A new species of Neostenoptera Meunier (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Winnertziinae) from Hawai‘i

Authors

John D. Plakidas, Pittsburgh, PAFollow
Nhu H. Nguyen, University of Hawai‘i at MānoaFollow
Michael L. Ferro, Clemson UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

6-24-2022

Citation

Plakidas JD, Nguyen NH, Ferro ML. 2022. A new species of Neostenoptera Meunier (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Winnertziinae) from Hawai‘i. Insecta Mundi 0941: 1–12.

Comments

Copyright held by the author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License,

Published on June 24, 2022 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P.O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 USA http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/

Abstract

A new paedogenetic midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Winnertziinae: Heteropezini) from O‘ahu Island, Hawai‘i, Neostenoptera hawaiiensis Plakidas, Nguyen, and Ferro, new species, is described and illus­trated. A key to all species in the genus is provided. Specimens were emergent from deadwood gathered at Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Neostenoptera appalachiensis Plakidas and Ferro were collected from the same set of samples in Hawai‘i, and additional specimens are reported from Georgia and South Carolina, three new state records. The discovery of two paedogenetic midges in Hawai‘i poses a unique set of questions as to their possible mode of arrival on an island ecosystem. We briefly address the possibility that both species are simply “hitchhikers” that went undetected at ports of entry.