A new species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associated with Peumus boldus (Monimiaceae) in Chile

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2025.65.035

Keywords:

Gall-inducing species, Multivoltine, Neotropical, Sclerophyllous forest, Stem galls

Abstract

Chile is characterized by high levels of endemism among its flora and fauna, yet its diverse gall-inducing organisms remain poorly studied. We describe Dasineura peumi sp. nov., a new gall-inducing midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associated with Peumus boldus Molina (Monimiaceae), an economically significant medicinal plant native to Chile’s sclerophyllous forests. This species induces solitary or clustered fusiform galls on the stems, each housing a single larva. Morphological and phenological analyses were conducted on samples collected in the Bíobío Region of Chile in 2021 and 2022. Morphological studies revealed key diagnostic traits: antennae with 18 flagellomeres in both sexes, tarsal claws with a prominent basal tooth, as long as the empodia, and a band-like male tergite 8. The ovipositor measures 1.0-1.10 mm, approximately four times the length of the seventh tergite. Pupae are characterized by long vertical setae, very short antennal horns, a complete arrangement of facial papillae, digitiform prothoracic spiracles, and spines absent from the abdomen. Larvae possess a long spatula with two anterior teeth and an anchor-like base, a complete arrangement of lateral papillae, and eight short, uniform terminal papillae. This species has a multivoltine life cycle, with development independent of the host plant’s phenology.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Angelo, A.C. & Maia, V.C. 1999. Dasineura gigantea sp. n. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associada a Psidium cattleianum (Myrtaceae) no Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 16: 191-195. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81751999000100014

Cornejo, L.G.; Molas, B.M.C.; Kuzmanich, N. & Martinez, J.J. 2019. New species of Rhopalomyia and Dasineura (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associated with Prosopis caldenia Burkart (Fabaceae) in Argentina. Zootaxa, 4691(2): 161-170. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4691.2.5

Espírito-Santo, M.M. & Fernandes, G.W. 2007. How many species of gall-inducing insects are there on Earth, and where are they? Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2: 95-99.

Fagundes, M.; Cuevas-Reyes, P.; Ramos Leite, L.F.; Borges, M.A.Z.; De Araújo, W.S.; Fernandes, G.W. & Siqueira, W.K. 2020. Diversity of gall-inducing insects associated with a widely distributed tropical tree species: testing the environmental stress hypothesis. Environmental Entomology, 49(4): 838-847. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvaa072

Felt, E.P. 1912. New gall midges or Itonidae (Diptera). Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 20: 146-156.

Fuentes‐Castillo, T.; Scherson, R.A.; Marquet, P.A.; Fajardo, J.; Corcoran, D.; Román, M.J. & Pliscoff, P. 2019. Modelling the current and future biodiversity distribution in the Chilean Mediterranean hotspot: the role of protected areas network in a warmer future. Diversity and Distributions, 25(12): 1897-1909. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12988

Gagné, R.J. 1977. The Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) associated with Chromolaena odorata (L.) K. & R. (Compositae) in the Neotropical Region. Brenesia, 12/13: 113-131.

Gagné, R.J. 1994. The gall midges of the Neotropical region. Ithaca, Cornell University Press.

Gagné, R.J.; Barosh, T. & Kephart, S. 2014. A new species of Dasineura Rondani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in flower galls of Camassia (Asparagaceae: Agavoideae) in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Zootaxa, 3900(2): 271-278. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3900.2.7

Gonzalez, G.; Cotoras, D.D. & Grez, A.A. 2020. Annotated list of island lady beetles from Chile (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Zootaxa, 4852(5): 575-591. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4852.5.1

Guedes, L.M.; Aguilera, N.; Ferreira, B.G.; Becerra, J.; Hernández, V. & Isaias, R. 2018a. Anatomical and phenological implications of the relationship between Schinus polygama (Cav.) (Cabrera) and the galling insect Calophya rubra (Blanchard). Plant Biology, 20(3): 507-515. https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.12696

