Lonicerae Gagné, 2016

Gagné, Raymond J., 2016, Three new genera and three new species of Nearctic Lasiopteridi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) from Asteraceae and Caprifoliaceae, and the tribe Rhopalomyiini subsumed under Oligotrophini, Zootaxa 4158 (3), pp. 403-418 : 410-412

Lonicerae Gagné , new genus

Figs 5 , 19–31 .

Diagnosis. This genus generally resembles Rhopalomyia ; in fact, Rhopalomyia lonicera Felt , now placed here, was originally described in Rhopalomyia . Lonicerae and Rhopalomyia resemble one another in the following suite of characters: mouthparts are reduced, C is unbroken beyond its juncture with R4+5; abdominal tergites bear lateral setae (unless secondarily lost in diminutive specimens of Rhopalomyia ); and the gonostylus is completely covered with microtrichia. Substantially separating the two genera are these characters of Lonicerae : the long pulvilli, nearly as long as the claws, the short ovipositor with separate instead of fused cerci, the elongate aedeagus, the conical gonostylus, and the full complement of larval papillae.

Description. Adult: Head ( Figs 19–20 ): Eyes nearly connate, 3–4 facets long near vertex; facets circular, not quite contiguous and slightly farther apart near level of antennal bases and at vertex. Antenna: scape with group of 3– 6 setae on venter; pedicel with ring of setae laterally and dorsally; first and second flagellomeres connate. Male antenna with 18–19 (last two closely joined) flagellomeres, all but apicalmost with necks about half length of nodes; flagellomeres ( Fig. 21 ) with circumfila consisting of a complete basal ring and a partial distal ring connected by 2 vertical strands; short, straight setae encircling base below proximal circumfilum, many long, basally curved setae from hooded alveoli near midlength, chiefly on venter. Female antenna with 17 (last two closely joined) to 18 flagellomeres ( Fig. 22 ), all but apicalmost with definite necks about ¼ length of nodes, with 2 complete circumfilar rings, and fewer hooded alveoli than in male. Frons with a closely circumscribed medial group of several setae. Labrum short, triangular, with short setae ventrally. Labella hemispherical in frontal view, fused, each with 2–5 short, weak setae and covered with sparse microtrichia. Palpus of 2 segments that on one surface may appear as one or three, first about as long as wide, second variously shaped, usually tapering to point, each with sparse short setae and covered with microtrichia.

Thorax: Scutum with 4 longitudinal rows of setae with a few scales intermixed. Scutellum covered extensively with setae. Anepisternum with scales on dorsal half; anepimeron setose; pleura otherwise bare. Wing ( Fig. 5 ): C entire at junction with R4+5; R4+5 slightly curved apically, reaching C near wing apex; CuA forked. Acropods ( Figs 23– 24 ): claws strongly curved beyond midlength, with tiny basal tooth; empodia slightly longer than claws; pulvilli about ¾ length of claws.

Male abdomen (generally as for female, Fig. 31 ): Tergites and second through seventh sternites with anterior pair of trichoid sensilla, closely approximated on sternites; sternite eight without trichoid sensilla. First through sixth tergites rectangular, wider than long, all with mostly single posterior row of setae but discontinuous medially, several lateral setae at midlength, surface elsewhere mostly covered with scales and short setae; seventh tergite with 2–3 rows of posterior setae, otherwise as for preceding tergite; eighth tergite about half length of preceding, with only lateral setae and sparse scales. Second through seventh sternites quadrate, wider than long, each with mostly three rows of long posterior setae preceded by a weakly sclerotized area mostly without vestiture, and towards midlength, large and small setae mixed with scales not extending to anterior pair of trichoid sensilla; eighth sternite evenly sclerotized, setae and scales continuous along length of sclerite. Pleura covered with long, narrow scales. Terminalia ( Figs 26– 27 ): ninth tergum with small, central, sclerite, without setae; cerci ellipsoid, with numerous apicodorsal and apicoventral setae; hypoproct deeply incised, each resulting lobe with 5–6 apical setae; lateral part of gonocoxite cylindrical with numerous, closely-set setae laterally and ventrally, mediobasal lobe subdivided, the much shorter dorsal section with long microtrichia, ventral section narrow throughout, closely clasping aedeagus, covered with short microtrichia, with 4–5 apical setae set on raised bases; gonostylus conical, tapering from wide base to narrow apical tooth, with many closely-set setae, the surface entirely microtrichose, tooth apical, consisting of closely arrayed spines; aedeagus somewhat longer than gonocoxal lobes, broad, rounded apically.

