A New Gall Midge Species (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) as a Potential Candidate for Biological Control of the Invasive Plant Cortaderia Selloana (Poaceae)

Fagúndez, Jaime; Gagné, Raymond; Vila, Marta

Title

Author(s)

Fagúndez, Jaime

Gagné, Raymond

Vila, Marta

Date

2020-09-15

Citation

Fagúndez, J., Gagné, R.J. & Vila, M. A new gall midge species (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) as a potential candidate for biological control of the invasive plant Cortaderia selloana (Poaceae). Phytoparasitica 49, 229–241 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-020-00844-1

Abstract

[Abstract] A gall midge (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) is reported here for the first time from spikelets of Cortaderia selloana, a prominent alien invasive grass species in southern Europe. The insect is described as a new genus and species, Spanolepis selloanae Gagné. Based on morphological and molecular analyses, the new genus and species are tentatively placed within the supertribe Lasiopteridi and tribe Dasineurini. Its effects on seed production were studied in order to ascertain its effectiveness in limiting sexual reproduction of the invasive plant species. The larvae of S. selloanae feed on the ovaries with a mean seed depletion of 74% in the studied population in northwest Spain. The new species is a potential candidate agent for the effective biological control against C. selloana.

Keywords

Lasiopteridi
Dasineurini
Biological control
Invasive alien species
DNA barcoding

Description

This is an accepted version of the published document. This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections.