Schizomyia laporteae 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 : 62-63

Schizomyia laporteae Felt

[ Figs 36 a–l]

Schizomyia laporteae Felt, 1921b: 143 .

Material examined. Syntypes, female, male and pupa, the male enclosed within the pupa, reared from a large swelling of the petiole or leaf base on Laportea stimulans Miq. (DvLR & DvL 1910b, gall No. 180, Fig. 74 [ Fig. 36a ]) at Mt. Ungaran , Java, 10-iv-1914, Felt type #a3088. The series is on a single slide. The female is nearly complete but palpi are lacking and the ovipositor is hidden because retracted into the end of the abdomen. The only observable male characters are part of the head including the palpi and the distal part of one gonopod .

Description. Adult. Wing with R 5 bowed at distal third, joining C at wing apex, R 1 shorter than half wing length, R S rudimentary, M 4 and Cu 1 forming fork. Palpus 3-segmented [ Fig. 36h ]. First tarsomere with small ventroapical lobe [ Fig. 36g ]. Tarsal claws simple, robust, bent at distal third, longer than empodia [ Fig. 36i ].

Male [specimen inside pupa]. Gonocoxite with triangular ventroapical lobe, bearing long setae at apex; gonostylus twice as long as broad in dorsal view, slightly curved, tapered distally, uniformly setulose, with solid, triangular tooth covering half width of gonostylus [ Fig. 36c ].

Female. Wing length 2.5 mm, width 1.0 mm. Flagellomeres cylindrical with short necks, progressively shorter, the last abruptly so, first and second not fused; circumfila weakly bowed [ Figs 36 , l]. Postabdomen long, dorsobasal lobes not visible in type; tip of needle-like apex of ovipositor completely incorporating indistinguishable cerci, with 4–5 pairs of setae of mixed length [ Fig. 36j ].

Pupa [ Figs 36 d–f]. Length 2.5 mm.Antennal horns large, serrate along anterior edge, with basal appendix. Face with triangular horn. Prothoracic spiracle elongate, trachea ending at apex. Abdominal segments evenly covered with short spicules except anterodorsally with large spines.

Larva unknown.

Remarks. Schizomyia laporteae differs from S. nodosa in the palpus being 3-segmented, the ovipositor with 4–5 pairs of setae and undefinable cerci, and the halberd-shaped pupal antennal horns. In S. nodosa the palpus is 4-segmented, female cerci are discrete, pupal antennal horns are not pronounced and a frontal horn is absent. Schizomyia villebrunneae differs from both those species by the pronounced pupal antennal horns that are bifid apically and the male gonostylus with a spiny tooth. The female of S. villebrunneae is unknown.

Biology. This species causes a swelling on petioles and the underside of leaf bases of Laportea stimulans (Urticaceae) ( Felt 1921b; DvLR & DvL 1910b, gall No. 180, Fig. 74 [ Fig. 36a ]; DvLR & DvL 1926, gall No. 314, Fig. 221 [ Fig. 36b ]). The gall is irregularly spheroid, 30–50 mm long and 5–12 mm thick on the petioles but only 8–10 mm long and 5–7 mm thick when on the midrib. The surface is light green and often granulate.

Geographical distribution. This species was found in Java (DvLR & DvL 1910b; Felt 1921b; DvLR & DvL 1926) at the following localities. Mt Ungaran , alt. 600 m, xii-1909 ; alt. 1400 m, 10-iv-1914; alt. 1000 m, xi-1919; Malabar, near Bandung , alt. 1600 m, ix-1911 ; Pateunteung, near Garut , alt. 1500 m, xi-1918 ; Mt Gede, Cibeureum , alt. 1700 m, ii-1916 ; Mt Gede, Cibodas , alt. 1500 m, vii-1920 ; Mt Burangrang , alt. 1000 m., vii-1920 ; Mt Beser, near Cibeber , alt. 1000 m., vi-1923 .

Figures

FIGURES 36a–l. Schizomyia laporteae: a, gall on Laportea stimulans (Fig. 74 of DvLR & DvL 1910b); b, same (Fig. 221 of DvLR & DvL (1926)); c, apex of gonopod (ventral); d–f: pupa: d, head; e, thoracic spiracle; f, abdominal tergum 6 (lateral); g, female first tarsomere; h, male palpus; i–l, female: i, tarsal claw and empodium; j, ovipositor apex; k, 3rd flagellomere; l, antenna.