Liriomyza minor Spencer

Lonsdale, Owen, 2011, The Liriomyza (Agromyzidae: Schizophora: Diptera) of California 2850, Zootaxa 2850 (1), pp. 1-123 : 70-72

Liriomyza minor Spencer

Figs 152–154

Liriomyza minor Spencer 1981: 250 . Spencer & Steyskal 1986: 120.

Wing length 1.6–1.7mm (♂), 1.7mm (♀). Length of ultimate section of vein CuA 1 divided by penultimate section: 2.3–2.7. Eye height divided by gena height: 2.9–3.7. Scutum lightly pruinose to subshining. First flagellomere relatively large and highest subapically, or only slightly enlarged, ovate and widest near base.

Chaetotaxy: Two ori (sometimes one on one side), two ors. Acrostichal setulae in four rows.

Colouration: Calypter margin and hairs grey to brown. First flagellomere brownish-orange, sometimes with basal margin yellow; ocellar triangle, clypeus, back of head and posterolateral corner of frons to base of outer vertical bristle dark brown. Lateral margin of scutum yellow presuturally and slightly yellowish above wing base; katatergite yellowish; anatergite yellowish to light brown dorsally lateral to scutellum (otherwise brown). Pleuron dark brown with dorsal margin of anepisternum, meron and katepisternum yellow; anepisternum sometimes yellowish posteriorly on dorsal 1/3 or with broad oblique brown stripe. Legs dark brown with distal 2/3 of fore coxa, distal ½ of mid coxa, base of male fore tibia, apices of femora and sometimes streaking on femora yellow (fore femur mostly yellow in holotype). Abdomen sometimes paler laterally.

Genitalia: Figs 152–154 . Surstylus darkly pigmented, thin along length and with one subapical spine. Innerventral margin of epandrium (or subapical sclerite?) differentiated into dark ventral plate with terminal spine. Basiphallus slightly elongate and ventrally curved. Swollen apical section of ejaculatory duct short, not much longer than wide. Paraphallus thin and dark, fused to margin of membrane supporting haired hypophallus. Mesophallus dark, cylindrical, narrowed medially, nearly as long as basiphallus and separate from distiphallus. Distiphallus short, enclosing one pair of small fringed processes; bell-shaped in ventral view with shallow longitudinal suture separated by broad apical plate; basal half narrow and stem-like in lateral view. Ejaculatory apodeme with pileus ejaculatorius thickly sclerotized and truncated at ends, stem well developed and blade abruptly widened before midpoint, pointed at corners, with dark apical margin, numerous perpendicular striations, and with several abrupt gradations in pigment near base.

Variation: UCD male differs as follows: first flagellomere ovate and dark yellow with base paler; anepisternum and katepisternum dark with only dorsal margin thinly yellow; femora pale with extensive streaking; tibiae brown (paler on anterior legs) with venter yellow.

Hosts. Unknown.

Range. USA. California [Alpine, Riverside*, Sierra*, Ventura].

Type material. Holotype, USA. California: Alpine Co., Hope Valley , 5.viii.1948, sweeping, Lot 91-12, K.E. Frick, Type No. 13940 (1♂, CASC) ; Paratypes examined, USA. California: Alpine Co., Hope Valley , sweeping, K.E. Frick, 7.viii.1948, Lot No. 91-20 (2♂, CASC), 8.viii.1948, Lot No. 91-30 (1♀, CASC) .

Additional material examined. USA. California: Riverside Co., R . R. Cyn., 4mi E, Elsinore , 13.iv.1965, J. Powell (1♂, EMEC) , Sierra Co., Kyburg Flat , 30.vi.1976, J. R . Nixon (1♂, UCD) .

Comments. Liriomyza minor is a morphologically variable species darker than most other Liriomyza (excluding the frons) with an enlarged first flagellomere, and confident identification should only be made following examination of the male genitalia. The surstylus is darker than the epandrium with the sides nearly parallel, there is a dark pronounced plate along the inner-ventral surface of the epandrium, the mesophallus is long, dark and cylindrical, the swollen apical section of the ejaculatory duct is very small, and the distiphallus is small and bell-shaped with a ventral suture separated by a broad plate.

Figures

FIGURES 152–156. Figs 152–154: Liriomyza minor Spencer, male genitalia; 152: phallus, ventral; 153: phallus left lateral; 154: external components, ventral. Figs 155–156: L. monoensis Spencer, male genitalia; 155: holotype phallus, left lateral and ventral, from original figures in Spencer (1981); 156: external components, ventral.