Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) on Myrtaceae in Brazil: richness and geographic distribution.

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.).

Plant-diversity hotspots on a global scale are well established, but smaller local hotspots within these must be identified for effective conservation of plants at the global and local scales. We used the distributions of endemic and endemic-threatened species of Myrtaceae to indicate areas of plant diversity and conservation importance within the Atlantic coastal forests (Mata Atlântica) of Brazil. We applied 3 simple, inexpensive geographic information system (GIS) techniques to a herbarium specimen database: predictive species-distribution modeling (Maxent); complementarity analysis (DIVA-GIS); and mapping of herbarium specimen collection locations. We also considered collecting intensity, which is an inherent limitation of use of natural history records for biodiversity studies. Two separate areas of endemism were evident: the Serra do Mar mountain range from Paraná to Rio de Janeiro and the coastal forests of northern Espírito Santo and southern Bahia. We identified 12 areas of approximately 35 km(2) each as priority areas for conservation. These areas had the highest species richness and were highly threatened by urban and agricultural expansion. Observed species occurrences, species occurrences predicted from the model, and results of our complementarity analysis were congruent in identifying those areas with the most endemic species. These areas were then prioritized for conservation importance by comparing ecological data for each.

Identification of novel mammalian hosts and Brazilian biome geographic distribution of Trypanosoma cruzi TcIII and TcIV

We determined the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two species of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), as well as partial sequence from a third cecidomyiid and a species from a related family, the Sciaridae. The sciarid sequence has a number of rearrangements of tRNA genes, relative to other dipterans, but is otherwise unremarkable. In contrast, the cecidomyiid genomes possess a number of very unusual features. First, the two complete sequences are very small compared with other dipteran mitochondrial genomes. The genome of Mayetiola destructor is only 14,759 bp while that of Rhopalomyia pomum is only 14,503 bp, comparable with genome sizes observed in some arachnids. Second, all three cecidomyiid species have very high A + T content—more than 83% for the coding region. Third, all three cecidomyiid species possess a number of rearrangements of tRNA genes, including variations within the family. Fourth, the most extraordinary feature of cecidomyiids examined in this study is an extreme truncation of all tRNA genes, including the loss of TΨC arms and apparent absence of the 3′ part of the aminoacyl stems.The truncated tRNA genes of cecidomyiids are very similar to those previously reported for spiders and appear to represent a second, independent origin of these structural features. It is likely that they are made functional through RNA editing, perhaps using the 5′ end of the aminoacyl stem as a template for the construction of the required 3′ end.

Abstract: Most Neotropical species of Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) have been described from Brazil, but a list of species with occurrence in the country has never been published. Little is known about their distribution and richness in the Brazilian phytogeographic domains. Additionally, a list of host plant species has never been gathered. The present study aims to fill these knowledge gaps and provides an overview of this family in Brazil. For this, data were obtained mainly from the literature, but also from the Cecidomyiidae collection of Museu Nacional and two herbaria (RB and R). Based on the site "Flora do Brasil 2020", botanical names were updated and plant species origin and distribution were verified. A total of 265 gall midge species have been recorded in Brazil, most from the Atlantic Forest (183), followed by Cerrado (60), and Amazon Forest (29). The other phytogeographic domains shelter from five to ten species. Phytophagous gall midges occur on 128 plant species of 52 families, almost all native, being 43 endemic to Brazil (21 endemic to Atlantic Forest, five to Cerrado, and one to Amazon). Although, the taxonomical knowledge is focused on the Atlantic Forest, each domain has its own fauna composition and these informations can be useful for environmental conservational purposes. About 58% of the Brazilian fauna are known only from the type-locality. In order to fill these gaps, it is necessary and important to collect in uninvestigated areas.

Cerciplanus maricaensis, a new species of gall midge (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) that induces galls on leaves of Ouratea cuspidata (A.St.-Hil.) Engl. (Ochnaceae) is described in the larval, pupal and adult stages (of both sexes), illustrated and compared with the other congeneric species. The host plant is endemic to Brazil and known only from the Atlantic Forest. A key to segregate them is presented. Data on the geographical distribution of Cerciplanus maricaensis based on gall records retrieved from the literature are given.

