Aciurina luminaria Baine, 2024

Baine, Quinlyn, White, Branden, Martinson, Vincent G. & Martinson, Ellen O., 2024, Discovery of a new gall-inducing species, Aciurina luminaria (Insecta, Diptera, Tephritidae) via multi-trait integrative taxonomy, ZooKeys 1214, pp. 217-236 : 217-236

Aciurina luminaria Baine sp. nov.

Type material examined.

Holotype (Fig. 4 A, C ) USA • NM; Santa Fe Co.; ♀; Tesuque E arroyo crossing Road 74 ; 35.77686 ° N, 105.92904 ° W; 5 May 2021; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81957 . Allotype (Fig. 4 B, D ) USA • NM; Santa Fe Co.; ♂; 1 mi SE Chupadero off St Rd 592 ; 35.814 ° N, 105.907426 ° W; 7 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81946 . Paratypes USA • CO; Alamosa Co.; 2 ♀ 1 ♂; S of Mosca side of Hwy 17 ; 37.62534 ° N, 105.86636 ° W; 20 May 2021; V. Martinson leg.; MSBA 81880–81882 • 3 ♀ 3 ♂ 1 gall; San Luis State Wildlife Area, Lane 6 N ; 37.66256 ° N, 105.72293 ° W; 20 May 2021; E. Martinson & V. Martinson leg.; MSBA 81892–81893 , MSBA 81896–81897 , USNMENT 02011093 – USNMENT 02011095 • 4 ♀ 4 ♂; San Luis State Wildlife Area, Lane 6 N ; 37.66256 ° N, 105.72293 ° W; 14 May 2023; Q. Baine leg. MSBA 81926–81933 • 7 ♀ 6 ♂; W of San Luis Valley Regional Airport entrance , Alamosa; 37.4442 ° N, 105.86753 ° W; 14 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81898–81901 , USNMENT 02011096 – USNMENT 02011097 • 2 ♀ 3 ♂; 2 mi S Zapata Falls turnoff Hwy 150 ; 37.59092 ° N, 105.6015 ° W; 15 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81909–81913 . 2 ♀ 1 ♂; Road N 110 and Lane 1 N off Hwy 17 ; 37.59092 ° N, 105.6015 ° W; 15 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81914–81916 • 2 ♀ 1 ♂; Corner of Cortez Rd and Van Iwarden Dr , Alamosa; 37.43771 ° N, 105.88511 ° W; 14 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81922–81925 . Chaffee Co. • 2 ♀ 2 ♂; Hwy 285 W of Johnson Village ; 38.80956 ° N, 106.11603 ° W; 20 May 2021; E. Martinson leg.; MSBA 81883–81886 • NM; Cibola Co.; 2 ♀ 2 ♂; El Malpais National Conservation Area Narrows ; 34.96499 ° N, 107.81464 ° W; 15 May 2022; V. Martinson leg.; MSBA 81876–81879 . San Juan Co. • 1 ♂; S Bloomfield Hwy 550 Kutz Wash ; 36.64524 ° N, 108.00264 ° W; 18 March 2022; E. Martinson leg.; MSBA 81891 . Sandoval Co. • 4 ♀; N side Hwy 550, La Jara ; 36.0581873 ° N, 106.9749619 ° W; 31 May 2020; D. Hughes leg.; MSBA 81887–81890 . Santa Fe Co. • 5 ♀ 4 ♂, 1 gall; Tesuque E arroyo crossing Road 74 ; 35.77686 ° N, 105.92904 ° W; 7 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81934–81938 , MSBA 81941–81942 , USNMENT 02011090 – USNMENT 02011092 • 2 ♀; Tesuque E arroyo crossing Road 74 ; 35.77686 ° N, 105.92904 ° W; 5 May 2021; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81956–81957 • 4 ♀ 2 ♂; 1 mi SE Chupadero off St Rd 592 ; 35.814006 ° N, 105.907426 ° W; 7 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81943–81948 • 3 ♀ 4 ♂; Tesuque Arroyo Ancho and Meredith Dr on Tesuque Village Rd ; 35.752991 ° N, 105.934346 ° W; 7 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81949–81955 . Taos Co. • 2 ♀ 3 ♂; 3 mi N Ojo Caliente off Hwy 285 ; 36.33046 ° N, 106.00581 ° W; 14 May 2023; Q. Baine leg.; MSBA 81917–81921 • UT; Kane Co.; 1 ♀ 1 ♂; Coral Pink Sand Dunes ; 3 July 1966; E. J. Allen leg.; WFBM 0050980–0050981 .

Other material examined.

USA • NM; Alamosa Co.; 4 galls, 1 pupa; S Nageezi side of Pueblo Pintado Rd ; 36.21480 ° N, 107.69633 ° W; 23 May 2024; S. Rollins leg • 4 ♀ 3 ♂; Corner of Cortez Rd and Van Iwarden Dr , Alamosa; 37.43771 ° N, 105.88511 ° W; 14 May 2023; Q. Baine leg. • 3 larvae; San Luis State Wildlife Area, Lane 6 N ; 37.66256 ° N, 105.72293 ° W; 20 May 2021; E. Martinson leg.

