Liriomyza bispinula, Lonsdale, 2011

Lonsdale, Owen, 2011, The Liriomyza (Agromyzidae: Schizophora: Diptera) of California 2850, Zootaxa 2850 (1), pp. 1-123 : 31-33

Liriomyza bispinula spec. nov.

Figs 50–53

Wing length 1.5mm (♂). Female unknown. Length of ultimate section of vein CuA 1 divided by penultimate section: 2.7. Eye height divided by gena height: 2.6. Scutum subshining. Orbital plate, parafacial and cheek slightly pronounced. Vein M 1 not reaching wing margin.

Chaetotaxy: Two ori, one ors (possibly two—head damaged). Acrostichal setulae in four rows.

Colouration: Calypter margin and hairs dark brown. Head dark brown with gena (excluding dark ventral stripe) yellowish-white, orbital plate with thin light yellow line along inner margin, and centre of frons yellowish on posterior half. Thorax dark brown with scutellum yellow medially and notopleuron yellowish. Legs and abdomen dark brown.

Genitalia: Figs 50–53 . Surstylus with two subapical spines. Epandrium with two small spines. Basiphallus with apical margin produced as membranous lobe on each side that is apically dark. Paraphallus absent. Hypophallus with broad membranous base and several apical hairs. Mesophallus dark, cylindrical and partially fused to distiphallus, with length twice width and ends narrowed. Distiphallus with broadly rounded base, slight dorsoventral compression, several marginal sclerotized spots ventrally, a broad, deep apical depression and one pair of internal fringed structures. Ejaculatory apodeme with pileus ejaculatorius dark and rounded at ends; base of duct dark; stem short and blade very large, relatively pale and asymmetric with margin dark and distal half with longitudinal striations.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin for “two small spines”, referring to the two spines on the surstylus and epandrium, which is unusual for this genus.

Host. Unknown.

Range. USA. California [Del Norte].

Type material. Holotype, USA. California: Del Norte Co., 1.6km up Knopki-Creek Rd. off US Rte 199, Six Rivers Natl. For., 41°55’26”N, 123°44’48”W, 430m, 3.vi.2009, S.D. Gaimari (1♂, CSCA).

Comments. This species is easily characterized by a dark head, legs and thorax. The male terminalia are also diagnostic in that the surstylus and epandrium both have two pairs of spines, the paraphalli are absent, both lateral margins of the basiphallus are produced as apically pigmented lobes, the mesophallus is dark and cylindrical, the distiphallus is dark and subovate in ventral view, and the ejaculatory apodeme has a very short stem and a broad blade that is only dark marginally. Liriomyza bispinula is morphologically similar to the dark L. solanita Spencer , which was reared from Solanum , Physalis , Brugmansia and Datura (Solanaceae) in Venezuela and Colombia ( Spencer 1963b, 1984), but this tropical species is much larger (wing length 2.2–2.5mm), the thorax has more yellow patches, the surstylus has a single spine and the distiphallus is longer and more extensively fused to the mesophallus.

Figures

FIGURES 50–53. Liriomyza bispinula spec. nov., male holotype genitalia; 50: ejaculatory apodeme; 51: external components, ventral; 52: phallus, left lateral; 53: phallus, ventral.