the adult stage, facultative larval or pupal reproduction (paedogenesis) has evolved at least six times independently in insects, twice in gall midges of the family Cecidomyiidae (Diptera). Paedogenesis in gall midges involves the precocious growth and differentiation of the ovary in an otherwise larval form. We have previously shown that the timing of expression of the Ecdysone Receptor (EcR) and Ultraspiracle (USP), the two proteins that constitute the functional receptor for the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone, regulates the timing and progression of ovarian differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Here we test the hypothesis that precocious activation of EcR and USP in the ovaries of paedogenetic gall midges allows for precocious ovarian differentiation. Using monoclonal antibodies directed against insect EcR and USP proteins, we first show that when these gall midges are reared under conditions that promote typical, metamorphic development, up- regulation of EcR and USP occurs in the final larval stage. By contrast, in the paedogenetic life cycle, EcR and USP are up-regulated early in the first larval stage. A similar pattern is seen for two independently-evolved paedogenetic gall midges, Heteropeza pygmaea and Mycophila speyeri. We discuss our results in the context of developmental constraints on the evolution of paedogenesis in dipteran insects.

Twenty six species of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) induce leaf galls on Fagus crenata. Because the adult life span of gall midges is very short, they must emerge and oviposit in the short period of a specific stage of budburst. Fagus crenata is mainly distributed in regions with heavy snowfall. Snow cover prevents the emergence of gall midges that overwinter on the ground as immature stages. Therefore the time of snow melt in relation to that of budburst is likely to be an important factor determining the success of gall midges. The species number and density of the Fagus gall midges tend to be higher in intermediate snowfall areas, in which snow covers the ground surface throughout the winter but the time of snow melt is earlier than that of budburst. The gall midge fauna is known to be poor in F. crenata forests with little snowfall because of desiccation during the winter. As a result of global warming, the distribution range of F. crenata will shift to regions with higher elevation and/or higher latitude although the rate of this vegetation shift is considered to be slower than that of temperature change. We hypothesize that the Fagus gall midge fauna will become richer in the short term because F. crenata forests with intermediate snowfall will increase by the global warming. However, in the long term, the gall midge fauna will become poorer following the retrenchment of F. crenata forests.

Predatory gall midges on mealybug pests – Diversity, life history, and feeding behavior in diverse agricultural settings

A new gall midge, here named Asphondylia daphnandrae Kolesik sp. nov., is described and a segment of its cytochrome oxidase unit I mitochondrial gene is sequenced. Asphondylia daphnandrae is significant as the first gall midge known to feed on a plant from the family Atherospermataceae (Laurales). The host plant tree Daphnandra johnsonii is endemic to the Illawarra region, New South Wales, Australia, and is currently threatened with extinction. Larvae of the new species of gall midge were found feeding inside deformed fruits, impeding the sexual reproduction of this endangered plant species.