Ophiomyia maura (Meigen)

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

Ophiomyia maura (Meigen)

Figs 372-376

Agromyza maura Meigen, 1838: 7.

Agromyza curvipalpis Zetterstedt. Misidentification, in part. Frost 1924: 41.

Ophiomyia bicornis Kaltenbach, 1869: 195; Hendel 1920: 130 [as synonym of Ophiomyia curvipalpis ], 1931: 188 (as synonym Ophiomyia maura ).

Agromyza affinis Malloch, 1913: 317; Hendel 1920: 130 [as synonym of Agromyza curvipalpis ], 1931: 188 (as synonym of Agromyza maura ).

Ophiomyia maura . Hendel 1920: 130 [as synonym of Ophiomyia curvipalpis ], 1931: 188 [also includes O. pulicaria Braschnikow, A. curvipalpis and Agromyza texana Frost as synonyms]; Frick 1952: 382, 1959: 370; Sasakawa 1961: 358; Spencer 1969: 89; Papp and Černý 2015: 323; Scheffer and Lonsdale 2018: 86; Eiseman and Lonsdale 2018: 21.

Ophiomyia curvipalpis . Hendel 1920: 130.

Ophiomyia asteris Kuroda, 1954: 82. Sasakawa 1961 [synonymy].

Description.

Wing length 1.8-2.0 mm (♂) 2.0-2.1 mm (♀). Length of ultimate section of vein M4 divided by penultimate section: 0.7-1.1. Eye height divided by gena height: 6.2-7.8. Eye slightly oblique, but still relatively round. Arista short pubescent. Ocellar triangle nearly reaching level of posterior ori. Ocellar plate narrow. Facial carina well-developed, medially with smooth, subshiny, ovate bulb; carina above bulb as wide as bulb, with shallow medial groove continuing onto lunule; lunule height subequal to width of carina dorsally. Genal process nearly as long as high, forming an approximate 60° angle. Clypeus with arms bowed inwards anteriorly, meeting at small subquadrate anteromedial extension that is shallowly concave anteriorly and with one pair of minute anterolateral points. Crossveins separated by length of dm-m or slightly less.

Chaetotaxy: Male vibrissal fasciculus thick and upcurved, ~ 2/3 length of gena. Two ori (sometimes one additional ori present on one side); two ors. Two dorsocentral setae, anterior seta ~ 4/5 length of posterior. Acrostichal setulae in six scattered rows. Mid tibia with one or no posteromedial setae.

Colouration: Setae black. Body dark brown, including halter. Calypter, including margin, light brown; hairs dark brown; ocellar triangle and ocellar plate paler brown.

Genitalia: (Figs 372-376 ) Metepiphallus pale and narrow with one pair of ventromedial spines. Epiphallic lobes clear with dark sclerite. Epandrium shallow, venter slightly curved anteriorly, fused to surstylus. Surstylus small, short, subtriangular, with tubercle-like setae in three rows that narrow to one anteriorly. Hypandrium subtriangular with pointed apex and bowed basal arms. Phallophorus with narrower, darker base, short dorsum, and higher, longer venter; seen ventrally, venter with one pair of dark ridges. Basiphallus with weak, short left lateral arm connected basally to longer, better-defined right lateral arm that does not reach level of mesophallus. Mesophallus narrow, cylindrical, inserted ventromedially into larger distiphallus; base of mesophallus approximately level with base of distiphallus. Base of distiphallus (overlapping mesophallus) with broad, laterally bulging anterior section that abruptly narrows to a small rounded point apically; basal section with minute divots towards apex and several small internal spinules in right anterolateral section; basal section with broad opening dorsally bearing characteristic large flared membranous fold that encompasses broad, curved, strongly produced plate; distal section of distiphallus with distinct sclerotised medial tubule that is flanked ventrally by one pair of weakly differentiated and minutely textured hemispheres. Ejaculatory apodeme with short, narrow stem emerging from wide asymmetrical base that continues onto pale, irregularly sclerotised blade that is atrophied to one side; sperm pump with dark transverse bar ventrally.

Host.

Asteraceae - Aster , Callistephus , Doellingeria (?), Erigeron , Eurybia , Euthamia , Oclemena , Solidago , Symphyotrichum ( Benavent-Corai et al. 2005; Eiseman and Lonsdale 2018; Ellis 2021). Possibly Eupatorium ( Spencer 1990).

Distribution.

Canada: NB*, QC*. USA: CT, DE*, MA, MD*, ME, NY, VA*, VT; possibly also CO, MN, OH ( Eiseman and Lonsdale 2018). Europe. Northeastern China. Turkey. Japan. Canary Islands. Oman. Yemen

Type material.

Holotype [affinis]: USA. MD: Glen Echo, 3.vi.1898, R.P. Currie (1♀, USNM).

