Ayman Khamis Elsayed

Saga University · Faculty of Agriculture

The genus Asteralobia (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae, Asphondyliini, Schizomyiina) was erected by Kovalev (1964) based on the presence of constrictions on the cylindrical male flagellomeres. In the present study, we examine the morphological features of Asteralobia and Schizomyia and found that the male flagellomeres are constricted also in Schizomyiagali...

Leafflowers (Phyllanthus; Phyllanthaceae) are engaged in obligate mutualisms with leafflower moths (Epicephala) that actively pollinate leafflowers and consume the developing seeds as larvae. Among the >1,000 species of leafflowers worldwide, however, the mutualism is considered to be present in only roughly half of the species. Knowledge on pollin...

We describe a gall midge Parampelomyia yukawai Elsayed and Tokuda gen. nov. sp. nov. belonging to the subtribe Schizomyiina (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Asphondyliini) based on an integrative taxonomic study. This species forms barely-swollen flower bud galls on the porcelain berry Ampelopsis brevipedunculata var. heterophylla (Vitaceae) in Japan. The...

The Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan is a biodiversity hotspot with a remarkable diversity of endemic plants and animals. Although recent biodiversity surveys have highlighted that gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are the most species-rich taxon of insects worldwide, only 43 species are known presently in the Ryukyus. In this study, an undescribed g...

The monotypic genus Enigmadiplosis Harris (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was placed in the tribe Clinodiplosini based on adult morphology, but the genus is somewhat puzzling because larvae are typical for the tribe Cecidomyiini. In this study, we describe Enigmadiplosis harrisi sp. nov., a pest species that damages young leaves of the ornamental shrub Rh...

During the period from 1969 to 2023, 155 kinds of galls induced by Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) were found on 109 plant species belonging to 87 genera across 48 families in the Shikoku District, Japan (101 kinds in Tokushima, 31 in Kagawa, 70 in Ehime, and 34 in Kochi Prefectures). Three kinds of the total 155 were new findings from Japan, 30 kinds were...

Some species of mycophagous gall midges（Diptera: Cecidomyiidae）exhibit paedogenesis and are regarded as serious pests of mushroom cultivation. In Japan, Mycophila speyeri and Heteropeza pygmaea were previously found to infest the mycelia of mushrooms in indoor cultivation factories, but the occurrence of paedogenetic species in natural habitats was...

The genus Vitisiella (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is newly recorded from Japan, and Vitisiella gagnei So, Elsayed, and Tokuda, new species, which induces subglobular leaf galls on Vitis vinifera (Vitaceae) in Hokkaido, is described as new to science. The new species is distinguishable from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological...

Two new species of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) associated with male flower buds of Phyllanthus flexuosus (Phyllanthaceae) are described and illustrated. Clinodiplosis gagnei Elsayed, new species, induces male flower bud galls, whereas Macrolabis katoi Elsayed, new species, is an inquiline. Females of both species visit the h...

We analyzed the Folmer fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene of three closely related species of Semudobia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae): S. betulae (Winnertz), S. tarda Roskam, and S. skuhravae Roskam. These species form fruit galls on different birch species (Betula, Betulaceae) in the Holarctic Region. In Japan, larvae of S. betulae and S. tarda wer...

Herbivore outbreaks cause serious damage to forest trees. In recent decades, outbreaks of the gall midge Schizomyia castanopsisae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inducing inflorescence galls on Castanopsis sieboldii (Fagaceae) occurred in the Izu Islands, Tokyo, Japan. We investigated the gall density on the islands and estimated the larval population on...

New Caledonia is a biodiversity hotspot, but its gall midge fauna remains poorly known. In this study, we describe a gall midge Neocaledonidiplosis neoaryterae Elsayed, gen. et sp. nov. (Cecidomyiinae: Cecidomyiini) inducing leaf galls on Neoarytera chartacea (Sapindaceae) in Noumea, New Caledonia. The new genus is closely related to the catch‐all...

The genus Gephyraulus Rübsaamen (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is newly recorded on Fabaceae and in Japan. Gephyraulus tokudai Elsayed n. sp. that develops in the flower buds of Caesalpinia crista L. (Fabaceae) is described here as new to science. A description, illustrations, and ecological features of the new species are given. In addition, molecular p...

