Asphoxenomyia smilacis 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 : 21-23

Asphoxenomyia smilacis Felt

[ Figs 9 a–l]

Asphoxenomyia smilacis Felt, 1927a: 382 .

Material examined. Syntypes, 2 males, female, reared from leaf galls on Smilax modesta DC. , collected at Mt Gede, Cibodas , Java, alt. 1600 m, 14-i-1926, Felt #a3449, One slide bears a male, the other a male and a female, all mounted laterally and uncleared. One male has six and seven flagellomeres remaining with well-preserved circumfila, one fully extended wing, the other folded, an entire midleg, the remaining legs missing the distal tarsal segments, and the substantially compressed terminalia. The other male has two and three flagellomeres remaining, circumfila and wings well-preserved, two mid and one hindleg present, remaining legs missing the distal tarsal segments, terminalia heavily compressed, mostly filled with bubbles containing black matter. The female bears 10 flagellomeres on each antenna, one well-preserved wing, the other folded, an entire midleg present with claws inside a clear bubble, remaining legs missing their tarsi, and terminalia with only distal parts visible, remainder with bubbles containing black matter .

Description. Male. Length 3 mm ( Felt 1927a), wing length 3.3 mm (3.3–3.4), width 1.4 mm (1.3–1.5). Antenna: scape slightly longer than wide, pedicel 1.5x wider than long, fifth flagellomere 2.5x longer than wide [ Fig. 9c ]. Palpus as in Fig. 9b . Last tarsal segment 10x longer than wide at midlength [ Fig. 9g ]; tarsal claws pectinate, bent at acute angle at basal third; empodia as long as bend in claws; pulvilli one-third length of empodia [ Fig. 9h ]. Terminalia with wide aedeagus bearing small apical process with a few ventral asetose sensoria; hypoproct with deeply incised lobes each bearing long seta, cerci setose apically.

Female. Length 3 mm ( Felt 1927a). Wing length 3.9 mm, width 1.3 mm. Flagellomeres [ Figs 9j, k ]: first 3x longer than wide, second to tenth equal in length, 2.5x longer than wide, eleventh and twelfth missing. Ovipositor with subglobular cerci, setae dorsally.

Larva, pupa unknown.

Biology. This species induces a mass of small, round leaf galls on Smilax modesta (Smilacaceae) , described and illustrated by DvLR & DvL (1926, gall No. 103 Fig. 59 [ Fig. 9l ]). Affected leaves are entirely deformed except the apices that remain normal. Individual galls are small, approximately spherical and hard. They occur closely together in groups of 40–50, causing the leaf to thicken and bend. Galled leaves are only about 20 mm long while the normal leaves are about 100 mm in length.

Geographical distribution. This species is known from two localities on Java: Mt Putri, near Bandung , alt. 1400 m, ii-1916; Mt Gede , Cibodas, alt. 1600 m, 14-i-1926 (DvLR & DvL 1926; Felt 1927a)

Figures

FIGURES 9a–l. Asphoxenomyia smilacis: a–h, male: a, wing; b, palpus; c, basal part of antenna; d, 5th flagellomere; e, terminalia (lateral; arrows indicate aedeagus (ae), cercus (ce), gonocoxite (gc), gonostylus, (gs), hypoproct (hy)); f, first tarsomere; g, last tarsomere; h, tarsal claw of midleg with pulvillus and empodium; i–k, female: i, terminalia (lateral); j, basal part of antenna; k, 9th flagellomere; l, galls on Smilax modesta (Fig. 59 of DvLR & DvL (1926)).