Phytomyza solidaginophaga Sehgal

Eiseman, Charles S., Lonsdale, Owen, Linden, John Van Der, Feldman, Tracy S. & Palmer, Michael W., 2021, Thirteen new species of Agromyzidae (Diptera) from the United States, with new host and distribution records for 32 additional species, Zootaxa 4931 (1), pp. 1-68 : 37-38

Phytomyza solidaginophaga Sehgal

Material examined. IOWA: Winneshiek Co., Decorah, Twin Springs Park , 24.v.2017, em.?, J. van der Linden, ex Solidago flexicaulis , # CSE4670 , CNC1144022 (1♁).

Hosts. Asteraceae : Solidago caesia L., S. canadensis L., S. * flexicaulis L., S. patula Muhl. ex Willd. , S. rugosa Mill. , S. simplex Kunth ( Eiseman & Lonsdale 2018) ; see Comments for other likely hosts.

Leaf mine. Greenish-white to greenish-brown, entirely linear, with frass in closely spaced grains, partly forming short beaded strips ( Eiseman & Lonsdale 2018).

Puparium. Black; formed outside the mine.

Phenology and voltinism. This species is univoltine, overwintering as pupae, with larvae present only in spring. Although Alberta collection dates range from 7 to 13 June ( Griffiths 1976), larvae have only been found from 11 to 24 May in the USA ( Eiseman & Lonsdale 2018).

Distribution. USA: CO ( Winkler et al. 2009), *IA, MA; Canada: AB, [YT] ( Eiseman & Lonsdale 2018).

Comments. Given that the latest recorded date for larvae of Phytomyza solidaginophaga in the USA (24 May) is more than two weeks before the earliest recorded date for P. astotinensis (9 June; this paper), we believe mines found in Massachusetts on two additional hosts likely represent P. solidaginophaga : occupied mines on Solidago gigantea Aiton between 18 and 22 May, and a mine on S. arguta Aiton containing a dead larva on 25 May. An occupied mine on S. speciosa Nutt. photographed on 31 May in Wisconsin ( Klein 2019) may also represent P. solidaginophaga .