D3279: Investigating one dark taxon, Platygastridae (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea) for biocontrol of another: The blueberry gall midge complex (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

Monique Raymond (she/her/hers)

Assistant Curator
University of New Hampshire
Newmarket, New Hampshire

Co-Author(s)

ET

Elijah Talamas

Florida State Collection of Arthropods
Gainesville, Florida
MB

M. Bellemore

University of New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
IM

István Mikó

Collections Manager
University of New Hampshire
Strafford, New Hampshire

The Blueberry Gall Midge Complex (BGMC) of dark taxon leaf galling cecidomyiines (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) infests the Cyanococcus section of blueberry Vaccinium (Ericales: Ericaceae) including several species, hybrids, and varieties. BGMC is currently composed of two species, which can be can be biologically controlled by specialist parasitoids in the subfamily Platygastrinae (Platygastroidea: Platygastridae), but both the gall midge pest and it's natural enemies are super diverse and suffer from a taxonomic impediment. We test the present diagnostic triad of circumstance, morphology, and DNA barcoding to identify newly reported BGMC in New Hampshire, along with their respective platygastrine parasitoids.