Liriomyza deceptiva (Malloch)

Lonsdale, Owen, 2021, Manual of North American Agromyzidae (Diptera, Schizophora), with revision of the fauna of the " Delmarva " states, ZooKeys 1051, pp. 1-481 : 1

Liriomyza deceptiva (Malloch)

Agromyza deceptiva Malloch, 1918a: 78.

Liriomyza deceptiva . Frick 1952a: 402, 1959: 403; Spencer and Steyskal 1986b: 286.

Description.

Wing length 2.0-2.2 mm (♀). Male unknown. Length of ultimate section of vein M4 divided by penultimate section: 1.2. Eye height divided by gena height: 2.6. First flagellomere small with anterodorsal margin angulate. Ocellar triangle and parafacial shiny, parafacial broad and projecting, cheek pronounced. Ocellar tubercle slightly shifted forward, leaving gap between posterior margin and postocellars.

Chaetotaxy: Setae relatively thin. Three ori (relatively close to anterior margin of frons); one ors; five fronto-orbitals in holotype. Approximately six scattered rows of acrostichal setuae. Four dorsocentral setae, anterior two pairs very reduced, but larger than surrounding setulae.

Colouration: Frons orange, becoming darker to posterior margin; tubercle surrounded by large brown spot; face brownish to venter; clypeus, lower margin of gena and back of head brown; remainder of head yellow with "orbits glossy black" in holotype. Scutum and laterotergites dark brown and shiny with postpronotum, notopleuron and small supra-alar spot yellow. Scutellum yellow with lateral corner brown. Calypter margin and hairs dark. Pleuron brown. Legs yellow with tibiae, tarsi, and dorsal margin of coxae brown. Abdomen dark brown.

Distribution.

USA: IL, VA. Frick (1952a) notes the presence of this species in VT, but later ( Frick 1959) notes that only two females from IL and VA are known.

Host.

Unknown.

Type material.

Holotype: USA. IL: Alto Pass, 8.v.1917, J.R. Malloch (1♀, INHS). [Not examined]

Material examined.

USA. VA: Chain Bridge , 23.iv.1922, J.R. Malloch (1♀, USNM) .

Comments.

Liriomyza deceptiva differs from most Liriomyza in having a darker pleuron and head, gracile setae, a clustering of three ori on the anterior margin of the frons and an unusual shape of the head. This unusual combination of characters led Spencer and Steyskal (1986b) to speculate that the species instead belongs to Amauromyza , which should be confirmed by dissection when males are located.