In contrast to a great diversity in insects in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, few known species have adapted to inhabit marine environments. In this study, we surveyed insects associated with halophytic plants of Suaeda (Amaranthaceae) distributed in intertidal zones, in northern Kyushu, Japan. On four Japanese native species of Suaeda , we...

Some herbivorous insects possess the ability to synthesize phytohormones and are considered to use them for manipulating their host plants, but how these insects acquired the ability remains unclear. We investigated endogenous levels of auxin (IAA) and cytokinins (iP and tZ), including their ribosides (iPR and tZR), in various terrestrial arthropod...

Two new species of eriophyoid mites inhabiting amaranthaceous plants in Egypt are described and illustrated. Aceria mosalahi sp. nov. heavily induces galls on leaves and stems of Chenopodiastrum murale (L.) S. Fuentes, Uotila & Borsch, while Aceria nudata sp. nov. induces red galls on the stems and leaves of Traganum nudatum Delile. Twenty-two Acer...

A gall midge species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inducing leaf bud galls on Magnolia kobus DC. var. borealis Sarg. (Magnoliaceae) was found in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. Based on its morphology, the species is regarded as an undescribed species of the genus Pseudasphondylia Monzen (Cecidomyiinae, Cecidomyiidi, Asphondyliini). The species is...

Ametrodiplosis Rübsaamen (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Clinodiplosini) is a mostly Holarctic gall midge genus whose species are associated with a wide range of seed plant families, either as gall-inducers or inquilines. In this study, we describe three species of Ametrodiplosis from Japan: A. adetos n. sp. feeding in the flowers of Tylophora aristolochi...

Betula (Betulaceae), or birch, is a Holarctic genus of trees and shrubs whose species have ornamental, industrial, and medical importance. Gall midges of the genus Massalongia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiidi) are exclusively associated with birches in the Palearctic region. In 2018, an undescribed Massalongia species was discovered forming le...

The genus Schizomyia Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is newly recorded in Taiwan and Schizomyia maesae Elsayed, Lin & Tokuda n. sp. that forms irregular galls on stems of Maesa perlaria (Lour.) Merr. var. formosana (Primulaceae) is described as new to science. A description of larva, pupa and adults, illustrations and ecological features of the ne...

Diadiplosis hirticornis Felt (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a predator that feeds on eggs of pseudococcid mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) infesting fruit trees in Japan. The species was described originally based on adult specimens, but the larva and pupa remained unknown. In the present study we describe the second and third instars, and pupa o...

Two new species of Schizomyia Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Asphondyliini: Schizomyiina) are reported from Japan. Schizomyia broussonetiae Elsayed & Tokuda n. sp. forms hairy globular leaf galls on the paper mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent. (Moraceae) and S. uechiae Elsayed and Tokuda n. sp. induces red flower bud galls on the porcela...

Chinese tallow tree Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Euphorbiaceae) was originally introduced from China to the United States for the production of candles and soaps in the late eighteenth century, but it became invasive in southern USA. Although traditional herbicidal and mechanical approaches for controlling tallow may provide temporary relief from...

Background: The genus Pseudasphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Asphondyliini: Asphondyliina) comprises ten Palearctic, Oriental and Australian species associated with various hosts belonging to at least ten plant families. New information: A new species, Pseudasphondylia tominagai Elsayed & Tokuda n. sp., that induces flower bud galls on Eleuth...

Inflorescence galls on Castanopsis sieboldii (Makino) Hatus and Castanopsis cuspidata (Thunb.) Schottky (Fagaceae) were found in Fukuoka Prefecture, northern Kyushu, Japan. Based on morphological and molecular studies, the gall inducer was identified as Schizomyia castanopsisae Elsayed & Tokuda (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Partial sequences (472 bp) o...

A new species, Resseliella maximaGagné, is reported that feeds on the lower stems of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Fabaceae) in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota. It is described and illustrated and compared in detail with other Resseliella spp. DNA data support its status as a new species. A general description is given for Resseliella...

Diadiplosis hirticornis Felt (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) larvae feed on the eggs of mealybugs and are potentially useful biological control agents against the Japanese mealybug Planococcus kraunhiae Kuwana (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). However, a detailed life history and their wild hosts remain unclear preventing effective use of this gall midge in or...

A gall midge that induces conical leaf galls on wild Vitis Linnaeus (Vitaceae) species in Japan was previously identified based on the gall shape as the Nearctic Schizomyia viticola (Osten Sacken) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae: Asphondyliini: Schizomyiina). In 2016, leaf galls were newly found on cultivated Vitis coignetiae Pulliat ex Plan...

