Description of the female, pupa and gall of Pisphondylia brasiliensis Couri and Maia, 1992 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Schizomyiina) with new records

Abstract

present; larval spatula absent and anal segment elongated. The female is currently unknown.In this paper, the female, and pupa of P. brasiliensis are described, and gall morphology is revised and illustrated. The former is compared with females of other Schizomyiina genera in order to complete the genus definition. The pupa is compared with that of P. salvadorensis. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of P. brasiliensis is widened to include records in Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Material and MethodsGalls of P. brasiliensis were collected in November, 2007 in a rupestrian field of ferruginous "canga" at Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and in February of 2008 in a semi deciduous seasonal forest in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil. To obtain adults and pupal exuviae, part of the samples was brought back to the laboratory and kept in IntroductionGuapira opposita Vell (Reitz) (Nyctaginaceae) is an arboreous-arbustive species of wide distribution, occurring all over Brazil, in diverse habitats from rain forests to rupestrian fields. The species exhibits large phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental variation (Furlan, 1996). This species is a superhost for galling insects within which Pisphondylia brasiliensis Couri and Maia, 1992 can be found (Maia, 2005).Pisphondylia Möhn, 1960 is known from two Neotropical species that induce galls on Nyctaginaceae: P. salvadorensis Möhn, 1960 described from El Salvador (larva, pupa, male, and gall) (Möhn, 1960) and P. brasiliensis described from Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil (male and gall). The genus can be recognised by the following characteristics: male antennal circumfila longitudinally sinuous; three-segmented palpus; simple tarsal claws; rudimentary empodia; teeth of gonostyli denticulate; parameres absent; aedeagus bulbous; pupal antennal horns absent and dorsal abdominal spines AbstractThe gall of Pisphondylia brasiliensis on Guapira opposita, its female and pupa are described and illustrated. The geographic distribution of this species is now widened to Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). For the first time, a female of the genus is described.

Plant galls recorded from Guanacaste Conservation Area-Costa Rica as an integrated concept of a biological database

“…A growing number of studies on the diversity and abundance of plant gall morphotypes, and their respective inducing insects, allowed us to build upon the existing information. With a certain regularity reports are made of records and descriptions of new species of gall-inducing insects (Ronquist & Liljeblad 2001, Dalbem & Mendonça 2006, Güçlü et al 2008, Coelho et al 2009, Maia & Oliveira 2010, Maia et al 2010a, Maia et al 2010b, Medianero et al 2010, Sano et al 2011, Santos et al 2011a, Maia 2014, De Araújo 2017, Bergamini et al 2017, Coelho et al, 2017, Martins et al 2018, Ley-López et al 2019.…”