Phytomyza varronivora, Monteiro & Barbosa & Esposito, 2019

Monteiro, Nilton Juvencio Santiago, Barbosa, Rodrigo Rendeiro & Esposito, Maria Cristina, 2019, Agromyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora) in the state of Pará: new species and new records in Brazil, Zootaxa 4624 (2), pp. 151-182 : 176-178

Phytomyza varronivora sp. nov.

Figures 28–41

Description (Fig. 34 and 35). Fronto-orbital setae in four pairs, two upper setae reclinate and two lower setae inclinate; orbital setulae proclinate; arista enlarged basally; gena narrow, 1/10 as high as eye; dorsocentrals 0+3 (anterior only a little longer than acrostichal setulae); acrostichal setulae in 4 rows; wing length 1.8 mm; costa extending to R 4+5; R 2+3 and R 4+5 parallel, ending near the anterior portion of the wing; costal section between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about half length of costal section between R 1 and R 2+3; vein dm-cu absent.

Coloration. Fronto-orbital plate greyish-brown; frons brown; gena brownish-yellow; face and lunule with a faint greyish pruinosity; antenna brown; arista light-brown; palpus brown; body predominantly brown, with the notopleuron, dorsal and posterior border of the anepisternum, dorsal and anterior border of the anepimeron yellowish; mesonotum with pruinosity grey; legs light-brown, with apex of femur and base of tibia yellow; base of wing yellow; halter yellow; calypter yellowish, fringe white; abdomen centrally brown with margin yellow.

Male genitalia (Fig. 36 and 40). Epandrium with three projections internally; surstylus fused to epandrium, bearing 13 elongated stout setae; cercus slender; hypandrium V-shaped with 3 or 4 setae basally (Fig. 36 and 37); aedeagus (Fig. 36 and 49): basiphallus sclerotized, forming two slender U-shaped plates; mesophallus short and globose, slightly sclerotized; distiphallus forming two short tubules; ejaculatory apodeme forming an enlarged blade apically (Fig. 40).

Host-plant (Fig. 41). Boraginaceae— Varronia multispicata (Cham.) Borhidi.

Distribution. Brazil.

Etymology. The specific name refers to this species’s association with host plant of the genus Varronia P. Browne.

Type material. Holotype: Brazil, Pará, Belém: Campus de Pesquisa do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi , 1º26′56.3″S, 48º26′43.2″W, 20-I-1993, M.C. Esposito [collector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (♂) . Paratype: Brazil, Pará, Belém: 3 ♂ , Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), 1º26′06.4″S, 48º26′58.1″W, 18-III-1994, M.C. Esposito [collector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (3 ♂) ; ♀ , same location, 22-III-1994, M.C. Esposito [collector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (♀); same location, 25-IV-1994, M.C. Esposito [col- lector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (♂); same location, 20-I-1993, M.C. Esposito [collector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (♀); same location, 08-II-1994, M.C. Esposito [collector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (6 ♀); Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia ( UFRA), 1º27′13.8″S, 48º26′43.8″W, 01-II-1994, M.C. Esposito [collector], ex leaves of Varronia multispicata (♂) .

Comments. Phytomyza varronivora sp. nov. is similar to Phytomyza crassiseta Zetterstedt due to the basally enlarged arista, but it is differentiated by the well-developed epandrium, occupying approximately half the length of the abdomen. The inner arms of the epandrium and the distiphallus are characteristics of this species and essentials for differentiating it from other Phytomyza species. Larvae forme serpentine mines on the leaf surface and pupation takes place on the ground. This is the first Agromyzdae species known to feed on Varronia P. Browne.