Holotype [ Ophiomyia asteris ]: Japan. Honshu: Kantō, Yokohama, 24.v.1938, leaf miner in Aster indicus L., M. Kuroda (1♀, BLTJ).

Syntypes [ Ophiomyia bicornis ]: Germany. [not given]. (Type data unknown)

Syntypes [maura]: Germany. [not given]. (Types lost).

Additional material examined.

Estonia. Tallinn , 18.vii.1995, M. v.Tschirnhaus, ex Solidago (1♂, CNC) . Canada. NB: Kouchibouguac National Park , 46°48'49.90"N, 64°55'40.02"W, 22.v.1977, Hanley and Cooper, Code - 5111O, CNC758931 (1♀, CNC), 23.v.1977, Code - 5113Q, CNC758930 (1♂, CNC), QC: Old Chelsea, 45°30'0.40"N, 75°48'52.80"W, 30.v.1952, J.F. McAlpine, CNC758932 (1♂, CNC) . USA. CT: Litchfield Co., Canaan , 21.vii.2015, em. 29.vii.2015, C. Vispo, ex Solidago canadensis , #CSE2168, CNC564684 (1♀, CNC), DE: Newark , 1.vii.1974 (1♂, USNM), MA: Berkshire Co. , Lenox , Parsons Marsh , 20.vi.2017, em. 24.vi.2017, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago patula , #CSE3853, CNC939713 (1♂, CNC), Franklin Co. , Montague , Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area , 8.vi.2017, em. 21.vi.2017, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago arguta , #CSE3843, CNC939720 (1♂, CNC), Northfield , 276 Old Wendell Rd. , 10.x.2016, em. 19.iv.2017, C.S. Eiseman, ex Eurybia divaricata , #CSE3524, CNC939673 (1♂, CNC), 2.vii.2017, em. 15.vii.2017, ex Euthamia graminifolia , #CSE3956, CNC939661 (1♂, CNC), Hampshire Co. , Pelham , Butter Hill , 21.vi.2013, em. 24.vi.2013, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago caesia , #CSE591 (2♀, CNC), South Hadley , near Lithia Springs Reservoir , 11.v.2016, em. 2.vi.2016, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago arguta , #CSE2536 (1♀, CNC), Middlesex Co. , Shirley , 42.556117, -71.613381, 3.viii.2017, em. 9.viii.2017, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago gigantea , #CSE4095, CNC939727, CNC9397278 (1♂ 1♀, CNC), Nantucket Co. , Nantucket, Gardner Farm, 13.vi.2013, em. 24.vi.2013, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago latissimifolia , #CSE600 (1♀, CNC), Nantucket, Squam Swamp, 12.vi.2013, em. 26-30.vi.2013, C.S. Eiseman, ex Solidago latissimifolia , #CSE609, CNC384817, CNC384818 (1♂ 1♀, CNC), ME: Knox Co. , Camden, Bald Mountain , 5.x.2013, C.S. Eiseman, ex. Oclemena acuminata em. 20.iii.2014, #CSE1011, CNC384784 (1♂, CNC), VA: Montgomery Co. , Christiansburg, 2.vi.1962, J.G. Chillcott (1♂, CNC), VT: Chittenden Co. , South Burlington, Winooski Gorge, 29.vi.2014, ex. Solidago flexicaulis , em. 10.vii.2014, C.S. Eiseman, #CSE1167, CNC384885 (1♂, CNC) .

Comments.

While relatively indistinct externally, the male genitalia of Ophiomyia maura are more diagnostic: the epiphallic lobes are clear with a dark basal sclerite; the distiphallus is relatively large and well-sclerotised with a dark anterodorsal tubule, it has a transverse dorsomedial “shelf” that is only slightly curved, and there are two minutely tuberculate distoventral hemispheres; the phallophorus has two sclerotised ridges that are obvious when viewed ventrally. It is quite similar in North America to O. carolinensis Spencer, O. parda Eiseman and Lonsdale and O. quinta Spencer, all of which now have small indicators on the distiphallus that reveal identity: O. carolinensis has a small basal protuberance on the distiphallus ( Spencer and Steyskal 1986b: figs 260, 261) and a darker, broader, more distinct anterodorsal process emerging from the distiphallus, and O. parda and O. quinta have an inner-medial plate projecting dorsally that is long and more strongly curved ( Eiseman and Lonsdale 2018: figs 254, 255). Also see discussion in Eiseman and Lonsdale (2018).

Figures

Figures 372 - 376. Ophiomyia maura (Meigen), male genitalia 372 external genitalia, left lateral 373 hypandrium, ventral 374 ejaculatory apodeme 375 phallus, ventral 376 phallus, left lateral.