Lopesia pleromatis Maia, 2022

Maia, Valéria Cid, 2022, A new species of gall midge (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) associated with Pleroma raddianum (DC.) Gardner (Myrtales: Melastomatacea), an endenic plant to Brazil, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 62, pp. 1-10 : 1-10

Lopesia pleromatis Maia , sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Adult: male flagellomeres gynecoid with necks setulose; palpus three-segmented; tarsal claws with two basal teeth, one longer than the other; gonocoxites with obtuse mesobasal lobe; male 8 th tergite with only one pair of trichoid sensilla as vestiture. Pupa: antennal horn with 2-4 apical teeth, face with lateral projection, prothoracic spiracle with 1-3 pointed apical projections, abdominal tergites each with single row of dorsal spines, each spine simple, with pointed apex and connected at its base to the adjacent spines. Larva: prothoracic spatula with two apical teeth, full complement of lateral papillae, 4 pairs of terminal papillae, all corniform, each on a terminal projection.

Description: Male: Body length: 2.95-3.30 mm (n = 3). Head ( Fig. 1 ): globose; eyes contiguous on vertex, eye facets circular; antenna: scape conical, pedicel globoid, flagellomeres gynecoid, cylindrical with necks setulose and circumfila with two connected rings ( Fig. 2 ); 1 st and 2 nd flagellomeres connate, 0.36 mm long (n = 2), 3 rd- 6 th flagellomeres 0.16 mm long, 11 th 0.13 mm long, 12 th flagellomeres 0.17 mm long (n = 2), with apical process ( Fig.3 ); all flagellomeres 0.04 mm wide, proportion node/ neck: about 3/1; 6 frontal setae (n = 2); palpus with three cylindrical segments, 1 st segment 0.05-0.06 mm long, 0.03 mm- 0.02 mm wide, 2 nd segment, 0.07 mm long, 3 rd segment, 0.10-0.12 mm long, 2 nd and 3 rd segments 0.02 mm wide, all setose (n = 2). Thorax: tarsal claws with two teeth, one shorter than the other, empodia surpassing claw midlength ( Fig. 4 ); wing 2.50-2.60 mm long (n = 2), R5 reaching C, M4 vestigial, CuA forked ( Fig. 5 ); anepimeron with setae; other pleura bare. Abdomen ( Fig. 6 ): 1 th- 7 th tergites rectangular with distal row of setae, few lateral setae, anterior pair of trichoid sensilla, mostly covered elsewhere with scales, 8 th tergite narrow with only anterior pair of trichoid sensilla as vestiture, 2 nd- 8 th stermites rectangular with distal row of setae, many setae near midlength, few lateral setae, anterior pair of trichoid sensilla, mostly covered elsewhere with scales. Terminalia ( Fig. 7 ): gonocoxite longer than wide, mesobasal lobe wide, obtuse, microtrichose, gonostylus claviform, with a basal group of sensillae, setulose basally, mostly striated elsewhere, cercus wide, rounded apically, hypoproct bilobed, lobes rounded apically, and aedeagus conical with several asetose papillae.

Female: Body length: 4.0- 4.5 mm (n = 4). Head ( Fig. 8 ): antennae: 1 st- 11 th flagellomeres cylindrical, 12 th flagellomere conical, necks setulose, circumfila with two connected rings ( Fig. 9 ), 1 st and 2 nd flagellomeres connate, 0.34-0.38 mm long (n = 4) ( Fig. 10 ), 3 rd- 6 th flagellomeres 0.16-0.18 mm long (n = 3), 7 th- 9 th flagellomeres 0.14-0.15 mm long (n = 2), 10 th and 11 th flagellomeres 0.14 mm long (n = 1), 12 th flagellomere 0.18 mm long, apical process setulose, 0.07 mm long ( Fig. 11 ), all flagellomeres 0.04 mm wide (n = 4); palpus: 1 st segment 0.07-0.09 mm long, 2 nd segment 0.07 mm long, 3 rd segment 0.11-0.14 mm long, all cylindrical, 0.03 mm wide and setose (n = 2). Thorax: wing 3.0- 3.5 mm long (n = 3). Abdomen ( Figs. 12-13 ): 1 st- 7 th tergites rectangular, with a row of posterior setae, few setae near midlength, lateral setae, anterior pair of trichoid sensilla, mostly covered elsewhere with scales, 8 th tergite not sclerotized with anterior pair of trichoid sensilla as vestiture; 2 nd- 7 th sternites rectangular with a row of posterior setae, several setae near midlength, few lateral setae, anterior pair of trichoid sensilla, mostly covered elsewhere with scales, 8 th sternite not sclerotized with anterior pair of trichoid sensilla as vestiture. Ovipositor barely protrusible; cerci ovoid, longer than wide, with setae more concentrated apicoventrally, hypoproct with apical setae (n = 2) ( Fig. 14 ).

