Liriomyza
Creators: name: Boucher, Stéphanie
name: Wheeler, Terry A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Agromyzidae
Liriomyza

description: Liriomyza sp. A
(Figs. 48–52)
Agromyza pusilla Meigen, of Becker (1920), in part.
MNHN Specimen. Ecuador: Env. de Tulcan, Dr. G. Rivet 1902 (1 ♂).
Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Neotropical species of Liriomyza by the combination of a brown palpus, an entirely dark brown antenna with the first flagellomere yellowish basally; legs completely dark brown except for bright yellow knees, mesonotum shining (or sub-shining) black, without yellow patches at hind corners.
Description. Frons width 0.33 mm; ratio of frons width to eye width 2.5 (measured in dorsal view); orbit 0.16 times width of frons (frons including orbits) at midpoint; parafacial only slightly projecting, forming narrow ring (cheek) below eye; orbital setae particularly strong; 2 reclinate ors and 2 almost subequal inclinate ori; orbital setulae reclinate; first flagellomere (one missing) small to medium in size, covered with short pubescence; arista with short but dense pubescence; gena deep, conspicuously extended at rear; gena height at midpoint: 0.30 times maximum eye height; upper margin of clypeus thick and rounded; eye with a few short scattered hairs; one strong presutural and three postsutural dorsocentrals; acrostichal setulae in 4 irregular rows; 2 notopleural setae; postpronotum with one strong seta (only socket present) and 3 weaker ones; anepisternum with 1 strong seta on posterior margin a little above midpoint, with 2 smaller setae dorsally and 1 ventrally; fore and mid tibiae without lateral seta; stridulatory mechanism easily visible; wing length approximately 2.1 mm in male (wings bent). Last section of CuA1 1.3 times longer than penultimate.
Colour. Frons and lower orbit yellow (lower ori on yellow); upper orbit brown to upper ori; both vt on brown; hind margin of eye brown on dorsal half; face partly brown below antenna and along facial carina, but yellow below; antenna mostly dark brown, except first flagellomere slightly paler basally (yellower on inner surface); palpus brown; clypeus shiny black. Mesonotum shining brown to margin of scutellum; scutellum largely bright yellow with brown patches laterally; basal scutellar setae on dark ground; postpronotum yellow with a central brown patch; notopleuron mostly yellow but dark brown at junction with anepisternum; anepisternum almost completely brown, only narrowly yellow posteriorly; katepisternum entirely brown; calypter dark brown including margin and fringe; halter white; legs dark brown with bright yellow knees. Abdominal tergites mostly brown, narrowly yellow laterally.
Male genitalia. (phallus and phallapodeme missing). Posteroventral margin of epandrium without spine; anteroventral margin of epandrium with short hook-like projection (arrow, Fig. 51); postgonites long and widening apically (Figs. 48–49); ejaculatory apodeme large, with strongly sclerotized bowl-shaped base and tube-like lateral projections (Fig. 52); subepandrial sclerites (= bacilliform sclerites sensu Zlobin (2002)) fused, somewhat Xshaped with anterior arms much longer than posterior ones; these bearing one long seta (Fig. 49).
Comments. The phallus and phallapodeme are absent in the only available specimen (possibly resulting from a mutation). In the absence of the phallus, the identity of this species cannot be confirmed, but the overall external characteristics match the Chilean species Liriomyza schwabei Spencer, except for the paler first and second antennal segment and the longer ultimate section of CuA1. This Neotropical species belongs to the flaveola -group (Spencer 1976; Zlobin, 2002), which includes species with a characteristic phallus shape and often a short acute protuberance on anteroventral margin of the epandrium (as seen here). All species belonging to this group are Poaceae feeders.
description: Published as part of Boucher, Stéphanie & Wheeler, Terry A., 2014, Neotropical Agromyzidae (Diptera) of the Mission Géodésique de l'Équateur: Becker (1920) revisited, pp. 157-176 in Zootaxa 3779 (2) on pages 171-172, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3779.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/252252