Abstract
The soybean pod gall midge, Asphondylia sp. has been known to exist only in Japan, being distributed in Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, as far south as Tanegashima Island. However, recent studies on the host range of the species and on the distribution pattern of its relatives indicated the possibility that it might be distributed in more southwestern islands. To detect the species in these islands, two kinds of soybean cultivar were grown in Amami and Okinawa Islands in March-October, 1982. Some infested pods were found on the cultivar, “Kogane” which had been sown on 23 August in Amami Island. The males obtained by rearing the midge pupae were identified as the soybean pod gall midge. Therefore, the southern limit of the species distribution expanded from Tanegashima Island to Amami Island. Although there was no sign of attack by the gall midge on the soybean in Okinawa Prefecture, its existence was suspected by the present result and by the fact that a close relative (probably identical species) was recently collected in Indonesia.
