Biology and systematics of gall-inducing triozids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) associated with Psidium spp. (Myrtaceae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3620 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
RENÊ G.S. CARNEIRO ◽  
DANIEL BURCKHARDT ◽  
ROSY M.S. ISAIAS

Psidium myrtoides (Myrtaceae) shelters the gall inducer Nothotrioza myrtoidis gen. et sp. n. (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) which is described and illustrated here. Nothotrioza belongs to the family Triozidae and is probably most closely related to Neolithus, a monotypic Neotropical genus associated with Sapium (Euphorbiaceae). Three species are recognized with-in Nothotrioza: the type species N. myrtoidis sp. n. associated with Psidium myrtoides, N. cattleiani sp. n. (misidentified by Butignol & Pedrosa-Macedo as Neotrioza tavaresi) with Psidium cattleianum, and N. tavaresi (Crawford) comb. n. (from Neotrioza) with an unidentified species of Malpighiaceae, respectively. A lectotype is designated here for Neotrioza tavaresi. Also, the diversity of insect galls associated with P. myrtoides and the biology of N. myrtoidis were examined. N. myrtoidis presents five instars and an annual life cycle synchronised with the phenology of P. myrtoides. Gall size was proportional to the insect developmental stages, and rates of parasitism and mortality were 15.7 % and 29.8 %, respective-ly. The red colour is an important macroscopic diagnostic feature of the gall that could be associated with parasite-free condition of the galling insect. The biological features presented by the system Psidium myrtoides – Nothotrioza myrtoidis are in accordance with other systems involving sucking galling insects, however, it is exceptional by its univoltine life cycle associated with a perennial plant in the Neotropics. The galls induced by the three known Nothotrioza spp. are mor-phologically similar, i.e. closed, globoid and unilocular, as well as the opening mechanism for releasing the adults.

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1507 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS HODGSON ◽  
HEATHER GAMPER ◽  
AMAURI BOGO ◽  
GILLIAN WATSON

Stigmacoccus is an unusual scale insect genus from Central and South America that has been little studied. It belongs to the family Stigmacoccidae within the archaeococcoid group of genera which used to comprise the family Margarodidae (Morrison, 1927) but which are now considered to represent at least 9 families. The present paper describes or redescribes the adult females, adult males, cyst stages and crawlers of the three known species (S. asper, S. garmilleri, and S. paranaensis), plus the prepupa of S. garmilleri and S. paranaensis, and (briefly), the pupa of S. paranaensis. It is considered that the female has two cyst stage instars; the number in the male is uncertain. Adult female S. asper and S. paranaensis appear to have groups of loculate pores on the walls of the vagina. A lectotype for S. asper is designated. In addition, cyst stages of three further undescribed species are described (but not formally named) and illustrated. Some observations on the biology and life cycle are also included. The honeydew of Stigmacoccus species has been shown to be an important energy source for overwintering passerine birds which defend this resource. A summary of our present knowledge is presented, including how the honedew is eliminated (through a long anal tube) and details are given with regard to rates of honeydew flow, sugar concentration, cyst densities and annual timing of peak flows. The annual life cycle, as far as it is known, is discussed. It is concluded that this honeydew could be economically important as a source of sugar for honey production but this would need to be carefully managed to maintain an ecological balance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (05) ◽  
pp. 580-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.L. May-Tec ◽  
A. Martínez-Aquino ◽  
M.L. Aguirre-Macedo ◽  
V.M. Vidal-Martínez

AbstractWe describe the larval developmental stages and life cycle of the dracunculid nematodeMexiconema cichlasomaein both the intermediate,Argulus yucatanus(Crustacea: Branchiura), and definitive hosts,Cichlasoma urophthalmus(Perciformes: Cichlidae), from the Celestun tropical coastal lagoon, Yucatan, Mexico. The morphological analyses showed significant differences between the total length of L1 found inM. cichlasomaegravid female and L2–L3 inA. yucatanus.This result indicates that theM. cichlasomaelarval development occurs in the intermediate host. We obtained sequences from the small subunit (SSU) ribosomal marker from larval stages ofM. cichlasomaeinA. yucatanusand adult nematodes inC. urophthalmus. Our morphological and molecular results support conspecificity betweenM. cichlasomaelarvae inA. yucatanusand the adult stages inC. urophthalmus. We briefly discuss the phylogenetic position ofM. cichlasomaeamong the Daniconematidae, and provide evidence of the monophyly of the daniconematids associated with branchiurid intermediate hosts. Based on the phylogenetic results, we support the transfer of theMexiconemagenus to the family Skrjabillanidae and do not support the lowering of family Daniconematidae to subfamily.


2018 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elienai Cândida e Silva ◽  
Benedito Baptista dos Santos ◽  
Walter Santos de Araújo

In this study we perform an inventory of the insect galls in savanna and forest sites of Hidrolândia, Goiás, Brazil. We found 150 insect gall morphotypes, distributed on 39 botanical families and 104 plant species. Among the insect galls, 81 gall morphotypes were recorded in the savanna site and 73 in the forest site. The plant taxa richest in insect galls were the family Fabaceae with 22 gall morphotypes, the genus Bauhinia (Fabaceae) with 15, and the species Siparuna guianensis (Siparunaceae) with seven gall morphotypes. We found gall-inducing insects belonging to orders Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Thysanoptera. The galling insects of family Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) were the most common inducing 48.1% of the gall morphotypes. This is the first systematic survey of insect galls realized in the city of Hidrolândia, being this the site with the higher insect gall diversity already cataloged to the Central region of Brazil.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-204
Author(s):  
Anelia Stojanova ◽  
Marian Draganov

AbstractThe life cycle and developmental stages of Aylax hypecoi (Trotter, 1913, Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Aylacini) were studied in detail. Aylax hypecoi is known to induce galls in fruits of two Hypecoum species — H. imberbe and H. geslini (Papaveraceae) and the larva develops in host plant fruits. The morphology and development of egg, larva and pupa were investigated, which has previously not been done. The shape and size of terminal-instar larvae and associated galls are sex-specific. Overwintering stage, adult emergence and flying periods, and egg productivity were studied also.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Scudellari ◽  
Bethany A. Pecora-Sanefski ◽  
Andrew Muschel ◽  
Jane R. Piesman ◽  
Thomas P. Demaria

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document