The leaf-miner Nemorimyza Frey, 1946 in the Neotropical region: key to species and first record of Nemorimyza posticata (Meigen, 1830) from Brazil (Diptera, Agromyzidae)

ABSTRACT

Nemorimyza Frey, 1946 (Diptera, Agromyzidae) is a genus of leaf-miner flies, with only five known species, some potentially polyphagous. Nemorimyza posticata (Meigen, 1830) is recorded from Brazil here for the first time. We provide a diagnosis of this species, including images of the male terminalia. We also provide a key for the five Neotropical species of the genus Nemorimyza, with host and distribution information for each species.

Keywords:
Leaf-mining; Morphology; Northeastern Brazil; Taxonomy

Introduction

Nemorimyza Frey, 1946 was first described as a monotypic subgenus of Dizygomyza Hendel, 1920, including only Nemorimyza posticata (Meigen, 1830). Nemorimyza was later treated as a subgenus of PhytobiaLioy, 1864 by Frick (1959), and Nowakowski (1962) treated it as genus based on its distinctive male genitalia. More recently, Zlobin (1996) observed morphological and biological similarities between Nemorimyza and three species previously included in the Amauromyza Hendel, 1931 subgenus, Annimyzella Spencer, 1981, recombining them as N. maculosa (Malloch, 1913), N. fuscibasis (Malloch, 1913) and N. rachograndensis (Spencer, 1973).

All Nemorimyza species are present in the Neotropical region, with N. posticata and N. maculosa extending far outside of the region (Boucher, 2010). The other species, N. pterocaula (Valladares, 1998), N. fucibasis and N. ranchograndensis are distributed in South America countries (Martinez and Etienne, 2002). Only two Nemorimyza had been previously registered in Brazil: N. maculosa and N. fuscibasis, both in São Paulo (Spencer, 1963). Recently, Monteiro et al. (2019) also recorded N. maculosa in Pará state.

Most Nemorimyza species have been associated with Asteraceae hosts, a large number of genera in this family were registered, some with more than one species (e.g. Solidago L. and Symphyotrichum Nees). The leaf-miner N. posticata has been considered a polyphagous species, although Mlynarek and Heard (2018) indicated with molecular data that it is actually a complex of more host-specific lineages. N. posticata is a common leaf-miner on Solidago canadensis L., a native plant in North America that is cultivated in Europe (Spencer and Stegmaier, 1973). This fly was recorded from several states in the United States on different hosts of Asteraceae (Eiseman and Lonsdale, 2018). The larvae form large irregular blotch mines (Spencer and Stegmaier, 1973; Mlynarek et al., 2016) and the liquid frass is brown, scattered or concentrated in the center of the leaves (Eiseman and Lonsdale, 2018).

In this paper, we record N. posticata from Brazil and we provide images of adults and terminalia of the male. A key to the identification of the five Neotropical species of Nemorimyza is also presented.

Material and methods

The material was collected with Malaise trap in Guaraciaba do Norte, in Ceará state of Northeast of Brazil. Male terminalia was dissected and macerated in hot 10% KOH for 30 minutes, immersed in glacial acetic acid for neutralizing KOH and then placed in slides with glycerin for dissection and analysis under optical microscope. To identification of species, we compared with diagnosis and illustrations present in Spencer and Stegmaier (1973), Spencer and Steyskal (1986) and Zlobin (1996). As well as for provide the complete diagnosis (e.g. using information about female, that were not analyzed) and for elaboration of the key, the characters were taken from these literatures.

The adult was photographed using a Leica M205 C with software version 4.8.0. Digital images of the male terminalia were made using an optical microscope NIKONECLIPSE E200 MV R, with the software Zen 2 (version 2.0). Terminology followed Cumming and Wood (2017), except “ori” for inferior orbital setae and “ors” for superior orbital setae as in Lonsdale (2011). All material was deposited at the Diptera collection of Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ), part mounted on entomological pins and part immersed in absolute alcohol (MNRJ-ENT1-67203-67208).

Results

Taxonomy

Genus Nemorimyza Frey

According to Zlobin (1996) (see to consult complete diagnosis), some characteristics can define the genus Nemorimyza, as: general color black; lunule often with silvery or greyish pubescence; three dorsocentral postsutural setae, presutural sometimes present; Fore tibia with a lateral seta; epandrium and surstylus without black spines; surstylus entirely separated from epandrium by a suture.

Key to the species of Nemorimyza Frey

1. 1

   Dorsocentral presutural seta absent; abdomen partially yellow in male; distiphallus not bifid at end (Figures 2C, D)...……...……………………..…....…..N. posticata (Meigen)

   

   Figure 2
   (A-E)Nemorimyza posticata (Meigen), adult male terminalia: (A) cercal plate; (B) postgonite; (C) phallus, ventral view; (D) phallus, lateral view; (E) ejaculatory apodeme. Scale bars: 0.01 mm.
   