Guedes, L.M.; Aguilera, N.; Ferreira, B.G.; Becerra, J.; Sáez, K.; Pérez, C.; Hernández, V. & Isaias, R.M.S. 2018b. Factors influencing the morphogenesis of galls induced by Calophya mammifex (Calophyidae) on Schinus polygama (Anacardiaceae) leaves. Botany, 96(9): 589-599. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2018-0078

Guedes, L.; Gavilán, E.; Pérez, C.; Becerra, J. & Aguilera, N. 2023a. Impact of the galling Dasineura sp. on the structural and chemical profile of Peumus boldus stems. Trees, 37(2): 545-553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-022-02368-z

Guedes, L.M.; Aguilera, N.; Gavilán, E.; Péndola, J.A. & Villagrán, N.E. 2023b. Vascular implications of Dasineura sp. galls’ establishment on Peumus boldus stems. Plant Biology, 25(6): 965-972. https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13561

Kieffer, J.J. & Herbst, P. 1905. Über Gallen und Gallenerzeuger aus Chile. Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Insektenbiologie, 1: 63-66.

Kieffer, J.J. & Herbst, P. 1909. Über einige neue gallen und gallenerzeuger aus Chile. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten, 23: 119-126.

Kieffer, J.J. & Herbst, P. 1911. Ueber gallen und gallen tiere aus Chile. Centralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde und Infektionskrankheiten, 29: 696-704.

Maia, V.C. 2001. The gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from three restingas of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 18(2): 583-629. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81752001000200028

Maia, V.C.; Constantino, P.A.L. & Monteiro, R.F. 2005. New gall midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) associated with two species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 49(3): 347-352. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0085-56262005000300004

Miller, D.G. & Raman, A. 2019. Host-plant relations of gall-inducing insects. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 112: 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/say034

Oliveira, D.C.; Isaias, R.M.S.; Fernandes, G.W.; Ferreira, B.G.; Carneiro, R.G.S. & Fuzaro, L. 2016. Manipulation of host plant cells and tissues by gall-inducing insects and adaptive strategies used by different feeding guilds. Journal of Insect Physiology, 84: 103-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.11.012

Price, P.W.; Fernandes, G.W. & Waring, G.L. 1987. Adaptive nature of insect galls. Environmental Entomology, 16(1): 15-24. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/16.1.15

Quintero, C.; Garibaldi, L.A.; Grez, A.; Polidori, C. & Nieves-Aldrey, J.L. 2014. Galls of the temperate forest of Southern South America: Argentina and Chile. In: Fernandes, G.W. & Santos, J.C. (Eds.). Neotropical Insect Galls. Berlin, Springer. p. 429-463. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8783-3_21

Silva, G.T.; Moreira, G.R.P.; Vargas, H.A.; Gonçalves, G.L.; Mainardi, M.D.; Blas, G.S. & Davis, D. 2018. Overlooked gall-inducing moths revisited, with the description of Andescecidium parrai gen. et sp. n. and Oliera saizi sp. n. from Chile (Lepidoptera, Cecidosidae). ZooKeys, 795: 127-157. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.795.27070

Tavares, J.S. 1922. Cecidologia brazileira: as restantes famílias. Brotéria, Série Zoológica, 19(1): 5-48.

Vogel, H.; González, B. & Razmilic, I. 2011. Boldo (Peumus boldus) cultivated under different light conditions, soil humidity and plantation density. Industrial Crops and Products, 34(2): 1310-1312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.10.039

Young, F.W. 2021. Unsettling the boundaries of Latin America: Rapa Nui and the refusal of Chilean settler colonialism. Settler Colonial Studies, 11(3): 292-318. https://doi.org/10.1080/2201473X.2020.1823751

Downloads

Published

2025-09-30

Issue

Vol. 65 (2025)

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Responsibility: The scientific content and the opinions expressed in the manuscript are the sole responsibility of the author(s).

Copyrights: The Authors. The journal is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-type CC-BY.

How to Cite

Guedes, L. M., Maia, V. C., & Aguilera, N. (2025). A new species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associated with Peumus boldus (Monimiaceae) in Chile. Papéis Avulsos De Zoologia, 65, e202565035. https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2025.65.035