Pupal exuviae: Body length: 3.4-4.8 mm (n = 5). Head ( Fig. 15 ): dorsal plate with two pairs of papillae, one of each pair with seta 0.09-0.10 mm long (n = 5), the other bare; antennal horn conical, with 2-4 apical teeth (variable among specimens) ( Fig. 16 ); facial integument smooth, face with lateral projection, pair of lower facial papillae, one with seta and one bare (very short) on each side of the clypeus and a triplet of papillae (two with setae and one bare) near base of each palpus, palpus sheath reaching lateral facial projection (n = 5). Thorax: prothoracic integument grainy, mainly around spiracle and centrally, prothoracic spiracle elongate and setiform, 0.33-0.43 mm long,3.5-4.33 times the length of apical setae (n = 5), with 1-3 pointed apical projections (variable among specimens), trachea reaching the apex ( Fig. 17 ). Abdomen: 2 th- 8 th tergites with a single row of dorsal spines simple and connected ( Fig. 18 ); number of spines per row varying 5 to 11 ( Table 1 ), terminal segment bilobed ( Fig. 19 ), lobes with spiny integument.

Third instar larva: Body length: 3.8- 3.1 mm (n = 2), 0.74 mm wide at spatula base, 0.30 mm wide at basal margin of the last segment, cephalic capsule 0.06 mm long and 0.07 mm wide at base, antenna 0.01 mm long, prothoracic spatula 0.21 mm long,two-toothed,full complement of lateral papillae ( Fig. 20 ), terminal segment with two apical lobes, each lobe with 4 terminal papillae, all corniform, each on a terminal projection ( Fig. 21 ).

Gall: Spheroid, green, with a dense covering of green trichomes, one-chambered, on leaves of Pleroma raddianum (Melastomataceae) (Fig. 83 of Maia et al. 2008). The gall chamber shelters a single gall-inducing larva.

Etymology: The specific epithet is the genitive of the host plant genus.

Material examined: Holotype, male, BRAZIL: São Paulo state, Bertioga municipality, Itaguaré , 23.V.2004, V. Maia col., MNRJ-Ent 1-67810 . Paratypes: same locality and collector, 30.VII.2004, 1 male, MNRJ-Ent 1-67811, 3 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67803, 2 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67806, 24.VII.2004, 1 female, MNRJ-Ent 1-67797, 24.VIII.2004, 1 female and 1 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67798, 16. V.2005, 1 male, MNRJ-Ent 1-67808, 1 female, MNRJ-Ent 1-67812, 1 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67804, 1 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67805, Bertioga: Fazenda Pinto, same collector, 22. V.2004, 1 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67809, 25. VI.2004, 2 larvae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67802, 26.VIII.2004, 1 female, MNRJ-Ent 1-67800, 27.IV.2005, female, MNRJ-Ent 1-67801, 1 female, MNRJ-Ent 1-67799, 1 pupal exuviae, MNRJ-Ent 1-67807.

Type-locality: Bertioga municipality, São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil

Comments: Lopesia pleromatis was placed in this genus by presenting R5 curved at its juncture with Rs, Rs situated near the midlength of R1, short female postabdomen and its cerci with many short, sensory setae, and larva with corniform terminal papillae, each on a terminal projection. The new species is morphologically more similar to L. caulinaris Maia, 2002 and L. elliptica Maia, 2002 . Only these species share gynecoid male antennae, flagellomere necks setulose in both sexes, tarsal claws with two basal teeth, spatula two-toothed and four pairs of corniform terminal papillae. However, the new species differs from both in the following way: its pupa has antennal horn with apical teeth (variable in number), the prothoracic spiracle has pointed apical projections (variable in number), each abdominal dorsal each spine is connected at its base to the adjacent spine, and only its larva has bilobed terminal segment,each with four papillae. In addition, adults differ in the number of segments of the palpus (three in the new species and four in the others), and gonocoxites have obtuse mesobasal lobe in Lopesia pleromatis (acute in L. caulinaris and L. elliptica ).

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Author declare that there is no conflicts of interest.

FUNDING INFORMATION: This project did not use any external financial support.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I thank Dr. Mara Angelina Magenta (Universidade Santa Cecília – UNISANTA) and Dr. Suzana Ehlin Martins (Instituto de Botânica – IB) for identifying the host plant.

Figures

Figures 1-4. Lopesia pleromatis, sp. nov. Maia, male: (1) Head (ventral view); (2) 5th flagellomere; (3) Last flagellomere; (4) Hindleg, tarsal claw and empodium (lateral view).

Figures 5-7. Lopesia pleromatis, sp.nov.Maia,male: (5) Wing;(6) 6th-8th abdominal segments (lateral view);(7)Terminalia,dorsal view.

Figures 8-11. Lopesia pleromatis, sp.nov.Maia,female:(8) Head (ventral view);(9) 5th flagellomere;(10) 1st and 2nd flagellomeres;(11) Last flagellomere.

Figures 12-14.Lopesia pleromatis, sp.nov.Maia,female:(12)6th-8th abdominal segments (dorsalview);(13) 6th-8th abdominal segments (ventral view);(14) Cerci (ventral view).

Figures 15-18. Lopesiapleromatis, sp. nov. Maia,pupa:(15) Head (frontal view);(16-18) Antennal horns.

Figures 19-24. Lopesia pleromatis, sp. nov. Maia, pupa: (19) Prothoracic spiracle; (20-22) Apex of prothoracic spiracle; (23) 2nd-4th abdominal segments (dorsal view); (24) terminal segment (dorsal).