Asynapta
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Cecidomyiidae
- Genus: Asynapta
Visual Description
Based on observations of museum specimens, members of the genus Asynapta exhibit characteristic dipteran morphology. The body is slender and delicate, typical of many gall midges. The wings are relatively long and narrow, often with reduced venation patterns characteristic of the family Cecidomyiidae. The legs are long and thin, supporting their fragile frame.[1]
Biology and Ecology
The genus Asynapta includes species with diverse ecological roles. Notably, Asynapta groverae has been identified as a mycophagous gall midge. In South Korea, this species has been observed emerging from particle board furniture in newly constructed buildings, where the larvae feed on fungi present within the wood material.[2]
A. groverae is considered an invasive species in South Korea, likely introduced through the international trade of wood products. It has a relatively short generation time of approximately 3–4 weeks under optimal conditions. While these midges can be a nuisance to residents, they are not known to be human pathogens or allergens.
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Cecidomyiidae / Asynapta constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- ↑ Ji Hyoun Kang; Daseul Ham; Sung Hwan Park; Jeong Mi Hwang; Sun‐Jae Park; Min Jeong Baek; Yeon Jae Bae. Population genetic structure of a recent insect invasion: a gall midge, Asynapta groverae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in South Korea since the first outbreak in 2008. Scientific Reports. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29782-8.