Liriomyza prompta Boucher & Nishida

Boucher, Stephanie & Nishida, Kenji, 2014, Description and biology of two new species of Neotropical Liriomyza Mik (Diptera, Agromyzidae), mining leaves of Bocconia (Papaveraceae), ZooKeys 369, pp. 79-97 : 85-89

Liriomyza prompta Boucher & Nishida sp. n. Figs 5 –7,20,28– 47,49,51

Type material.

Holotype ♂: COSTA RICA: Cartago: San Ramón de Tres Ríos, 1600 m (09°56'18"N, 083°58'38"W), ex. leaf mine Bocconia frutescens , larva exited 5-9.vii.2010, adult emerged 21-26.vii.2010, Kenji Nishida (LEM).

Paratype. same data as holotype (2 ♀: LEM); same except: ex. leaf mine Bocconia frutescens , emerged 1.vi.2010, Kenji Nishida (1 ♀: LEM); same except larva exited 29.vi.2010, adult emerged 20.vii.2010 (1 ♀: LEM); same except larva exited 29. vi– 4.vii.2010, adult emerged 15-24.vii.2010 (7 ♂; 1♀: LEM); same except larva exited 25-28.vi.2010, adult emerged 20-22.vii.2010 (1 ♀: NMNH); same except larva exited 29. vi– 4.vii.2010, adult emerged 21-25.vii.2010 (5 ♂; 1 ♀: NMNH); Cartago: Cervantes, 1500 m (09°52'46"N, 083°49'07"W), ex. Bocconia frutescens , emerged 11.vi.2010, Kenji Nishida (1 ♂: CNC); San José Province: San Isidro de Coronado, Centro 1420 m (09°58'18"N, 084°00'22"W), ex. Bocconia frutescens , adult emerged 11.vi.2010, Kenji Nishida (1 ♀: MZUCR); same except puparia formed 10-12.v.2010, adult emerged 12.vi.2010, Kenji Nishida (1 ♀: MZUCR); same except emerged 10.vi.2010 (1 ♂: INBio); same except pupation 6.vi.2010, emerged 26.vi.2010, Kenji Nishida (1 ♀: INBio); same except collected 15.v.2009, emerged 8.vi.2009, K. Nishida (4 ♂; 6 ♀: MZUCR), same except (1 ♂; 3 ♀: CNC); Puntarenas Prov., Monteverde, Estación Biológica, 1538 m (10°19'09"N, 084°48'32"W), mating on Bocconia frutescens leaf, 30.v.2009, Kenji Nishida (1♂; 1♀: INBio).

Diagnosis.

This species can be distinguished from other Neotropical species of Liriomyza by its completely yellow head and anepisternum, mesonotum almost completely brown to margin of scutellum, usually 3 + 1 dc, legs completely yellow, calypter brown on apical half with margin and fringe brown, and by the shape of the male genitalia and the shape of the anterior and posterior larval spiracles.

Description.

As in Liriomyza mystica Boucher and Nishida (described above) except as follows: arista shorter (Figs 28, 29), 0.23-0.3 mm; normally 3+1 dc (except one male specimen with 2+1 dc); generally smaller: wing length 1.4-1.7 mm in males and 1.6-2.2 mm in females; eye often with a more extensive bluish reflection (Fig. 29).

Male genitalia. Similar to Liriomyza mystica , but tubules of distiphallus more sclerotized, slightly wider, parallel sided (not diverging in ventral view). Mesophallus widest apical section (Fig. 33a), more than twice as large as narrower basal tubular section (Fig. 33b). Mesophallus in lateral view with a prominent curve near midpoint. Surstylus absent. Ejaculatory apodeme (Figs 34, 35) slightly more sclerotized than in Liriomyza mystica , and with blade slightly less expanded.

Early stages. Larval length: 1.95-2.70 mm, slightly smaller than Liriomyza mystica larva. White to creamy white with an internal orange spot at head (Fig. 47). Anterior spiracles about 0.1 mm distance from each other. Similar to Liriomyza mystica : fan-shaped with 5 small openings. Posterior spiracles with apparently 3 bulbs, but two very small and 1 much longer, curving toward anal segment (Figs 36, 37). Cephalopharyngeal skeleton (Fig. 39) more elongated with side arms narrower than in Liriomyza mystica . Puparium translucent brown to dark brown (Fig. 49).

Host plants.

Bocconia frutescens L. and Bocconia arborea S. Watson ( Papaveraceae )

Biology.

