Cerodontha (Poemyza) arundinariella Eiseman & Lonsdale & Feldman 2019, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Eiseman, Charles S.
name: Lonsdale, Owen
name: Feldman, Tracy S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Agromyzidae
Cerodontha

description: Cerodontha (Poemyza) arundinariella spec. nov.
(Figs. 11–12, 38, 74–81)
Holotype. NORTH CAROLINA: Moore Co., Aberdeen, Aberdeen Lake Park, 2.vi.2017, em. 29.vi.2017, T.S. Feldman, ex Arundinaria tecta, # CSE3870, CNC939846; (1♂, CNC).
Paratypes. Same data as holotype, CNC939845, CNC939847 (2♀, CNC).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the host genus name, Arundinaria Michx.
Host. Poaceae: Arundinaria tecta (Walter) Muhl.
Leaf mine. (Fig. 38) Probably not distinguishable from that of Cerodontha saintandrewsensis. The mine that produced the type series was equally visible on both leaf surfaces and contained five larvae.
Puparium. (Fig. 12) Elongate, brown; formed within the mine (specimens not preserved; prominent posterior spiracular horns visible in photos of leaf mine, but details unknown).
Distribution. USA: NC.
Adult description. Wing length 2.2 mm (♂), 2.4 mm (♀). Length of ultimate section of vein M 4 divided by penultimate section: 1.4. Costa extending to M 1. Eye height divided by gena height: 11.1–15.0. First flagellomere small, rounded. Frontal vitta minutely textured. Ocellar triangle not evident. Lunule high, width? height, apex truncated; sides slightly converging with distal ¼ more sharply angled inwards; surface minutely pitted dorsolaterally. Buccal cavity with dense, black spicules between arms of clypeus. Thorax with light pruinosity.
Chaetotaxy: Two ors, two ori, shorter anteriorly. Orbital setulae short, numerous. Postvertical and ocellar setae subequal to ors. Three dorsocentral setae, only first seta strong; second seta approximately? length of first, third approximately half length of second. Acrostichal seta absent. Acrostichal setulae in approximately six irregular rows. Mid tibia without posteromedial seta.
Coloration: (Fig. 11) Setae black. Body mostly dark brown; pedicel orange on inner surface; orbital plate paler with inner margin light brown to beige; lunule and gena (excluding dark brown venter) with beige tint; face with beige mottling; notopleuron slightly paler, more yellowish medially in female; postalar wall with whitish-yellow spot; calypter margin pale, hairs golden in male and golden-brown to light brown in female; wing veins light yellow, brownish apically; femora apices light yellow with spot as long as wide; tibiae yellower at base, posterior legs darker, fore leg paler and more whitish at both base and apex; tarsi with dirty white tint that is more pronounced on fore legs.
Genitalia: (Figs. 74–81) Epandrium with distoventral region slightly produced and with small patch of small setae on inner surface; with rounded subconical supra-anal process that is angled dorsally and widest at base. Surstylus small, rounded, strongly directed inwards, without tubercle-like setae, and fused to anteroventral margin of epandrium. Subepandrial sclerite broadly split medially and with ventromedial seta; ventral process dark, short, weakly curved, with shallow outer subapical point. Hypandrium and pregonite, small, typical of genus. Phallophorus cylindrical, ventral margin produced as lobate plate extending onto left lateral surface of shaft; fused to chevron-shaped left lateral sclerite of basiphallus; right sclerite of basiphallus narrow, short, distal and slightly exceeding base of mesophallus. Paraphallus small, clear, lobate, left side slightly larger and bilobed. Hypophallus large and broadly rounded with narrower darker base; with short medial flagellum; distal margin irregularly sclerotized. Mesophallus with short stem that narrows apically; width at midpoint approximately one third length; with small apical bulb that in lateral view is shallowly concave and downturned, and in ventral view is basally bilobed with sides subparallel; fused to distiphallus. Distiphallus split into two long, narrow, subparallel tubules approximately as long as basiphallus+phallophorus; broadly and shallowly arched along most of length, base with short abrupt curve; paler apically before slightly wider terminal sclerotized cylinder that is slightly longer than wide. Ejaculatory apodeme pale, stem grading into relatively well-developed blade; base stout, asymmetrical; sperm pump clear.
Comments. See comments for Cerodontha saintandrewsensis.
The mines of this species are not only similar to those of Cerodontha saintandrewsensis, but also to Agromyza arundinariae. In fact, they were collected along with the latter species at Aberdeen Lake Park and the two were not distinguished in the field. The difference became obvious when the Agromyza larvae (which were presumably yellowish-white as is typical of the genus) emerged from their mines to pupate, while the blue-green Cerodontha larvae formed their puparia within the leaf. We have noted this blue-green color in mature larvae of other Cerodontha (Poemyza) species (C. incisa (Meigen) and C. inconspicua (Malloch)), and we presume it is also present in C. saintandrewsensis, whose larvae were not observed. The abdomen of teneral adults of C. arundinariella is likewise blue-green.
description: Published as part of Eiseman, Charles S., Lonsdale, Owen & Feldman, Tracy S., 2019, Nine new species of Agromyzidae from North Carolina, USA, with new host and distribution records for additional species, pp. 301-333 in Zootaxa 4571 (3) on pages 309-310, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4571.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2612611