| Title: | Hidden Diversity-A New Speciose Gall Midge Genus (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) Associated with Succulent Aizoaceae in South Africa |
| Author(s): | Dorchin N; van Munster S; Klak C; Bowie RCK; Colville JF; |
| Address: | "School of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel. The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700, South Africa. Bolus Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7707, South Africa. Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa. Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700, South Africa. Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Newlands, Cape Town 7725, South Africa" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2075-4450 (Print) 2075-4450 (Electronic) 2075-4450 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales) constitute one of the major floral components of the unique Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR), with more than 1700 species and 70% endemism. Within succulent Aizoaceae, the subfamily Ruschioideae is the most speciose and rapidly diversifying clade, offering potential niches for the diversification of specialized herbivorous insects. Nevertheless, insect diversity on these plants has not been studied to date, and knowledge of gall-inducing insects in the Afrotropics is generally scarce. Our recent observations indicate that succulent Aizoaceae in the GCFR support a rich and largely unstudied community of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Here, we provide a first report of their diversity with a description of a new genus, Ruschiola Dorchin, and ten new species, based on morphological and molecular analyses of material collected during a three-year targeted survey across major GCFR vegetation types. A high degree of morphological uniformity in Ruschiola suggests recent diversification and necessitated the use of molecular data and laboratory rearing from host plants to verify species boundaries and host ranges" |
| Keywords: | Aizoaceae Lasiopterini Namaqualand Ruschioideae Ruschiola Succulent Karoo galls; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEDorchin, Netta van Munster, Stephany Klak, Cornelia Bowie, Rauri C K Colville, Jonathan F eng Switzerland 2022/01/22 Insects. 2022 Jan 10; 13(1):75. doi: 10.3390/insects13010075" |
