Three New Species of Lopesia Rübsaamen (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Brazil

Abstract Three new gall-maker species of Lopesia Rübsaamen, 1908 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) found in the Brazilian Cerrado ecoregion (Brazilian savanna) in Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso State, and Atlantic Forest in Ubatuba, São Paulo State, are described in this paper. Larvae, pupae, males, females, and the galls of the new species and are described and illustrated.


Samples of M. guianensis and
Branches with galls were transferred to individual plastic bags for rearing the adults. Some of the galls were dissected under a stereomicroscope to obtain immature stages. All material obtained was stored in 70% alcohol and mounted according to the methodology described in Gagné (1994). Morphological terminology follows Gagné and Jaschhof (2009). Illustrations and photographs were made using a compound optical microscope. The types are deposited in the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Voucher specimens of the host plant species are deposited in the Herbarium of the Universidade Federal de São Carlos, campus Sorocaba.
Larva 3rd instar. Yellowish. Body: 0.7 mm long (n = 1). Anterior region not visible in the slide mounting. Terminal segment with 3 pairs of papillae of equal size, ventral anus in cleft (Fig. 11).
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the generic name of the host plant.
Gall and biology. Cylindrical, green, unilocular, orange trichoma densely distributed on top of the gall on M. guianensis. Orange trichoma closes the top of gall forming an inner capsule that protects the immature (Fig. 12). Pupation occurs in the gall.
Types Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species, the Chapada dos Guimarães municipality.  Gall and biology. Globoid shape, smooth, light green, unilocular leaf gall on A. vermifuga (Fig. 20). Pupation occurs in the gall.
Larva 3rd instar. Cream. Body length, 1.7 mm (n = 2). Spatula 2-toothed with long stalk, 0.1 mm long. Stalk strongly sclerotized in the upper and middle region, posterior region enlarged. Lateral papillae in 2 groups of 3 papillae, 2 setose and 1 asetose (Fig. 28). Terminal segment with 3 pairs of corniform papillae and 2 pairs of ventral papillae without setae, ventral anus in cleft (Fig. 29 Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species, the Ubatuba municipality. Gall and biology. Globoid shape, green, red hairy, unilocular leaf gall in Clidemia sp. (Melastomataceae) (Fig. 30). Tavares (1917) made references to a cecidomyiid as inducer of hairy, spherical galls on twigs and leaves of Clidemia sp. from Serra do Caraça, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Despite the entire plant being collected, their specific identification was not possible because the plant was collected without the reproductive organs. Pupation occurs in the gall.
The following set of characteristics differentiates L. ubatubensis sp. nov. from its congeners: pupal antennal horns dentate and sclerotized with 3 papillae on each horn and cephalic lateral spine rectangular in pupae, male flagellomeres tricircumfilar; with mesal circumfila appressed to flagellomere; gonocoxites without medial constriction; and inducing galls in leaf of Clidemia sp.