We describe a gall midge Macarangamyia itiokai Elsayed & Tokuda gen. n., sp. n. belonging to the subtribe Schizomyiina (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Asphondyliini) inducing petiole galls on Macaranga bancana (Miq.) in Lambir Hills National Park, Borneo, Malaysia. The new genus is distinguishable from all known genera of Schizomyiina by the unique dorsal...

Different gall inducers belonging to distinct insect orders are rarely known to induce similarly shaped galls on the same host plant organs. We report that Asphondylia tojoi Elsayed & Tokuda sp. nov. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and Ceratoneura sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) induce galls on leaf buds of Schoepfia jasminodora Sieb. et Zucc. (Schoepfiacea...

Gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are one of the largest groups of gall-inducing arthropods and many species have been recognized as serious pests on economically important plants, e.g. the soybean pod gall midge Asphondylia yushimai Yukawa & Uechi, and the Asian rice gall midge Orseolia oryzae (Riley). During our investigations of gall midges a...

The European sea rocket Cakile maritima Scop. (Brassicaceae) is a common herb growing on sandy coastlines worldwide and is considered a useful plant because of its medicinal importance, its edibility, and potential as an oilseed crop. However, C. maritima is an invasive plant over a wide range, e.g., eastern South America, North America, northern I...

The association between a host plant and two different gallers attacking the same plant organ and inducing similar shapes of gall is not a well-studied phenomenon. We report such a case on a deciduous tree Schoepfia jasminodora (Schoepfiaceae) on which slightly swollen galls are induced on leaf buds by a gall midge, Asphondylia sp. (Diptera:Cecidom...

Recently, a gall midge induces leaf bud galls on Symplocos cochinchinensis (Loureiro) (Symplocaceae) was found on Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima, Japan. Based on morphological observation, the gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was clarified to be an undescribed species of the genus Dasineura Rondani (Lasiopteridi, Dasineurini). The species is dist...

In July 2015, an unidentified gall midge（Diptera: Cecidomyiidae）infesting new leaves of blueberry, Vaccinium spp. was found in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Morphological examinations of adults and larvae revealed that the gall midge belongs to the genus Dasineura and is very similar to the blueberry gall midge Dasineura oxycoccana（Johnson）, which is na...

The Cecidomyiidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) fauna of Egypt is poorly known. Investigations in northern Egypt in 2013 revealed the presence of seven species of gall midges on three host plant species: Atriplex halimus L., Arthrocnemum mac-rostachyum (Moric.) and Suaeda pruniosa Lange (all Chenopodiaceae). Among the gall midges, Baldratia salicorniae...

Parasitoids complex in summer populations of Asphondylia punica Marchal, (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on the Mediterranean Saltbush, Atriplex halimus L. (Chenopodiaceae) in Egypt was studied. The hymenopterous parasitoids are: Eupelmidae: Neanastatus misirensis n. sp.; Eulophidae: Kolopterna aymani Doğanlar, 2013, Aprostocetus alexandrianensis n. sp.,...

The Egyptian fauna of the family Cecidomyiidae has been very poorly known. Among more than 2200 known species in the Palaearctic region, only 38 species are known in Egypt. Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani, 1847) and Feltiella acarisuga (Vallot, 1827) were the only known predatory midges. In the present study, we confirmed the presence of A. aphidim...

The known gall midge fauna of Egypt is composed of 48 species belonging to 22 genera. The two most species rich genera are Baldratia Kieffer, 1897, and Dasineura Rondani, 1840, each with six species. Most species are phytophagous and cause galls on various host plants; but Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani, 1847), Diadiplosis donaldi (Harris, 1968),...

In Egypt the gall midge, Asphondylia conglomerata De STEFANI (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on the stems and flower buds of the Mediterranean Saltbush, Atriplex halimus L. (Chenopodiaceae) was reared in 2013. In the study as main mortality factors of the gall midges were 5 species of larval/pupal parasitoids from 3 families of Hymenoptera, Eulophidae: Ko...

The Egyptian fauna of Diptera has been poorly studied. STEYSKAL & EL-BIALY (1967) listed the Egyptian Diptera based on the collections of the Ministry of Agriculture, Cairo; Faculty of Science, University of Cairo, Giza; and Entomological Society of Egypt, Cairo. Species recorded in the literature but not known in Egyptian collections were also inc...