Melanagromyza sp. 4

Material examined. IOWA: Winneshiek Co., Upper Iowa River Wildlife Management Area, 8.ii.2018, em. spring 2018, J. van der Linden, ex Xanthium strumarium, # CSE4665, CNC1144063 (1♀) .

Host. Asteraceae: Xanthium strumarium L.

Larval biology. Internal stem borer.

Puparium. Formed within the stem.

Phenology and voltinism. Pupae overwinter, with adults emerging in spring.

Comments. This unidentifiable female belongs to the Melanagromyza virens group. Spencer (1973) listed Xanthium among the known hosts of M. splendida, and this was repeated by Shi & Gaimari (2015), but the origin of this record is unclear and it does not appear in Spencer’s later works. The only other record we have found of a Melanagromyza from Xanthium is that of an undetermined species Hilgendorf & Goeden (1983) reported as common in stems of X. strumarium in southern California.