Female abdomen ( Figs 25 , 31 ): Trichoid sensilla and vestiture of first through seventh segments as in male. Eighth tergite half width of seventh, trapezoid, without setae except for anterior pair of trichoid sensilla, covered with sparse scales, especially near midlength. Seventh sternite fully sclerotized; eighth sternite not evident. Ovipositor: protrusible but short, cylindrical, eversible part bare dorsally, ventrally with sparse scales on anterior half, densely covered with short setae on posterior half; protrusible part about 1.25 times as long as seventh tergite, bare dorsally, setose posteroventrally, with slender but solid lateral sclerite on each side; cerci discrete, ovoid, bilaterally flattened, with short setae, some near apex stout, peglike; hypoproct concave apically, each resulting lobe with 2 setae.

Pupa ( Fig. 28 ): Integument mostly hyaline. Antennal bases rounded, slightly produced and differentially sclerotized anteriorly. Vertex on each side with long seta situated on conspicuously raised base. Face smooth, without lobes, with pair of centrally placed, setose papillae; possible further vestiture on each side near palpal bases obscured on specimen. Prothoracic spiracle moderately long, tapered. Abdominal terga, pleura and sterna evenly covered with short microtrichia.

Larva, third instar ( Figs 29–30 ): Cylindrical. Head capsule short-conical, apodemes less than half capsule length; antennae about as long as wide. Spatula ( Fig. 29 ) reduced to two anterior triangular lobes originating from short, quadrate, weakly pigmented base. Position and number of papillae as in generalized Lasiopteridi (cf. Gagné 1989: 67), the setae short. Integument almost entirely covered with rounded verrucae except pointed anteroventrally on first two thoracic and first through eighth abdominal segments.

Type species, Lonicerae russoi Gagné.

Etymology. The name Lonicerae is formed from the plant host genus Lonicera (named after Adam Lonicer or Lonitzer, a German naturalist, 1528–1586 (Bailey 1901)), followed by the letter e (Latin "out of"). The gender is feminine.

Remarks. Lonicerae and Chiosperma are similar in that the palpal segments are reduced to two segments, the pulvilli are nearly as long as the claws, the female has a short ovipositor with strong lateral sclerites on the protrusible part, and discrete cerci. Both genera occur on Caprifoliaceae . Nevertheless, differences are many and important. In Lonicerae the head is about as high as broad and the eyes nearly connate at the vertex; tarsal claws have basal teeth; abdominal tergites are covered with scales and their lateral setae are placed near midlength on the sclerites; sternites are wider than long and weakly sclerotized just anteriad of the posterior fourth; and gonocoxites are cylindrical and gonostyli are strongly tapered. In Chiosperma the head is appreciably shorter than broad and the eyes widely separated at the vertex; tarsal claws are simple; tergites lack scales and their lateral setae are placed close to the anterior margins of the sclerites; sternites are longer than wide and evenly sclerotized throughout; and the gonocoxites are widely splayed and dorsoventrally remarkably thick, and the gonostyli are broad throughout.

Lonicerae includes the type species and one other previously described species, Lonicerae lonicera ( Felt 1925: 15) , new combination. The type male or males of L. lonicera are now lost. I presume that Felt based the description on pinned specimens because the description is so sketchy. The antennae had 20–22 "segments," which may mean 18–20 flagellomeres; the third or fifth flagellomere had a neck about ¾ the length of the node; and the palpi had one segment. The specimen was reared from a lobulate bud swelling ( Fig. 2 ) on Lonicera subspicata . The gall was characterized as 1–2 cm in diameter, with aborted leaf tissues partly extruding.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 6. Wings. 1, Helianthecis capitum. 2, Lonicerae russoi. 3, Chiosperma turgidum. Line = 1 mm.

FIGURES 19 – 27. Lonicerae russoi. 19, Head (frontal, flagella removed). 20, Labella and palpi (detail). 21, Male third flagellomere (ventral). 22, Female third flagellomere (ventral). 23, Claw and empodium (lateral). 24, Acropod (mesal). 25, End of ovipositor (dorsolateral). 26, Male terminalia (dorsal, one gonopod removed). 27, Mediobasal gonocoxal lobes and aedeagus (dorsal).

FIGURES 28 – 30. Lonicerae russoi. 28, Pupal anterior parts (ventral). 29, Larval spatula and associated papillae. 30, Larval eighth and terminal segments (dorsal).

FIGURES 31 – 32. Female abdomens, end of fourth segment to cerci (dorsolateral). 31, Lonicerae russoi. 32, Chiosperma turgidum. Letter a: position of lateral setae on fifth tergite, at midlength on L. russoi, farther anteriad on C. turgidum; b: presence of scales on L. russoi, their absence on C. turgidum; c: weakly sclerotized area of seventh sternite anteriad of the posterior setal rows; d: lateral sclerite of protrusible part of the ovipositor. Line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 1 – 3. Galls. 1, Lonicerae russoi on Lonicera hispidula (photo by R. Russo). 2, Lonicerae lonicera on Lonicera subspicata (photo by R. Russo). 3, Chiosperma turgidum on Symphoricarpos albus (photo by M. Althaus). Line = actual size of gall.