Massalongia altaica Fedotova, 1990

Elsayed, Ayman Khamis, Skuhrava, Marcela, Ohta, Kazuki, Yoshida, Satoshi & Tokuda, Makoto, 2020, Revision of the birch-associated genus Massalongia (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), with description of a new species from Japan and a taxonomic key to worldwide species, ZooKeys 958, pp. 1-27 : 1

Massalongia altaica Fedotova, 1990

Description.

(Based on Fedotova 1991). Head. Female flagellomere XII variable in shape, rounded to oblong with apical constriction; male flagellomere XII slightly tapered distally.

Thorax. Wing length 2.7 times width.

Female abdomen. Ovipositor: cerci rounded, microtrichose, without setae.

Male abdomen. Terminalia: gonostylus with pointed denticles; cerci triangular; hypoproct bilobed, longer than cerci; aedeagus widened apically and basally, shorter than hypoproct.

Pupa. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Distribution.

Kazakhstan: Central Altaï, Koksuïskiï Mountain Range, Lymin Belok Mt., 60 km NE of Leninogorsk ( Fedotova 1991).

Gall and life history.

Massalongia altaica form barely visible swellings, 5-7 mm long, on the leaves of Betula nana var. rotundifolia (Spach) Regel. ( B. rotundifolia in the original description). The mature larva leaves the gall through an opening on the lower side of the leaf and overwinters in the ground ( Fedotova 1991).

Remarks.

Massalongia altaica was described from adult specimens reared from larvae that emerged from leaf galls on B. rotundifolia , which is currently known as a variety of B. nana , the same host plant of M. bachmaieri ( The Plant List 2013). The illustration of M. altaica galls provided in its original description ( Fedotova 1991) is quite similar to the galls of M. bachmaieri (Fig. 43 ). Morphologically, the adults of M. altaica are closest to M. bachmaieri and differ from them only in the shape of the aedeagus and male hypoproct and the relative length of cerci to male hypoproct, but these differences are based on the original description of M. altaica ( Fedotova 1991). Because the type specimens of M. altaica were not available to us, we could not verify the differences between M. altaica and M. bachmaieri . A future examination of M. altaica types and its immature stages may result in synonymizing it under M. bachmaieri .

Figures

Figures 43 - 47. Massalongia betulifolia. 43 head 44 ventral view of mouthparts (hypopharynx is folded). 45 dorsal view of male flagellomere VIII 46 wing 47 tarsomere V and acromere. Scale bars: 50 µm.