PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 87(2). 1985, pp. 392-394 NEW RECORDS FOR STIGMATOMYCES VERR UCULOS US THAXTER (ASCOMYCETES: LABOULBENIACEAE), A FUNGAL PARASITE OF ADULT TEPHRITIDAE (DIPTERA) IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA R. D. GOEDEN AND R. K. BENJAMIN (RDG) Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Cali-fornia 92521; (RKB) Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California 91711. Abstract. — Ma\es of Pa roxyna atuericana Hering, Tephhtis araneosa (Coquil-lett), and T. californica Doane are reported for the first time as hosts of the laboulbeniaceous fungus, Stigmatomyces verrucidosiis. The known geographic range of this fungus is extended to and across North America from the Caribbean. The locations of the thalli of this fungus on infected flies are described. This paper reports new collection records from California for, and observations on, Tephritini adults (Diptera: Tephritidae) infested with the minute, nearly mi-croscopic, ectoparasitic fungus, Stigmatomyces verruculosus Thaxter (Ascomy-cetes: Laboulbeniaceae). The few-celled body or "thallus" of this fungus, like that of most Laboulbeniales, is attached by a blackened holdfast or "foot" to the exoskeleton of the host (Thaxter. 1896). On October 1 , 1981, RDG swept a male of Tephritis californica Doane from flowering Baccharis pilidaris de Candolle (Asteraceae), a male of T. araneosa (Coquillett) from flowering Artemesia californica Lessing (Asteraceae), and a male of Paroxyna americana Hering from flower heads of Heterotheca grandifJora Nuttal (Asteraceae) in Cervada Canyon on Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara Co., ofl" the coast of southern California. All three flies were infected with 5. verru-culosus subsequently identified by RKB. On October 13, 1983, RDG swept three males of T. araneosa infected with 5. verruculosus from flowering .4. californica 1 to 2 m above sea level at Willows Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. Four females of T. araneosa subsequently were reared from a quantity of flower heads of A. californica collected on the same date from the plants swept at Willows Anchorage. On September 9, 1982, RDG swept five males oi P. americana from flower heads of Haplopappus pinifolius Gray (Asteraceae) at ca. 1 500 m elevation near Paradise Valley in the San Bernardino National Forest, Riverside Co. All five flies were infected with S. verruculosus. which, at least on the two specimens examined microscopically by RKB, were found to be only about half mature. None bore perithecia containing mature ascospores. Three each, dry, point-mounted specimens of the above P. americana and T. araneosa, not dissected in saline for mycological examination by RKB, were examined lOQx with a Wild steromicroscope and the following placement of
New records for Stigmatomyces verruculosus thaxter (Ascomycetes: Laboulbeniaceae), a fungal parasite of adult Tephritidae (Diptera) in Southern California
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