Liriomyza smilacinae Spencer

Liriomyza smilacinae Spencer Figs 80–82 Liriomyza smilacinae Spencer 1969: 186. Spencer 1981: 273; Spencer & Steyskal 1986: 135. Wing length 1.8mm (♂), 1.8–1.9mm (♀). Length of ultimate section of vein CuA 1 divided by penultimate section: 2.0–2.5. Eye height divided by gena height: 2.3–4.0. Scutum with greyish pruinosity. Parafacial, cheek and orbital plate projecting. Epistoma slightly pronounced. Chaetotaxy: Two ori (rarely one), two ors; sometimes two or three ori and one ors. Acrostichal setulae in two sparse anterior rows. Colouration: Calypter margin and hairs white. Head light yellow with anterior margin of first flagellomere yellow, ocellar triangle and back of head brown, and clypeus light brown to brown; posterolateral margin of frons brownish behind vertical bristles. Scutum with complete lateral yellow stripe; katatergite yellow; anatergite brown lateral to scutellum with dorsum yellow and dark brown below scutellum. Anepisternum yellow with anteroventral spot; anepimeron with brown mottling; meron largely brown with yellow mottling; katepisternum brown along posterior margin and on ventral 2/3. Legs yellow with base of coxae brown, fore femur sometimes brown dorsobasally, base of mid and hind femora brown dorsally, scraper on hind leg sometimes brown, fore tibia yellow to brown with centre sometimes darker, basal ¾ of mid tibia brownish excluding base (sometimes only subapically) to entirely brown, hind tibia brown to dark brown on basal ¾ excluding base (sometimes only medially) to entirely brown, and tarsi entirely brown to yellow with fourth segment light brown and fifth segment brown. Genitalia: Figs 80–82. Surstylus tapering apically and with one subapical spine. Distal swollen section of duct not much longer than wide. Paraphallus subrectangular to pointed and upcurved apically; broadly fused to membranous distal margin of basiphallus. Hypophallus thin and pale with short apical hairs. Mesophallus cylindrical and projecting into base of distiphallus. Distiphallus with broad, bulbous textured basal bowl and short, broad, distal tubules, each enclosing a small, pale, fringed structure. Ejaculatory apodeme with pileus ejaculatorius broad, dark and truncated; base of duct lightly pigmented; blade broad, semicircular and with irregular distal margin. Variation: New Hampshire males differ as follows: anterior ori absent; legs yellow with tibiae brown medially (becoming much fainter on anterior legs). Hosts. Convallariaceae — Maianthemum stellatum (formerly treated as Smilacina), “ Smilacina sp. ” Range. USA. California [El Dorado, Glenn, Modoc[?]*, San Bernardino*, Sierra, Siskiyou*], New Hampshire*. Canada. Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario. Type material. Holotype, Canada. Alberta: Edmonton, White Mud Park, mine Smilacina, 15.vii.1966, K.A. Spencer (1♂, CNC). Additional material examined. USA. California: El Dorado Co., Echo Lake, 19.vii.1955, W.W. Middlekauff (1♀, EMEC), Glenn Co., Plaskett Meadow, 18.vii.1948, sweeping, lot No. 83-2, U.N. Lanham (1♂, CASC), Black Butte, 6500-7400’, 16.vi.1972, S.L. Szerlip (1♀, EMEC), San Bernardino Co., Victorville, 2.v.1953, G.A. Marsh (1♀, EMEC), Sierra Co., Webber Lake, 3.vii.1964, M.E. Irwin (1♂, UCR), Siskiyou Co., Copper Cr., 28.vii.1971, 5000’, J. Kraemer (2♀, CASC), New Hampshire: Mt. Washington, Bigelow lawn, 5400’, Mason, 31.vii.1954 (1♂, CNC), Mt. Washington, Lakes of the Clouds, 5000’, Becker, Munroe & Mason, 31.viii.1954 (1♂, CNC). Questionably-included material: California. Modoc Co., Cold Cr., 5mi S Buck Cr. Rgr. Sta., 6300’, 11.vi.1970 (1♀, EMEC). Comments. The widespread Liriomyza smilacinae cannot be distinguished using external characters from the western U.S. L. merga, which also has a greyish pruinosity on the notum, a projecting parafacial and orbital plate, an almost entirely yellow frons, an entirely white calypter and no more than two rows of acrostichal setulae. The male terminalia of these species are entirely different, however, with the phallus of L. smilacinae being more similar to that of the darker L. nebulosa (see comments for L. nebulosa).

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