Dasineura banksiae: a new species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) feeding on Banksia coccinea (Proteaceae) in Australia

Abstract

Banksia coccinea is a shrub with large red flower heads, grown commercially as a cut flower plant in Western Australia and South Australia. Dasineura banksiae Kolesik, a gall midge species new to science and formally described here, was found inducing galls on leaves of B. coccinea in natural populations and in commercial plantations in Western Australia. White, globular, hairy galls occur on the leaf underside, each containing larvae of D. banksiae. The presence of galls decreases commercial value of the infested flower stalks and the gall midge is considered a horticultural pest. Descriptions of the male, female, pupa, larva and gall of the new species are given. Nucleotide sequence of 488-bp-long segment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene of D. banksiae sp. n. is lodged with GenBank under the accession number DQ480722.