Phytomyza veronicicola Hering

Guglya, Yuliia, 2021, Rearing mining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) from host plants as an instrument for associating females with males, with the description of seven new species, Zootaxa 5014 (1), pp. 1-158 : 90

Phytomyza veronicicola Hering

( Figs. 278–283 , 674–679 )

Material examined: Ukraine: Kharkiv Region: near Petrivske , 49°10’N, 36°58’E, 17.vi.2019, 17.vi.2020, 3– 16.vii.2020 and 24.vii.2011, Yu. Guglya, ex Veronica longifolia (6♂ 3♀) ; Sumy Region: Kuzemin, The National Nature Park ”Getmanskyi”, 50°08’N, 34°40’E, 22.v.2010 and 29.v.2011, Yu. Guglya (3♂) .

Hosts. Plantaginaceae : Veronica L. ( Benavent-Corai et al. 2005).

Mine. The larva initially forms an upper surface secondary blotch mine ( Fig. 278 ), later moving to the underside of the leaf and feeding as an epidermal miner ( Fig. 279 ). The fully developed mine appears silvery-green from the underside and yellowish from the upper side of the leaf. Pupation takes place within the mine on the underside of the leaf ( Fig. 280 ).

Puparium. ( Figs. 281–283 ) Beige, translucent, with brown anterior and posterior spiracles, 2.0 mm long, with distinct segmentation; surface finely wrinkled except for wide bands of minute spines. Posterior spiracles set on short, stout, conical protuberances and entirely separate; with 13 sessile bulbs set arranged in an open ring. Anal plate not protruding above the surface of the puparium viewed from the side and directed posteriorly.

Cephalopharyngeal skeleton. ( Fig. 674 ) Mouthhooks equal in size, each bearing two accessory teeth. Intermediate sclerite long, slightly curved, with small, sharp protuberance located ventrally; sclerite 1.24× as long as maximum height of mouthhook. The mouthhook and intermediate sclerite are strongly sclerotized and the pharyngeal sclerite much less so. The ventral cornu bears a narrow “closed” window located posteriorly. Indentation index 83.

Female head. ( Figs. 675, 676 ) Dark yellow, with only antenna, palpus and postgena black; orbit projecting above eye in profile; 2 orb s, 1 fr s; lunule of medium height, broad, semicircular, not reaching the level of fr s; pped large, rounded; arista distinctly widened only in basal third; gena medially 0.37× as high as maximum height of eye.

Female genitalia. ( Figs. 677–679 ) Capsule of spermatheca medium-sized, 0.27× as high as height of anterior part of oviscape. Spermathecae equal in size, dark brown, oval, higher than wide, with surface corrugated. Internal duct invagination trapezoid, 0.68× as deep as height of spermatheca. Spermathecal duct weakly sclerotized. Ventral receptacle compressed S-shaped, with well sclerotized tail that is bowl-shaped basally. Body of receptacle cylindrical with slightly curved, stout basal connecting tube, strongly sclerotized, 0.3× as wide as capsule of spermatheca; with narrow opening located on high cylindrical projection, 0.75× as wide as maximum diameter of spherical part of body.

Distribution. The Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey ( Papp & Černý 2019). Ukraine (first record).

Comments. Superficially P. veronicicola is similar to P. crassiseta Zetterstedt , which also develops in leaf mines on Veronica species. Spencer (1976) and Papp & Černý (2019) noted a lanceolate arista as a distinctive fea- ture of P. crassiseta , but in specimens from Ukraine only three females have a lanceolate arista and others have only thickened ones, indistinguishable from the basally thickened arista of P. veronicicola . However, in all specimens of P. veronicicola areoles of the frontal setae are yellow and those of the orbital setae are slightly darkened ( Fig. 675 ), whereas all P. crassiseta have a black spot at the base of all fronto-orbital setae ( Figs. 673 ). Thus, colour of the areole is an additional reliable diagnostic feature.

Figures

FIGURES 278–286. Figures 278–283: Phytomyza veronicicola Hering; 278–280: mine in Veronica longifolia leaf; 278: viewed from upper leaf surface; 279: viewed from lower leaf surface; 280: “pupal blister” with puparium. 281: empty puparium viewed from the side; 282: posterior segments of puparium (posterior view); 283: posterior spiracles (posterior view). Figures 284–286: Phytoliriomyza melampyga (Loew); 284: mines in Impatiens parviflora leaf; 285–286: posterior segments of puparium; 285: lateral view; 286: posterior view.

FIGURES 673–679. Figure 673: Phytomyza crassiseta Zetterstedt, fronto-lateral view of head; Figures 674–679: P. veronicicola Hering; 674: cephalopharyngeal skeleton; 675: fronto-lateral view of head; 676: head viewed from the side; 677: oviscape, ventral receptacle and spermathecae proportionally; 678: spermathecae; 679: ventral receptacle.