Diagnosis.

This wing pattern of the adult A. luminaria can be distinguished most easily from both A. bigeloviae and A. trixa by the elongate hyaline spot in cell br, consistent dark brown region surrounding crossvein r-m, and lack of dark stripe in anal cell; it further from A. bigeloviae by lack of dark stripe in the postero-distal region of cell m and lack of medial dark stripe in cell cua 1 (frequently present in A. trixa also). It differs from the similar-looking A. maculata (Cole, 1919) and A. lutea (Coquillett, 1899) by the hyaline cell bc and hyaline basal region of cell br. The extent of bright orange on the abdomen of many A. luminaria specimens also distinguishes it from A. maculata which has a more red abdomen, and from A. bigeloviae and A. trixa which frequently have a dark orange, brown, or black abdomen. Genitalia structures are highly similar to that of A. bigeloviae , except perhaps for the rounded tips of the prensisetae which differ from illustrations in Steyskal (1984). However, Steyskal describes A. bigeloviae (at the time synonymized with A. trixa and A. semilucida ) as being highly variable in male terminalia characters, so this may or may not be reliably diagnostic. The gall can be distinguished from A. bigeloviae and A. maculata by the pointed, teardrop shape, and from all remaining galls in the genus by the thick layer of dense tomentum covering the surface (Fig. 2 ).

Description.

Female body length (minus terminalia) 6 mm.

Head (Fig. 4 E ) uniformly pale yellow except for occiput and narrow interocular margin grey and moderately pilose. Compound eye bright green, drying to dull red. Three pairs of frontal setae, two pairs of orbital setae, and one pair of ocellar setae present. All setae pale yellow in color matching frons in color. Antenna yellow with black arista.

Thorax. Scutum and dorsal portions of pleura dark gray in background color with pale gray pollinosity and dense pale yellow setulae making the scutum appear pale yellow-gray in color at a distance. Scutellum pale orange-brown at apex, narrowly gray at base. Subscutellum with anterior half pale yellow, posterior half and all of mediotergite black with pale gray pollinosity. Ventral part of pleura yellow-orange. The following setae are present, and pale yellow: basal scutellar, postalar, intra-alar, acrostichal, postsutural dorsocentral, presutral supra-alar, postsutural supra-alar, two notopleural, postpronotal, anepisternal, and katepisternal. Anepimeral seta indistinguishable from surrounding setulae. Legs wholly orange in color except for black tarsal claw and apical tarsal setae. Forefemur with elongate comb-like setae. Wing 4.2 mm in length. Costa pale orange. Setae narrowly present dorsally at junction of R 2 + 3 and vein R 4 + 5. Wing coloring is dark brown to black with the following hyaline regions: cell bc, base of cell br, two vertical bands in cell c, the proximal one extending posteriorly halfway into cell bm, two marginal spots in r 1 with apical spot extending into r 2 + 3, large (2 × wide as high) subapical spot in cell br, medial spot in cell bm, large basal and small apical spot in cell cua 1, subapical spot (1.5 × high as wide) in cell dm, entire cell cup except for narrowly at apex, alula, anal lobe, large basal marginal spot in cell m, and subapical band extending from posterior margin in cell m into cell r 4 + 5 reaching vein R 4 + 5. Halteres bright yellow.

Abdomen bright red-orange and shiny. Oviscape wholly black and shining. Eversible membrane brown, with shallowly semicircular cuticle denticles. Aculeus short (0.8 mm), notched at basal edge. Apical one third of aculeus with minute denticles covering medial edge (Fig. 5 A ).

Male body length (minus terminalia) 4 mm. Matching female in all respects except for terminalia. Epandrium black and shining, and proctiger pale yellow-orange. Surstylus pale brown, and prensisetae paired, bluntly rounded at the tips, and black. Phallus (1.25 mm long) and glans dark brown (Fig. 5 B ).

Variation. Ventral thoracic pleura (including episternum, meron, anatergite and katatergite) in darker morphs are black with gray pollinosity, as on the scutum. Abdomen color ranges from wholly orange, orange with black tergite 6 (5 in male), orange with lateral black spots on tergites 5 and 6 (4 and 5 in male), to mostly black with orange background in dark morphs of both sexes (Fig. 4 F – H ).

Immature. Second instar larva: Body white, elliptical-oblong and rounded on both anterior and posterior ends. Body segmented by rows of acanthae. Gnathocephalon conical and generally smooth. Mouth hook black and bidentate. Posterior spiracular plate with three pale brown rimae. Puparium: length 4.00 mm, width 1.62 mm. Dark brown, shining, elliptical-oblong, and rounded on both anterior and posterior ends. Anterior end with invagination scar and anterior thoracic spiracle. Posterior spiracular plate with spiracle darkened and flat.

