Liriomyza valerianivora Eiseman & Lonsdale 2018, spec. nov.

Liriomyza valerianivora spec. nov.

(Figs. 33–34, 156, 299–302)

Holotype. MASSACHUSETTS: Worcester Co., Ashburnham, 42.632197, -71.908000, 22.ix.2016, em. x– 1. xi.2016, C.S. Eiseman, ex Valeriana officinalis, #CSE3060, CNC668290 (1♂).

Paratype. MASSACHUSETTS: same collection as holotype, CNC 668289 (1♀).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the host plant, Valeriana L.

Hosts. Caprifoliaceae: Valeriana officinalis L.

Leaf mine. (Fig. 156) Whitish, entirely linear, with frass in long black strips and beaded strips along the sides.

Puparium. (Fig. 33) Yellow-orange; formed outside the mine.

Distribution. USA: MA.

Adult description. Wing length approximately 2.0mm (♂) (poor condition, coated with residue), 2.2mm (♀). Length of ultimate section of vein CuA1 divided by penultimate section: 2.8. Eye height divided by gena height: 8.4. First flagellomere small, rounded. Arista short pubescent. Notum shining.

Chaetotaxy: Two ors, two ori in female; male with additional third anterior ori nearly as long as following seta. Ocellar and postvertical setae subequal to ors. Four dorsocentral setae, decreasing in length anteriorly, most markedly so on anterior two. Approximately five rows of acrostichal setulae.

Coloration: (Fig. 34) Setae dark brown. Head yellow with small triangular spot surrounding tubercle, posterolateral corner of frons to midway between vertical setae, back of head excluding venter and clypeus dark brown; antenna deeper yellow. Scutum with complete lateral yellow stripe with dark spot on postpronotum and brownish supra-alar spot. Scutellum dark brown laterally. Mediotergite dark brown, anatergite brown with posterodorsal corner yellowish, katatergite yellow with posteroventral region brown. Pleuron mostly yellow; anepisternum with large oblique anteroventral stripe and narrow line along ventral 3/5 of posterior margin; anepimeron mottled brown; meron brown with dorsum yellow; katepisternum with large ventral spot not reaching level of seta and with brown line along posterodorsal margin. Calypter margin and hairs brown. Haltere yellow. Legs yellow with coxae brown on basal 2/5, mid and hind coxae also brown mottled, tibiae and tarsi dark brown with fore tibia paler and base of all tibiae yellowish. Abdominal tergites dark brown with lateral margins on each segment and medial line on tergite 2 yellow; epandrium dark brown.

Genitalia: (Figs. 299–302) Surstylus with two spines on left side and three on right. Phallophorus short ventrally, long and thick dorsally. Basiphallus sclerotized along left lateral and dorsoapical surfaces with left distal margin produced. Hypophallus rod-like with apical hair. Paraphallus small, narrow. Mesophallus fused to distiphallus, with pale raised carina emerging from ventral suture, more thickly sclerotized laterally and dorsally. Distiphallus thicker laterally and dorsally, excluding short apical chamber enclosing one pair of very short fringed tubules; bulging medially, receding ventrobasally. Ejaculatory apodeme large and well-developed, with broad, marginally thicker blade, narrow, paler stem and narrow base; sperm pump with one pair of lateral sclerotized crescents.

Comments. Liriomyza valerianivora is a shining species with two or three ori, a dark posterolateral spot on the frons nearly reaching the inner vertical, there are approximately five rows of acrostichal setulae, the anepisternum has a strong, oblique stripe and the femorae are yellow. The surstylus has two or three spines (Fig. 300), the mesophallus is fused to the distiphallus (Figs 301, 302), both of which are thickly sclerotized laterally and dorsally, and the distiphallus has a clear apical chamber enclosing one pair of very short fringed processes. The fused mesophallus and distiphallus are similar to those seen in many Liriomyza, but in these the relative proportion and pigmentation of these structures differ and there are additional differences in at least one of the other above features.

The new species will key to Liriomyza pistilla Lonsdale using Lonsdale (2017), which is similar externally and genitalically, but in the latter species, the inner vertical is reached by the lateral brown spot, the wing is shorter (1.4–1.8mm), the anepisternum is more widely brown, the bases of the femora are brown, the mesophallus and distiphallus are hardly discernible, and they form a larger, thicker, darker composite structure.

This is the first North American record of a Liriomyza species from Valeriana; Phytomyza kluanensis (Griffiths) occurs on this genus in western Canada (Griffiths 1974c). Although V. officinalis is introduced from Europe, V. uliginosa (Torr. & A. Gray) Rydb. is native to northeastern North America and may also serve as a host for this fly.