Gnesiodiplosis, Felt, 1917

Kolesik, Peter & Gagné, Raymond J., 2020, A review of the gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) of Indonesia: taxonomy, biology and adult key to genera, Zootaxa 4847 (1), pp. 1-82 : 72-73

“Gnesiodiplosis” garcinia Felt

[ Figs 42 a–h]

Gnesiodiplosis garcinia Felt, 1927b: 388 ; Gagné 1973: 514, unplaced to genus.

Material examined. Syntypes, 17 males, 10 females, 2 pupae, reared from a leaf gall on Garcinia dioica Blume at Depok , near Jakarta, viii-1922, Felt #a3388. The types are mounted on four slides (on slide labels, Depok is misspelled as “Depote”): one with 2 cleared (by RJG males without distal leg segments; a second with 3 uncleared females mounted laterally with most body parts retained except most distal leg segments; a third with 10 males and 2 females, uncleared, mounted laterally, most body parts recognizable except terminalia that are mostly shriveled and distal leg segments that are missing; and a fourth with 5 males, 5 females, 2 pupae, all uncleared, most body parts barely recognizable.

Description. Adult. Occipital protuberance absent; flagellomeres 12, first and second separated. Palpus 1-segmented, palpiger present [ Fig. 42g ]. Wing with R 5 joining C slightly beyond wing apex, C with break at juncture with R 5, Rs rudimentary [ Fig. 42e ]. Tarsal claws simple, strongly bent at midlength, empodia substantially shorter than claws [ Fig. 42h ].

Male. Wing 2.6 mm (2.6–2.7) long, 1.0 mm wide. Flagellomeres binodal, proximal node as long as wide, distal twice as long as wide, internode half the length of proximal node, neck as long as proximal node, circumfila not preserved on available specimens [ Fig. 42b ]. Terminalia: gonocoxite robust; gonostylus long, tapered, setulose basally, carinate beyond; cerci apparently partly conjoined; hypoproct broad, incised, the lobes rounded; aedeagus as long as gonocoxite, broad at base, tapered to acute tip [ Fig. 42c ].

Female. Wing 2.1 mm long, 0.7 mm (0.6–0.8) wide. Flagellomeres with simple, slightly bowed circumfila consisting of two horizontal and one vertical, interconnected bands. Terminalia: ovipositor short; cerci not clearly seen, apparently folded with massed short setae covering caudal surface; hypoproct, narrow in lateral view [ Fig. 42f ].

Pupa. Length 2.4 (2.3–2.4) mm. Antennal base with minute angular horns. No abdominal dorsal spines present.

Larva unknown.

Remarks. Felt (1927b) only provisionally placed this species in Gnesiodiplosis . That genus is based on the monotypic Gnesiodiplosis itaparicae Tavares , a Brazilian species that causes rosette bud galls on an unidentified species of Rubiaceae in Brazil. The terminalia of both species are quite distinct, the male of G. itaparicae having an evenly cylindrical aedeagus and long parallel-sided and blunt-ended hypoproct and the female elongate-ovoid cerci. In contrast, the aedeagus of “G.” garciniae is robust and tapered, and the hypoproct is short with two rounded apical lobes, and the female cerci are shorter and blunted apically. There is no apparent reason why these two species should be considered congeneric and we can offer no suggestion as to where the present species belongs. In due course, with fresh specimens, a new genus could be erected for “G.” garciniae.

Biology. This species causes a leaf gall on Garcinia dioica ( Clusiaceae ) described by DvLR & DvL (1926, gall No. 993, Fig. 708 [ Fig. 42a ]). The midrib is swollen into irregular, green or brown, oval or spheroid galls that show on both sides of the leaf blade. In cases of a strong infection the midrib may be zigzagged and the leaf blade more or less wrinkled and folded. Inside each gall is a tiny larval chamber surrounded by a succulent thick parenchymatic tissue Average size of a single gall is 5 mm across.

Geographical distribution. This species is known from Java where it was found at Depok , near Jakarta, alt. 100 m, v-1911, iv-1919, viii-1920 , additionally Felt (1927) gives viii-1922 , and at Ciastana near Cisalak, Mt Halimun , alt. 550 m, xii-1920 .

Figures

FIGURES 42a–h. “Gnesiodiplosis” garcinia: a, galls on Garcinia dioica (Fig. 708 of DvLR & DvL (1926)); b–c, male: b, 4th flagellomere (circumfila missing); c, terminalia (dorsal); d–h, female: d, 3rd flagellomere; e, wing; f, terminalia (dorsolateral); g, palpus and palpiger; h, tarsal claw and empodium.