Gall relatively large at maturity (7.24 mm mean latitudinal diameter), has a mostly rounded oblong to tapered teardrop shape and is covered uniformly in dense off-white cottony tomentum (Fig. 2 C ).

Biology.

Aciurina luminaria is univoltine and has a life cycle and phenology similar to A. bigeloviae and A. trixa ( Baine et al. 2023 a; 2023 b). Eggs are laid singly into the leaf bud of a distal plant stem. The gall forms at the oviposition site and the developing larva feeds on the tissue surrounding the central chamber of the gall. By fall, the gall reaches full size, and the larva reaches its final instar and chews to the outer layer of the gall to create a circular trap door. The larva ceases feeding and overwinters inside the gall, then pupates in the spring. Adults eclose in summer and push their way through the door to emerge from the gall and find a mate. The period of emergence from galls reared by these authors is May 29 th – June 28 th. The latest date of emergence in examined material from Utah is July 18 th (gall collected 3 July 1966).

Associated arthropods.

The most common parasitoid by far is Eurytoma chrysothamni ( Hymenoptera : Eurytomidae ). We reared very few unidentified Halticoptera , Pteromalus ( Pteromalidae ), and Torymus ( Torymidae ) wasps, which may be the same species as those associated with A. bigeloviae ( Baine et al. 2023 a) . We also observed and reared a small number of Rhopalomyia ( Diptera : Cecidomyiidae ) hypergalls on the surface of galls collected in northwestern New Mexico. The hypergall system has been previously documented on both A. bigeloviae ( Baine et al. 2023 b) and A. trixa ( Russo 2021) , but whether the midge species is the same is unknown. Unexpectedly, and unknown from other Aciurina systems, a single Synergus ( Hymenoptera : Cynipidae ) wasp was also reared.

Host plant.

The known host plant is strictly Ericameria nauseosa subsp. ammophila L. C. Anderson , which was described from the San Luis Valley in Colorado ( Anderson 2006). This plant is restricted to sandsheet and sand dune habitat and is known from southern Colorado ( Anderson 2006) and here we add to its range northern New Mexico. Floral specimens from galled plants in New Mexico are deposited in MSB Herbarium (UNM 0143677 – UNM 0143682). The host plant of material from Pink Sand Dunes, Utah is only identified as “ Chrysothamnus nauseosus ” [sic] and the host plants of gall observations in Arizona are unidentified.

Geographical range.

Beyond the localities of the examined material above, we have confirmed the presence of this species in some locations reported by Dodson and George (1986): Great Sand Dunes National Monument, CO, and near the cities Grants and Gallup, NM. We are aware of a specimen collected from Kanab, UT (A. Norrbom, pers. comm. Aug 2024). We are also able to definitively identify from photos the distinctive tomentum and shape of this gall on iNaturalist. Thus, the following localities are added to our own observations to the range of A. luminaria from public user observations: Petrified Forest National Park, AZ (obs. no. 2848593 & 112933554); Porcupine Spring, AZ (170773584); Brown’s Canyon, CO (151317053); Nageezi, NM (141568708); Aztec, NM (151553769); White Sands National Park, NM (199614395); and Kodachrome Basin State Park, UT (57095918).

Etymology.

The species epithet is a noun derived from the Spanish word for “ light ” which is specifically used in the southwest United States for small decorative lanterns traditionally displayed during the winter leading up to Christmas. We chose this epithet because the shape of this species’ gall is similar to that of a small flame on a candle, like those inside luminarias. Furthermore, this species’ galls are easiest to find when they are mature, and after the host leaves have dropped, so they are also associated with display in wintertime in the Southwest. The tradition of luminarias is common and adored in New Mexico, the type locality of this species. We elected to use the more widespread term luminaria over northern New Mexico regionally specific “ farolito ” because the species’ range extends into other regions in the West.

Figures

Figure 2. Galls of A. luminaria and A. bigeloviae A immature A. luminaria galls B internal view of immature A. luminaria gall with early instar larva burrowing into the stem while gall develops C mature A. luminaria galls D internal view of mature A. luminaria gall with full-sized larval chamber E mature A. bigeloviae galls F internal view of A. bigeloviae gall with a mature larva in the larval chamber. Side by side comparison of A. bigeloviae (left) and A. luminaria (right) tomentum texture and uniformity G external view H internal view.

Figure 4. Aciurina luminaria sp. nov. A holotype lateral habitus B allotype lateral habitus. Difference in eye color is a result of the age of mounted specimen C holotype dorsal habitus D allotype dorsal habitus E holotype head, anterior F holotype abdomen, dorsal G – H variation in dorsal abdomen color G mostly orange morph H dark morph.

Figure 5. Aciurina luminaria terminalia A female B male.