Stefaniella, Felt, 1898

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 : 73-74

“Stefaniella” orientalis Felt

[ Figs 43 a–e]

Stefaniella orientalis Felt, 1921b: 142 ; Gagné 1973: 491, unplaced to genus.

Material examined. Holotype male, reared from a petiole gall on Lepidagathis javanica Blume at Mt Ungaran , Java, altitude 1200 m. 18-iv-1912, Felt #a3098. The type is mounted uncleared with all body parts present but folded or shriveled.

Description. Male. Wing 1.5 mm long, 0.6 mm wide; R 5 2/3 wing length, C interrupted at juncture with R 5. Flagellomeres 16 on both antennae, first and second fused, trapezoid, necks minute [ Fig. 43e ]. palpus 2-segmented, first segment 1.5x longer than wide, third 3x longer than wide [ Fig. 43d ]. Tarsal claws thin, bent at midlength with long, thin tooth, empodia slightly shorter than claws [ Fig. 43c ]. Terminalia: gonostylus bulbous basally, tapered distally, setulose at basal third and narrow, carinate beyond; cerci triangular; hypoproct bilobed, setulose with few setae apically; mesobasal lobes closely sheathing aedeagus, covered with dense setulae, three setose papillae on each lobe apically; aedeagus triangular in lateral view, without sensoria [ Fig. 43b ].

Female, pupa, larva unknown.

Remarks. Felt (1921b) tentatively placed the male in Stefaniella , a genus of Palearctic Lasiopterini of 10 species that feed on Chenopodiaceae ( Gagné & Jaschhof 2017) . The male does belong to Lasiopterini but one needs females to assign species to genera.

Biology. This species causes a petiole gall on Lepidagathis javanica (Acanthaceae) described by DvLR & DvL (1926, gall No. 1377, Fig. 976 [ Fig. 43a ]). It is an aggregate, uneven swelling about 10 mm long and 6 mm across. Inside each gall is a small, longitudinal. Hard-walled larval chamber.

Geographical distribution. This species is currently known only from Mt Ungaran , Java where it was found at alt. 1000 m, ix-1910 and 1200 m, 18-iv-1912 (DvLR & DvL 1926; Felt 1921b) .

Addendum

Figures

FIGURES 43a–e. “Stefaniella” orientalis: a, gall on Lepidagathis javanica (Fig. 976 of DvLR & DvL (1926)); b, male terminalia (distorted; aedeagus (ae), cercus (ce), gonocoxite (gc), gonostylus (gs), hypoproct (hy), mesobasal lobe (ml); c, tarsal claw and empodium; d, palpus; e, male antenna.