Calycomyza verbenae ( Hering, 1951 )

Monteiro, Nilton Juvencio Santiago, Barbosa, Rodrigo Rendeiro & Esposito, Maria Cristina, 2019, Agromyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora) in the state of Pará: new species and new records in Brazil, Zootaxa 4624 (2), pp. 151-182 : 169

Calycomyza verbenae ( Hering, 1951)

Dizygomyza verbenae Hering, 1951: 42 .

Phytobia (Calycomyza) verbenae, Frick, 1956: 300 ; Spencer, 1963: 349.

Calycomyza verbenae, Esposito, 1994: 116 .

Diagnosis. Wing length 1.8 mm. Fronto-orbital predominantly yellowish, brown to upper fronto-orbital seta; face black; pedicel brown; legs brown; calypter greyish with margin black, fringe black. Aedeagus (Fig. 70a and 70b in Spener 1963): basiphallus slightly sclerotized, with two extensions distally; mesophallus slightly elongated, about 1.5 times the length of distiphallus, enlarged basally and with distal end bent ventrally in lateral view; distiphallus short, forming two short tubules covered by a pair of plates.

Host-plants. Verbenaceae— Glandularia bipinnatifida (Nutt.) , Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl , Verbena brasiliensis Vell. , Verbena neomexicana (A. Gray) Small , Verbena urticifolia L.

Distribution. Brazil, USA.

Material examined. Brazil, Pará state, Salvaterra: 0º47′03.8″S, 48º38′08.8″W, 23-II-93, M.C. Esposito [col- lector], ex leaf of Stachytarpheta cayennensis (2 ♂) .

Comments. This species is similar to Calycomyza durante Spencer, C. bahamarum , and C. lantanae , and is differentiated from the latter two primarily by the black face, the coloration of the calypter fringe, the coloration of fronto-orbital, and the male genitalia. Calycomyza verbenae and Calycomyza lantanae are morphologically similar, distinguished primarily by the aedeagus. Calycomyza lantanae presents a mesophallus sliglithly longer than C. verbenae (twice the length of distiphallus), the tubulues of distiphallus completely covered by a plate (not covered basal and distally in C. verbenae ). Larvae are miners of Verbenaceae , forming blotches on the surface of the leaf.