Fergusonina

Fergusonina, the sole genus in the family of Fergusoninidae, are gall-forming flies. There are about 40 species in the genus, all of them producing galls on Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Corymbia, and Metrosideros[1] species (all in the family Myrtaceae) in Australia and New Zealand.

Not to be confused with Fergusonia.

Fergusonina
Outline
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Fergusoninidae
Genus: Fergusonina
Malloch, 1924

These flies, considered closely related to Agromyzidae, are small and their larvae grow within galls formed on the leaf, shoot or flower buds. The galls themselves are induced by endosymbiotic nematodes in the genus Fergusobia (family Neotylenchidae) which are obligate mutualists of the flies. Females carry the nematode in their haemocoel, and transport them to host plants while laying their eggs. Most of the fly species are specific to their tree hosts but a few use more than one species of host.[2][3][4]

  • A Fergusonina species

References
  1. Taylor, Gary; Davies, Kerrie; Martin, Nicholas; Crosby, Trevor (2007). "First record of Fergusonina (Diptera: Fergusoninidae) and associated Fergusobia (Tylenchida: Neotylenchidae) forming galls on Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) from New Zealand". Systematic Entomology. 32 (3): 548–557. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2007.00383.x.
  2. Nelson, Leigh A.; Davies, Kerrie A.; Scheffer, Sonja J.; Taylor, Gary S.; Purcell, Matthew F.; Giblin-Davis, Robin M.; Thornhill, Andrew H.; Yeates, David K. (2014). "An emerging example of tritrophic coevolution between flies (Diptera: Fergusoninidae) and nematodes (Nematoda: Neotylenchidae) on Myrtaceae host plants". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 111 (4): 699–718. doi:10.1111/bij.12237.
  3. Taylor, Gary S. (2004). "Revision of Fergusonina Malloch gall flies (Diptera : Fergusoninidae) from Melaleuca (Myrtaceae)". Invertebrate Systematics. 18 (3): 251. doi:10.1071/IS02033.
  4. Scheffer, S.J.; Davies, K.A.; Taylor, G.S.; Thornhill, A.H.; Lewis, M.L.; Winkler, I.S.; Yeates, D.K.; Purcell, M.F.; Makinson, J.; Giblin-Davis, R.M. (2017). "Phylogenetics of Australasian gall flies (Diptera: Fergusoninidae): Evolutionary patterns of host-shifting and gall morphology". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 115: 140–160. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.07.023. PMID 28757445.

Further reading
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