LIFE-HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF ENDAPHIS-MACULANS (DIPTERA, CECIDOMYIIDAE), AN ENDOPARASITOID OF APHIDS IN FLORIDA AND THE CARIBBEAN BASIN

A solitary endoparastic gall midge, Endaphis maculans (Barnes) (New Co mbination), was found in Florida attacking three citrus aphids, Aphis spiraecola Patch, Aphis gossypii Glover, and Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de Fonscolombe). E. maculans is redescribed and compared with other E ndaphis species. Pseudendaphis Barnes and Occuloxenium Mamaev are cons idered new junior synonyms of Endaphis. A laboratory colony of E. macu lans was established on A. spiraecola. E. maculans laid its eggs on ap hid-infested leaves and, upon hatching, the motile larva searched for aphids. When an aphid was encountered, the larvae penetrated the aphid 's dorsum and developed as an endoparasitoid. All stages of A. spiraec ola were parasitized, but third and fourth instars and adults had the highest degree of parasitism. The mature larva left its host through t he anal opening and dropped to the soil to pupate. Average development time from egg to adult emergence was 19.1 d in the laboratory at 25-2 6-degrees-C. In field surveys conducted from August to November 1993, we observed over 50% parasitism of all stages of A. spiraecola on Vibu rnum odoratissimum Walt (Rubiales: Caprifoliaceae). The weakly parasit ism rate of third- and fourth-instar A. spiraecola by E. maculans diff ered greatly on different host plants.