Agromyza rudbeckiana Scheffer & Lonsdale

Eiseman, Charles S. & Lonsdale, Owen, 2018, New state and host records for Agromyzidae (Diptera) in the United States, with the description of thirty new species, Zootaxa 4479 (1), pp. 1-156 : 13

Agromyza rudbeckiana Scheffer & Lonsdale

( Figs. 76–77 )

Material examined. IOWA: Winneshiek Co., 43°26'32.50"N, 92°0'10.32"W, 17.vii.2015, em. 13.viii.2015, C.S. Eiseman, ex Heliopsis helianthoides , #CSE1995, CNC564707 , CNC564708 (2♂) ; MASSACHUSETTS: Franklin Co., Northfield, 276 Old Wendell Rd. , 18.vii.2016, em. 5–7.viii.2016, C.S. Eiseman, ex Heliopsis helianthoides , #CSE2846, CNC654189–654193 (1♂ 4♀) ; OHIO: Delaware Co., Sunbury, Monkey Hollow Rd. , 20.vii.2015, em. 7–17.viii.2015, C.S. Eiseman, ex Heliopsis helianthoides , #CSE1972, CNC564733–564745 (3♂ 9♀ 1 unemerged from puparium).

Hosts. Asteraceae : * Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet, Rudbeckia L. ( Scheffer & Lonsdale 2018). The “undetermined yellow-flowered composite” illustrated by Scheffer & Lonsdale appears to be Heliopsis helianthoides .

Leaf mine. ( Figs. 76–77 ) Greenish, turning brown; a blotch mine that may be compact or narrow and elongate, in the latter case following the leaf margin; frass diffuse. Scheffer & Lonsdale (2018) stated that the mine starts at the leaf apex, but this is not always the case. Up to four white larvae may feed in a single mine.

Puparium. Brown; formed outside the mine.

Distribution. USA: *IA, *MA, NY, *OH, VT ( Scheffer & Lonsdale 2018).

Comments. Scheffer & Lonsdale (2018) collected larvae from Rudbeckia in June and adults emerged after overwintering. All of our specimens were collected as larvae in July and adults emerged within a month. Larvae from all three collection sites were observed to exit their original mines and establish new ones elsewhere ( Fig. 77 ). The ability to do so is common in other leaf-mining flies ( Anthomyiidae , Drosophilidae , Ephydridae ), but in five years of rearing we have observed it in Agromyzidae on just one other occasion. This was on Hackelia virginiana (L.) I.M. Johnst. ( Boraginaceae ) in Dutchess Co., New York on 22 June 2013; unfortunately we were unable to rear adults. Phytomyza ovalis Griffiths is the only agromyzid recorded from Hackelia , but it is not known to occur east of Colorado. A group of Agromyza species is associated with Boraginaceae and the New York Hackelia feeder may be one of these.

Figures

FIGURES 75–82. leaf mines; 75: Agromyza reptans Fallén in Urtica dioica; 76: Agromyza rudbeckiana Scheffer & Lonsdale in Heliopsis helianthoides; 77: same, secondary mine; 78: Agromyza soka spec. nov. in Robinia pseudoacacia; 79: Agromyza vockerothi Spencer in Rubus sp.; 80: Agromyza sp. 1 in Ƒerbesina alternifolia; 81: Japanagromyza viridula (Coquillett) in Quercus alba; 82: J. viridula in Q. ilicifolia.