Liriomyza Mik

Agrophila Lioy, 1864. Type species Agromyza strigata Meigen, 1830 (as Agromyza exilis Meigen 1830), by subsequent designation (Coquillett 1910). Preoccupied by Boisduval 1840 [ Noctuidae]. Frick 1952a [synonymy].

Liriomyza Mik, 1894: 289. Type species: Liriomyza urophorina Mik, 1894, by monotypy. Spencer and Steyskal 1986: 107; Zlobin 1996: 277, 1999: 129; Lonsdale 2011: 18 [California], 2017: 17 [Canada].

Antineura Melander, 1913: 249. Type species: Antineura togata Melander, 1913: 249, by original designation. Preoccupied by Osten Sacken (1881) [ Platystomatidae].

Haplomyza Hendel, 1914: 73. Type species: Antineura togata Melander, 1913: 250, by automatic designation. Replacement name for Antineura . Steyskal, 1980 [synonymy].

Praspedomyza Hendel, 1931: 77. Type species: Dizygomyza approximata Hendel, 1920: 135, by original designation. Nowakowski 1962 [synonymy].

Craspedomyza . Misspelling. Enderlein, 1936: 181.

Triticomyza Blanchard, 1938: 358. Type species: cruciata Blanchard, 1938, by original designation. Frick 1952a: 397 [as syn. Cerodontha]; Spencer 1963: 331 [as synonym of Cerodontha], 1982: 25 [as syn. Liriomyza].

Galiomyza Spencer, 1981: 288. Type species: Agromyza morio Brischke, 1881, by original designation. Spencer and Steyskal 1986b: 136; Papp and Černý 2017: 28. Lonsdale 2017 [synonymy].

Liriomyza is a widespread and diverse genus encountered with relative frequency. Most species can be readily diagnosed by a dark brown notum with yellow shoulders and a sharply defined yellow medial stripe on the scutellum, and sometimes a stridulatory file anterolaterally in the male abdominal membrane (Fig. 107). Much emphasis was previously placed on the presence of this stridulatory organ in the definition of Liriomyza (von Tschirnhaus 1971), but its presence is inconsistent across the genus, difficult to observe when present, and its real phylogenetic importance is yet to be fully appreciated. Definition of the genus is unfortunately somewhat nuanced at the moment. As discussed in Lonsdale (2011, 2017) and Zlobin (1996), species of many other genera superficially resemble Liriomyza, or are indistinguishable from Liriomyza species externally, and a number of Liriomyza depart from the “typical” colour form described above. These species are either predominantly dark on the thorax and sometimes the head, such as those species previously treated as Galiomyza, or they have reduced chaetotaxy and venation and/or pale grey pruinosity on the thorax, resembling Haplopeodes, or they are predominantly yellow, as in some Phytoliriomyza . The genus is presently defined solely by a male genitalic character that is consistently present: an ejaculatory duct that is both swollen and pigmented apically. A single genitalic character is clearly not ideal in the definition of a genus, and it is hoped that ongoing phylogenetic work can provide additional characters by clarifying Liriomyza 's position with respect to related groups, ideally characters that are visible externally in both sexes.

Liriomyza contains many of the most pestiferous species of Agromyzidae, the Nearctic species of which were discussed by Lonsdale (2011), who provided a list of host genera. Of these pests, only L. brassicae (Riley), L. sativae Blanchard and L. trifolii (Burgess) occur in the eastern United States.

In addition to the species redescribed below, Spencer and Steyskal (1986) listed Liriomyza endiviae Hering as occurring in Maryland and Washington State. The Maryland record is represented only by observations of empty leaf mines in Lactuca, and since species identity cannot be verified and may have been in error, L. endiviae is here not considered to occur in the eastern United States. All other Nearctic specimens previously identified as L. endiviae were examined by Lonsdale (2017) and have been determined to belong to another species, most likely L. taraxaci .