Japanagromyza salicifolii (Collin)

Lonsdale, Owen, 2013, Japanagromyza Sasakawa (Diptera: Agromyzidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3709 (5), pp. 445-460 : 458-459

Japanagromyza salicifolii (Collin)

Figs 25–27

Agromyza salicifolii Collin 1911: 79 . Hendel 1931–6: 148.

Japanagromyza salicifolii . Spencer 1963: 292, 1973: 299, 1974: 145, 1981: 178; Deeming 2006: 402.

Description. Wing length 2.2–2.8mm (♀). 2.6mm (♂). Length of ultimate section of vein CuA1 divided by penultimate section: 0.6–0.7; vein r-m before midpoint of cell dm. Eye height divided by gena height: 8.2–11.5. Lunule silvery. Face with slight, rounded ventromedial ridge. Clypeus attenuating anteriorly with inner anteromedial margin angulate.

Chaetotaxy: Setula in front of anterior dorsocentral slightly more developed. Prescutellar acrostichal seta approximately ½–3/5 length of posterior dorsocentral. Acrostichal setulae in approximately 8 scattered rows. Intra post alar small. Katepisternum with 2 small additional setae. Fore tibia with one small medial seta. Mid femur with several moderately developed posterodistal setae.

Colouration: Setae and setulae black, setulae becoming brown posteriorly on abdomen. Halter white with stem brownish. Calypter entirely white. Body dark brown with greenish-blue metallic shine; with relatively dense bluish-green pruinosity on head and thorax that is particularly evident on notum, ocellar triangle and orbital plate. Wing veins brown to light brown along anterior margin, becoming white posteriorly.

Genitalia: Epandrium with large patch of ventromedial tubercle-like bristles on inner surface; fused to surstylus. Surstylus elongate, bare, very narrow and with small cluster of tubercle-like bristles on inner-distal margin. Cercus well developed. Hypandrium large, elongate and with long, narrow, subtriangular apodeme. Basiphallus with well sclerotized left lateral rod weakly connected to paler right distolateral section. Hypophallus dark, rod-like, longer than basiphallus and with apex upturned; mesophallus fused to long, membranous whip-like distiphallus with thin, lightly-sclerotized band along most of length. Ejaculatory apodeme with well sclerotized bowl-like pileus ejaculatorius; blade long, narrow, not distinguishable from stem.

Host. Salicaceae— Populus , Salix (Spencer, 1974) .

Distribution. Canary Islands, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine (Spencer, 1990; Deeming, 2006).

Syntypes. EGYPT. “Lower Egypt ”, Gizeh, ex mines in willow leaves, F.C.Willcocks, iv.1910 (♂♀, BMNH). [Not examined]

Material examined. ISRAEL. Ilanot, 19.ix.1971, Ex Populus, J. Halperin (1♂ 1♀[same pin], BMNH). SPAIN. Tenerife, Orotava, Canar. Jns., 9.v.1926, N2867, Mine an Salix canariensis , O.&M. Hering (1♂, BMNH). TURKEY. Kocaeli Prov.: İzmit, 24.vi.1970, Populus sp., C.I.E. A4075 (1♀, CNC). Country unknown. [Illegible], 25.vii.1962 (1♀, BMNH).

Comments. Japanagromyza salicifolii is readily differentiated from other African congeners, not only by its north temperate distribution, but in its external and male genitalic morphology. The calypter and most wing veins are white, the halter is white with a brownish stem and the body is distinctly bluish. The surstylus is long and very narrow, the phallus is flagellate with a large, rod-like, perpendicular hypophallus (Fig. 27), and the ejaculatory apodeme is well developed and rod-like (Fig. 25). Japanagromyza parvula also likely occurs in Palaearctic Africa as it is known in the Arabian Peninsula as well as tropical Africa.