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.

<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>

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.

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

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

The Cecidomyiidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) fauna of Egypt is poorly known. Investigations in northern Egypt in 2013 revealed the presence of seven species of gall midges on three host plant species: Atriplex halimus L., Arthrocnemum macrostachyum (Moric.) and Suaeda pruniosa Lange (all Chenopodiaceae). Among the gall midges, Baldratia salicorniae Kieffer and Stefaniella trinacriae De Stefani are reconfirmed records in Egypt; Houardiella gracilis Dorchin & Freidberg and Asphondylia punica Marchal are new records; and Baldratia karamae Elsayed & Skuhraván. sp. , Primofavilla aegyptiaca Elsayed n. sp. and Stefaniella skuhravae Elsayed n. sp. are new to science. Adult morphology of the latter three new species is described and illustrated, and their biology and geographic distribution are given.

Abstract: Caatinga is a seasonally dry tropical forest, one of the richest in plant species. Unfortunately, many groups of herbivorous insects associated with these plants are poorly known. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of gall-inducing insects (GII) and host plants (HP) in the Caatinga. For this, we compiled the information available in the literature of inventories on GII and their HP communities, and the described gall midge species. We found 100 species, 72 genera, and 32 families of HP hosting a total of 156 morphospecies of GII and 12 species of described cecidomyiids. Plant species with only one GII species represented 74% of hosts, but in super HP (i.e., HP with a high number of GII), despite the small number of HP species, there were many GII species. Fabaceae was also the most specious family, with 30% of HP species and 40% of GII. Furthermore, our results showed a low number of species of HP and GII for the Brazilian Caatinga, that we discussed this pattern with the following arguments, first, it is likely that the number of galling insect inventories for the Caatinga is under-sampled, second the Caatinga has a relatively smaller number of plant species when compared to other biomes, and finally, we argue that the Caatinga is a seasonally dry tropical forest where the deciduousness represents a relevant factor in the colonization and performance rates of GII.

This chapter intents to contribute to the knowledge of the geographic distribution of tree taxa in Brazilian igapo forest and presents an analysis of the distribution of tropical tree species from periodic flooded areas, focusing on the description and interpretation of the patterns of local, regional and global. We used 19 floristic and phytosociological works carried out in periodically flooded forests of the Rio Negro basin, Brazilian Amazon, and classified them according to the occurrence area of tree species using the phytogeography patterns established by Prance (1977). Considering the different possibilities of occurrence of a taxon in the Amazon biome, we defined three possible tree species geographic patterns: AA – ample amazon; FP – floodplain area; and BW – black water. For each taxon we calculated the frequency of occurrence. For each phytogeographic pattern we investigated the occurrence of each taxon in other formations out of the Amazon forest, according to the five biomes by IBGE classification: Cerrado (CE), Caatinga (CA), Pantanal (PA), Mata Atlântica (MA) and Pampa (PP). In all, 19 surveys were selected; the specific richness of at least 636 woody taxa was recognized. Of these, 380 species are duly determined and belong to 211 genera and 62 families. We checked 231 species with wide distribution on the Amazon (AA), 65 occur only on floodplain (FP), 61 occur only near black water river (BW), 7 are restricted to one formation on Amazon and 16 species are not registered on Species Link site. The majority of the species BW are considered rare (59%) and only 12 species (19.7%) occur in other Brazilian biome. We observed the same with floodplain species (FP), only 12.3% also occur in other Brazilian biome. In general, the most constant/moderately frequent species in the igapo forest showed large geographic amplitude occurring in other Brazilian biomes. A great proportions of them also occurred in cerrado (CE), followed by Atlantic rain forest (MA). The fact that about 37.6% of all species occurred also in other formations, 43.1 % of genera and 69.4 % of families in igapo forest also occur out of Amazon forest.