At site 15 in late October 2012 a few males were perched on small young leaves at the apical shoot of a 2 m host tree in the morning between 6:00 and 7:00 am. The males were either sitting or flying and perching on apical young leaves. A mating couple was observed on the underside of host leaf at 7:00 am (site 13, Fig. 6). Oviposition was observed a few times by two females at site 2. At 3:00 pm (17.vi.2011), overcast with slight drizzle, the two females were walking on the upper side of leaves of a Bocconia frutescens sapling, ca. 50 cm tall. The females either oviposited in the leaf tissue at the edge of the leaf margin (n=2) or along narrow leaf veins on the upper side of the leaf blade (n=3) (Fig. 7). It was difficult to locate the eggs because of their small size and translucent colour (n=1). After oviposition, the leaf was collected and a small larva was found on 28.vi.2011. Also at site 5, three leaves were randomly collected on 24.vi.2010, and newly started mines were observed on 2-3.vii.2010 (n=6 mines). These observations suggest that the duration of the egg stage is approximately 10 days. The larvae mine mesophyll of the leaf blade either singly or gregariously (up to 7 larvae) (n=70 mines) (Figs 40-45). Mines were found on very small mature leaves of ca. 1.5 cm (n=5, at site 13) to 90 cm long (n=10, at site 10). The mature mines with a single larva were narrow and more or less linear (Figs 20, 40, 41), and mines with multiple larvae were blotch-shaped (Figs 40, 42). These mines were conspicuous on the upper side of leaves. With regard to location of mines on leaves, no patterns were noticed; mines appear to occur on any part of the leaf blade - some mines were found near the primary vein, leaf apex, or anywhere in between (uncounted). Presence of the larva in the mine can be recognized by the orange spot of the larval anterior end (Figs 43-45, 47). The early part of the mine becomes brown and the frass is seen in dark green to black linear dots (Figs 42-44). The mature larvae each made an elliptical exit hole 1.1-1.3 mm wide on the upper side of the leaves, (n=7 holes) (Fig. 46). Under rearing conditions, from the time of recognizing very early mines, the larvae completed mining within 3 to 4 days, and on the 5th day the puparia were usually formed on the plastic surface of rearing bags or containers. Young pupae were observed within a day or two after forming of the puparium (n=16). The puparia (Fig. 48) were less translucent than those of Liriomyza mystica . The pupa becomes dark 2-3 days prior to adult emergence. A cohort of larvae from site 5 which pupated on 20-23.xii.2008 emerged as adults on 16-20.i.2009 (n=6, 1 ♂, 5 ♀), other data as follows: pupation 28.vi.2011, adult emergence 24.vii.2011 (a cohort, n=4, 2 ♂, 2 ♀, site 2); pupation 12-13.ii.2012, emergence 8.ii.2012 (n=2, site 12); pupation 20.iv.2012, emergence 14.v.2012 (n=2, site 15); i.e. the pupal stage lasted nearly a month under the rearing conditions. A small population of Bocconia arborea was found at site 9; however, it was only possible to access two saplings, which were about 1 meter tall and infested by Liriomyza prompta larvae (mostly old mines). Also at sites 7, 9 and 15, populations of weedy Papaveraceae , Argemone mexicana L. were found in close proximity to Bocconia frutescens and Bocconia arborea ; however, no leaf mines of Liriomyza prompta were observed.

Parasitoids.

Three species of Eulophidae : Entedoninae : sp. 01 and sp. 02 from sites 5, 6, 13, and 15, Entedoninae sp. 03 from site 15, all these were parasitizing larva and pupating inside the host puparium; Eulophinae : sp. 01 from sites 13 and 15, parasitizing late instar larva, pupating inside the host leaf mine; and two species of Pteromalinae as mentioned in Liriomyza mystica , sp. 01 from site 5 and 15, and sp. 02 from site 13 and 15. A species of Braconidae , probably an Opiinae : Opius sp. was observed parasitizing a mature Liriomyza prompta larva at site 13 (Fig. 51).

Comments.

An important character differentiating larvae of this species from Liriomyza mystica described above, is that the posterior spiracles each have an elongated, somewhat hook-like bulb. These posterior spiracles are similar to those found in the Neotropical species Liriomyza commelinae and Liriomyza robustae , but the uniformly coloured mesothorax, absence of surstyli, and unforked anterior spiracles, differentiate this new species from these other Neotropical species. This species appears to be more common than Liriomyza mystica with a wider elevation range (Table 1).

Etymology.

The species name is derived from the Latin promptus (visible, apparent), referring to their conspicuous and common leaf mines.