A review of the gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) of Indonesia: taxonomy, biology and adult key to genera
Author
Kolesik, Peter
0000-0001-5569-6330
pkolesik@outlook.com.au
Author
Gagné, Raymond J.
0000-0001-5569-6330
pkolesik@outlook.com.au
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-09-07
4847
1
1
82
journal article
8617
10.11646/zootaxa.4847.1.1
8498d050-113a-4658-9b4c-db8087b12c81
1175-5326
4406856
1F8E3DED-6EA9-4D8A-8DA9-CD8C0CC9147F
Actilasioptera falcaria
(Felt)
[
Figs 2
a–j]
Stefaniella falcaria
Felt, 1921b: 141
(
in part
); Gagné (in
Gagné & Law 1999
): 26, new combination.
Actilasioptera tumidifolium
Gagné (in
Gagné & Law 1999
)
: 25.
New junior synonym
.
Material examined of types of names under this taxon.
Actilasioptera falcaria
(Felt)
:
lectotype
, female, designated by
Gagné
& Law (1999)
, and three female and one male
paralectotypes
, from “
Avicennia officinalis
L” [corrected to
Avicennia marina
(Forssk.) Vierh. var.
intermedia
(Griff.) Bakh.
], Semarang,
Java
,
Indonesia
,
27-iv-1914
, W. Docters van Leeuwen, Felt #a3089. The
lectotype
female, cleared and remounted by RJG in 1970, has the thorax and abdomen mounted laterally, the head frontally, and all body parts well-preserved except for missing wings. One female
paralectotype
, cleared and remounted by RJG in 1970, has the head mounted frontally, thorax and abdomen with ovipositor mounted laterally and all body parts-well preserved except for missing antennae and wings. The two remaining female
paralectotypes
are mounted laterally, whole and uncleared, both with the ovipositor retracted inside the abdomen and not visible, one missing both wings, the other with one damaged wing. The male
lectotype
is mounted laterally, whole and uncleared, with all antennal segments present but shrunken and both wings folded.
Actilasioptera tumidifolium
Gagné (in
Gagné & Law 1999
)
:
holotype
, male, from leaf gall on
Avicennia marina
, Sandgate
,
Queensland
,
Australia
,
23-VIII-1996
, L. Law, deposited in Australian National Collection, Canberra (
ANIC
).
Description.
The male, female, pupa and larva were described and illustrated in
Gagné
& Law (1999)
as
A. tumidifolium
. Illustrated here in
Fig. 2
e–j are male and female structures of Felt’s series of
A. falcaria
to validate our synonymy of the two names. See elsewhere in
Gagné
& Law (1999)
for descriptions and key to all six known species of
Actilasioptera
and their galls.
Remarks.
In the light of the correction by DvL (1921) of the host’s name from
Avicennia officinalis
to
Av. marina
and the lack of apparent differences between adults of the two species, we consider
A. falcaria
and
A. tumidifolium
to be synonymous.
Felt (1921b)
did not describe the immature stages, and differences could possibly still be found to separate these two species, but there is no reason to consider them as distinct at this time. Part of
Felt’s (1921b)
original type series is a single
paralectotype
female that does not correspond to
A. falcaria
that causes the large leaf gall and is treated below as
Actilasioptera
sp.
Biology.
This species causes large irregular leaf galls on
Avicennia marina
(Acanthaceae)
. According to DvLR & DvL (1910a) the gall (No. 96, Figs 51a, b [
Fig. 2a
]) is a
1 cm
large, irregular swelling situated on or very close to the leaf midrib, equally developed on both sides of the leaf, the upper side yellowish green and shiny, the underside grey and matte. The affected leaf blade is undeveloped, with ruffled edges. The gall contains several chambers, each with a single white larva. The host plant name was originally given as “
Avicennia officinalis
L.” (DvLR & DvL 1910a;
Felt 1921b
), but DvL (1921) corrected it to
Avicennia marina
(Forssk.) Vierh. var.
intermedia
(Griff.) Bakh.
, reiterated the basic gall morphology, and provided a detailed illustration of the gall in his
Fig. 2
[
Fig. 2b
]. Additional illustrations and description of the gall were given by DvLR & DvL (1926, gall No. 1283 Fig. 921 [
Fig. 2c
]), with the host plant name in agreement with the 1921 correction,
A. marina
var
intermedia
.
Geographical distribution
. This species is known from
Indonesia
(DvLR & DvL 1926;
Felt 1921b
) and
Australia
(
Gagné
& Law 1999
) from the following localities: Semarang, Java,
ix.1909
,
29-iv-1914
; Jrakah, near Semarang, Java,
iii.1912
,
iii.1913
; Untung Jawa island, near Jakarta, Java,
iv.1919
; Sebesi island,
iv.1921
; Sandgate,
Queensland
,
23-viii-1996
; Donnybrook,
Queensland
,
16-iv-1994
; Toorbul,
Queensland
,
20-iii-1994
; Brighton,
Queensland
,
4-ix-1995
; and Saunders Beach, Townsville,
Queensland
,
8-vii-1995
.
Avicennia marina
occurs also along the coast and on islands of east Africa, south-west, south and south-east Asia,
Australia
, New
Guinea
, Solomon Islands,
New Caledonia
and north of
New Zealand
(
Duke 1991
), so
Actilasioptera falcaria
may have a wider distribution than currently known.