First record of the leaf-gall inductor Cystiphora sonchi (Vallot, 1827) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) for Portugal and some notes about its Iberian distribution

• Autor(a) principal: López-Núñez, Francisco A.
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Marchante, Hélia, Marchante, Elizabete
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10316/102064; https://doi.org/10.3989/graellsia.2017.v74.192
• topic: Diptera; Cecidomyiidae; Cystiphora; Sonchus; Portugal; Iberia; gall; spatial distribution; Diptera; Cecidomyiidae; Cystiphora; Sonchus; Portugal; Iberia; agalla; distribución espacial

One frequent limitation in zoology and ecology studies is that the current spatial distribution of several species is only partially assessed, based on museum or amateurs’ records, underestimating the real distribution of the species. Although this limitation could be partially solved by different tools (e.g., species distribution models), the correct functioning of many of such tools is related to the number of occurrences, requiring a minimum number of occurrences to be correctly validated. The genus Cystiphora Kieffer, 1892 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) has three species in the Iberian Peninsula and is mainly characterized by the induction of galls in species of sow-thistle (Sonchus spp.); this genus has an added value since some species are used as biocontrol against invasive sow-thistles in the Nearctic and Australasian regions. However, little is known about its actual distribution in Iberia. Cystiphora sonchi (Vallot, 1827) is a Palearctic species whose presence in Iberia Peninsula was until now restricted to four records in the East of Peninsula and in the Balearic Islands. We found three new populations of this species in Coimbra, central Portugal, adding a new species to the Portuguese fauna. Additionally, in order to complete as much as possible its current spatial distribution, a methodical search was carried in different Biodiversity Databases. These two approaches, expanded the distribution area of C. sonchi in the Iberian Peninsula, with five new occurrences (three for Portugal, one for Galicia and one for Andalusia) and establishing a new west limit in the current distribution of C. sonchi in the Palearctic region.