Occurrence of Contarinia maculipennis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) infesting flower buds of Dendrobium phalaenopsis (Orchidaceae) in greenhouses on Okinawa Island, Japan.

Abstract

A cecidomyiid species found in 1989 in orchid greenhouses on Okinawa Island, Japan, is identified as Contarinia maculipennis, a polyphagous Southeast Asian pest. This species is distinguished from other congeners by the uneven circumfilar loops of the male flagellomere, the relatively long female first flagellomere, and the spiracles of the larval eighth abdominal segment at the end of the posteriorly directed lobes. C. maculipennis was intercepted at Narita Airport, Japan, in 2000 and 2001 with orchid flowers imported from Southeast Asian countries. We emphasize caution about recognizing the possibility that this polyphagous gall midge could infest cash crops other than orchids on Okinawa Island.

Further detection of an invasive gall midge, Contarinia maculipennis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), on bitter gourd in Okinawa and on orchids in Fukuoka and Miyazaki, Japan, with urgent warning against careless importation of orchids

“…All female specimens obtained from M. charantia in Okinawa and Dendrobium spp. in Fukuoka and Miyazaki had this morphological feature (see Gagné, 1995 andTokuda et al, 2002, for the figure of flagellomeres). In addition, other morphological characteristics, such as the unequal circumfilar loops of male flagellomeres, wing length and pattern, male genitalia, larval sternal spatula and its associated papillae, and larval eighth abdominal segments, coincided with those of C. maculipennis that had been collected from Dendrobium spp.…”

“…Some of the ethanol-preserved specimens were mounted on slides in Canada balsam for microscopic study based on the techniques outlined both in Yukawa (1971) and in Gagné (1989). Relative length of the first and second flagellomeres, the circumfilar loops of male flagellomeres, wing length and pattern, male genitalia, larval sternal spatula and its associated papillae, and larval eighth abdominal segments were compared with those of C. maculipennis that had been identified in Tokuda et al (2002) and its congeners redescribed by Gagné (1995). Anatomical terminology of the adult stage follows usage in McAlpine (1981) and that of the larval stage follows that in Gagné (1989).…”

“…Although C. maculipennis was first recorded from Hawaii, Gagné (1995) suggested that it originally came from Southeast Asia because the same species was found in Florida on orchids imported from Thailand. This gall midge has been repeatedly intercepted from plants imported from Southeast Asia at sea-or airports in Japan, the Netherlands, and the USA (Tokuda et al, 2002;. Among cecidomyiid pests, C. maculipennis has been most frequently found under plant quarantine inspection at Japanese sea-and airports during the period from 2000 to 2005 (Iwaizumi et al, 2007).…”

“…Among cecidomyiid pests, C. maculipennis has been most frequently found under plant quarantine inspection at Japanese sea-and airports during the period from 2000 to 2005 (Iwaizumi et al, 2007). In Japan, C. maculipennis was discovered in 1989 infesting the flower buds of D. phalaenopsis in several greenhouses on Okinawa Island, and the gall midge infestation has been found in many orchid greenhouses in Okinawa Prefecture (Yasuda and Uehara, 1994;Tokuda et al, 2002). Infested flower buds of orchids usually remain closed and eventually drop to the ground.…”

“…Infested flower buds of orchids usually remain closed and eventually drop to the ground. Even when lightly infested flower buds manage to open, the petals are conspicuously damaged, so that the orchids have no commercial value (Tokuda et al, 2002). We have heard that some growers in Okinawa Prefecture have been stopping to cultivate orchids due to the infestation by the gall midge and other economical reasons.…”