• Dorsocentral presutural seta present; abdomen entirely blackish in male; distiphallus bifid at end………………………………...………………….…………………...............2

1. 2

   Calypter fringe white to silvery.......................................................................................3

• Calypter fringe black……………………………………...………………………...…...4

1. 3

   Wing length 2.1 mm in male; halteres white, with an oval black spot above……………………………………………………………….N. maculosa (Malloch)

• Wing length 2.8 mm in male; halteres entirely black……...…N. pterocaula (Valladares)

1. 4

   Frontal setae long; acrostichal setae in three rows…………..….N. fuscibasis (Malloch)

• Frontal setae short; acrostichal setae in six rows………...N. ranchograndensis (Spencer)

Nemorimyza posticata (Meigen, 1830) (Figures 1, 2)

Figure 1
(A-D)Nemorimyza posticata (Meigen), adult male: (A) lateral view; (B) dorsal view; (C) head, frontal view; (D) abdomen, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Holotype ♂ in Muséum National D’histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Agromyza posticataMeigen, 1830: 172

Agromyza virgauriaeKaltenbach, 1869: 195. (Syn. Hendel, 1920).

Agromyza terminalisCoquillett, 1895: 318. (Syn. established by Malloch 1913: 309).

Agromyza taeniolaCoquillett, 1904: 191. (Syn. established by Malloch, 1913: 309)

Agromyza parvicornis (Loew, 1869: 49). (misidentification, in part. Melander, 1913: 254)

Dizygomyza (Dendromyza) posticataHendel, 1927: 30

Dizygomyza (Nemorimyza) posticataFrey, 1946: 42.

Phytobia (Phytobia) posticataFrick, 1952: 390

Phytobia (Nemorimyza) posticataFrick, 1959: 377; Sasakawa, 1961: 363 (details of the male and female terminalia)

Nemorimyza posticata Nowakowisk, 1962: 97 (new comb.); Stone et al., 1965: 798 (catalogue); Spencer, 1969: 161 (new record); Spencer, 1972: 63 (diagnosis); Spencer, 1973: 328 (comments); Spencer, 1976: 308; Spencer, 1981: 162 (diagnosis); Spencer, 1983: 53 (new record); Spencer, 1990: 278 (figures); Spencer and Stegmaier, 1973: 95 (diagnosis); Spencer and Steyskal, 1986: 87 (synopsis and new record); Sasakawa, 1992: 27 (new record); Zlobin, 1996: 275; Martinez and Etienne, 2002: 40 (list); Benavent-Corai et al., 2005: 32 (list of host plant); Kahanpää, 2014: 298 (new record); Mlynarek et al., 2016: 220 (DNA identification ); Scheffer and Lonsdale, 2018: 81 (mine figure); Eiseman and Lonsdale, 2018: 62 (records in the US); Mlynarek and Heard, 2018: 888 (host associations); Černý and Bächli, 2018: 127 (new record).

Material examined. BRASIL, CE, Guaraciaba do Norte, 6♂, 24.v-12vii.2017, Malaise trap 04°54’27.7”S 037°20’42.3”W 841 m, Sousa, V.R. col. in MNRJ (MNRJ-ENT1-67203-67208).

Diagnosis. Wing length 2.1-2.7 mm (♂), 3.3 mm (♀); lunule small, semicircular, broader than a long; gena narrow, 1/10 height of eye. Chaetotaxy. Two ors upcurved, two ori inner curved; one row of fronto-orbital setulae; arista minutely pubescent; 0+3 strong dorsocentral setae; acrostichal setulae in 6 rows; prescutellar setae well developed; two pairs of strong scutellar setae, one at base and one apically; fore tibiae with one small median seta; mid tibiae with 2 strong median setae. Coloration. Body predominantly dark brown; antenna entirely dark brown; arista brown; frons opaque dark brown; fronto-orbital plate shining dark black; lunule silvery (Figure 1C); clypeus and palpi dark brown; labellum yellow; mesonotum and scutellum shining dark brown; calypter with margin and fringe silvery to white; halters light yellow; legs dark brown, with fore and mid knees yellow tinged; abdomen slightly shiny brown, with T5 yellow, brown tinged at base, T6 and terminalia yellow (Figure 1D). Male terminalia. Epandrium rounded; subepandrial sclerite with a pair of strong spines, downward directed; cerci not too long, with a long seta apically; surstylus separated from epandrium by a suture, with long setae and about 12 spines (Figure 2A); postgonite well sclerotized, with a prominence and one seta basally (Figure 2B); hypandrium U-shaped, with large arms; basiphallus tubular; mesophallus forming an arc in lateral view; distiphallus well sclerotizated, with a distinct shape (Figures 2C, D); ejaculatory apodeme short, slightly enlarged at apice and narrow at base, sperm pump bulbous, membranous but sclerotized near to base of blade (Figure 2E).

