Gephyraulus tetrastigma (Felt)

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 : 31-32

Gephyraulus tetrastigma (Felt) . New combination

[ Figs 15 a–h]

Dasyneura tetrastigma Felt, 1927b: 385 .

Material examined. Syntypes, 18 females, labelled as reared from stem gall [but as “leaf gall” in DvLR & DvL (1926)] on Tetrastigma pergamaceum (Blume) Planch. collected at Mt Gede , Cibodas, near Bogor, Java, Indonesia, altitude 1500 m, 30-xii-1924, Felt #a3392. Nine whole, uncleared females are mounted on each of two Felt slides. The specimens are relatively well-preserved, except most of the abdomens are uncleared and shrunken, only one having the ovipositor outside of the abdomen and observable .

Description. Female. Wing length 1.9 mm (1.7–2.0), width 0.7 mm (0.6–0.8). Body covered with large scales. Palpus 4-segmented, segments equally wide, first as wide as long, second to fourth 2.5x longer than wide [ Fig. 15h ]. Antenna: flagellomeres 16 in most specimens, some with 16 th flagellomere extra-long, some with 17; first and second fused; 6 th with node 1.5x longer than wide, neck 1/10 node length [ Fig. 15e ]. Occipital protuberance absent. Wing with R 5 joining C anteriad of wing apex [ Fig. 15c ]. Tarsal claws toothed, empodia as long as claws [ Fig. 15d ]. Abdominal sclerites not recognizable on available specimens. Ovipositor [ Fig. 15b ] extrusible, 3–4x longer than 8 th tergite when fully extended, setulose, sparsely covered with short setae; cerci [ Figs 15f, g ] fused, bilaterally compressed, tapering to rounded apex in lateral view, to pointed apex in ventral view [ Fig. 15f ], glabrous, without microtrichia, with short setae apically, one pair of setae on dorsum thickened and more prominent; hypoproct narrow in lateral view, with two short apical setae [ Fig. 15g ].

Male, pupa, larva unknown.

Remarks. The species is transferred to Gephyraulus Rübsaamen based on the female cerci that are bilaterally flattened and glabrous and bear among the sparse short apical setae one noticeably thicker pair. Gephyraulus is a genus of 14 species of the Palearctic and Oriental Regions, mainly on Brassicaceae ( Gagné & Jaschhof 2017; Elsayed et al. 2017; Jiao et al. accepted for publication). This is the first record of the genus from Vitaceae .

Biology. This species causes a leaf gall on Tetrastigma pergamaceum ( Vitaceae ) described by DvLR & DvL (1926, Fig. 633 [ Fig. 15a ]). The whole leaf is changed into a cylindrical, often curved gall, 20–40 mm long and 4–8 mm across, gradually narrowing towards both ends and tapering into a long point. The surface is pink and glabrous. Inside is a single, spacious larval chamber covered with a great many cylindrical papillae.

Geographical distribution. This species is known only from the type locality at Mt Gede , Cibodas, near Bogor, Java, Indonesia, altitude 1500 m, 30-xii-1924 and v-1925 ( Felt 1927b; DvLR & DvL 1926) .

Figures

FIGURES 15a–h. Gephyraulus tetrastigma: a, galls on Tetrastigma pergamaceum (Fig. 633 of DvLR & DvL (1926)); b, contour of female abdomen (partially shriveled, lateral); c, wing; d, last tarsomere with claw and empodium; e, female 8th flagellomere; f, end of ovipositor (ventral); g, end of ovipositor (lateral); h, palpus.