Melanagromyza aenea (Meigen)

Guglya, Yuliia, 2021, Rearing mining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) from host plants as an instrument for associating females with males, with the description of seven new species, Zootaxa 5014 (1), pp. 1-158 : 13-14

Melanagromyza aenea (Meigen)

( Figs. 23–25 , 315–320 )

Material examined: Ukraine: Kharkiv Region: near Mokhnach, 49°44’N, 36°32’E, 26–28.iv.2019, Yu. Guglya, ex Urtica dioica (7♂ 5♀); near Petrivske, 49°10’N, 36°58’E, v.2018, Yu. Guglya, ex Urtica dioica (2♂ 2♀). The rest of material see in Guglya (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020).

Host. Urticaceae : Urtica dioica L. ( Spencer 1976).

Mine. The larva forms an internal stem mine. Pupation takes place in basal part of stem.

Puparium. ( Figs. 23–25 ) Straw-coloured, silky shining, 3.3 mm long, with not visible segmentation; surface quite smooth. Posterior spiracles set flat on the body cuticle and entirely separate; dark brown, shining, oval, with median spine curved dorsally. Fifteen linear bulbs surround the median spine. Anal plate not protruding above the surface of puparium viewed from the side and directed posteriorly.

Cephalopharyngeal skeleton. ( Fig. 315 ) Both mouthhooks equal in size. Each bears one blunt accessory tooth. Intermediate sclerite strong and slightly curved anteriorly, as long as height of the mouthhook. The dorsal cornu bears a narrow and long “closed” window and well sclerotized arms. The ventral cornu is wide and well sclerotized, “closed” window 0.4× as long as ventral cornu. Indentation index 81.

Female head. ( Figs. 316, 317 ) Brownish-black, with orbit projecting above eye in profile, 3 orb s, 3 fr s and high broad rounded lunule reaching the level of the posterior fr s; gena in widest part 0.27× as high as maximum height of eye.

Female genitalia. ( Figs. 318–320 ) Egg guide and proctiger equal in size, 0.09 mm long. Blade of egg guide acute apically; outer marginal denticles fine, scarcely visible; medial membrane bears numerous small scales. Proctiger very narrow, 10.5× as long as maximum width. Spermathecae unequal in size, dark brown, oval and flattened basally; internal duct invagination 0.4× as deep as height of spermatheca. Basal collar consists of several narrow long lobes swirling around base of spermatheca. Spermathecal duct very weakly sclerotized.

Distribution. Widespead in Europe, recorded from 18 countries ( Papp & Černý 2015). Also widespread in Ukraine, with adults collected from 24 April to 14 June ( Guglya 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020).

Figures

FIGURES 19–28. Figures 19–22: Melanagromyza achilleacaulis spec. nov.; 19: puparium (indicated by arrow) in Achillea millefolium stem; 20–21: posterior segments of puparium; 20: lateral view; 21: posterior view; 22: posterior spiracles (posterior view). Figures 23–25: M. aenea (Meigen); 23–24: posterior segments of puparium; 23: lateral view; 24: posterior view. 25: posterior spiracles (posterior view). Figures 26–28: M. angeliciphaga Spencer; 26–27: posterior segments of puparium; 26: lateral view; 27: posterior view. 28: posterior spiracles (posterior view).

FIGURES 315–320. Melanagromyza aenea (Meigen); 315: cephalopharyngeal skeleton; 316: frontal view of head; 317: head viewed from the side; 318 a–b: female genitalia proportionally; a: egg guide; b: proctiger; 319: spermathecae; 320: ventral receptacle.