Host-plants. The adults of this species have been reared from 39 species of Asteraceae, including: Aster amellus L., A. bellidiastrum (L.), Baccharis halimifolia L., Buphthalmum salicifolium L., Bellidiastrum michelii Cass., Doellingeria umbellata (Mill.) Nees, Elephantopus carolinianus Raeusch., E. elatus Bertol., Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. Ex, Erichtites hieraciifolia (L.), Euthamia graminifolia (L.) Nutt., Helianthus L., Oclemena acuminata (Michx.) Greene, Polymnia canadensis L., Solidago sp., Solidago altissima L., S. bicolor L., S. caesia L., S. canadensis L., S. flexicaulis L., S. gigantea Ait., S. juncea Aiton, S. latissimifolia Mill., S. nemoralis Aiton, S. puberula Nutt., S. rugosa Mill., S. sempervirens L., S. tortifolia Elliott, S. virgaurea L., Symphyotrichum cordifolium (L.) G.L. Nesom, S. laeve (L.) Á. Löve& D. Löve, S. lanceolatum (Willd.) G.L.Nesom, S. lateriflorum (L.) Á. Löve& D. Löve, S. novae-angliae (L.) G.L. Nesom, S. puniceum (L.) Á. Löve& D. Löve, S. undulatum (L.) G.L. Nesom, Verbesina virginica L., Vernonia baldwinii Torr. and V. gigantea (Walter) Trel. It has also been reared from one species of Lamiaceae: Teucrium canadense L. (The information about the host plants was taken from Mlynarek et al., 2016; Mlynarek and Heard, 2018; Scheffer and Lonsdale, 2018; Eiseman and Lonsdale, 2018)

Distribution.North America: Canada and United States; Central America: Costa Rica; South America: Brazil (new record) and Venezuela; Europe: Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland; Asia: China and Japan. (list provide by Černý and Bächli, 2018).

Comments. The examined specimens of N. posticata from Brazil present small differences from specimens registered in other regions, for example, the calypter fringe is white, while Spencer and Stegmaier, 1973 mentioned fringe silvery in specimens from Florida and Costa Rica. The base of the distiphallus is more triangular (e.g. specimens from Florida (Spencer and Stegmaier, 1973) and California (Spencer, 1981). N. posticata is morphologically similar to N. maculosa, but differs by the absence of presutural dorsocentral seta; male T5, T6 and the terminalia yellow and by the phallus as a single distinct ornamented tube, not bifid. N. posticata was previously recorded in the Neotropical Region from Florida, Costa Rica (Spencer and Stegmaier, 1973) and Venezuela (Sasakawa, 1992). The species is also recorded in the Nearctic (Spencer, 1969), Palearctic and Oriental regions (Martinez and Etienne, 2002).

The presence of N. posticata also in Brazil, shows the wide biogeographic range of this species, suggesting that it is a potential species for population studies, since it may become a pest in the future. Unfortunately, the host plant of this species in Brazil is still unknown, so we encourage further studies in order to discover this interaction.

Acknowledgements

VRS is grateful to CNPq for the postdoctoral support (process nr 160112/2019-2, “Estudos taxonômicos fundamentais para a ampliação do conhecimento de Agromyzidae (Insecta: Diptera) do Brasil”) and MSC is grateful to CNPq (process nr 303414/2018-9 – “Sistemática e biologia de Diptera Neotropicais com enfoque nas famílias Muscidae, Fanniidae, Anthomyiidae, Bombyliidae, Cecidomyiidae, Agromyzidae e Ephydridae”) and to FAPERJ (process nr E-26/202-875/2017) for the financial support. We thank Dr. Stephanie Boucher (McGill University, Quebec, Canada) for the help with the bibliographic references and MSc. Caio Cezar Dias Corrêa (Museu Nacional, UFRJ) for the images of the adults. License SISBIO number: 54927 in the “Espécies pragas de Agromyzidae (Insecta, Diptera) em plantas cultivadas no Nordeste do Brasil: taxonomia, abordagem molecular e flutuação populacional sob efeito das variáveis climáticas” project.

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Edited by

Associate Editor: Sarah Oliveira

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  23 Aug 2021
• Date of issue
  2021

History

• Received
  18 Feb 2021
• Accepted
  21 July 2021