Liriomyza Mik, 1894

Genus Liriomyza Mik, 1894 View in CoL

Liriomyza Mik, 1894: 284 View in CoL .

TYPE SPECIES. — Liriomyza urophorina Mik, 1894 .

REMARKS

This is a very speciose genus, difficult to identify due to high morphological homogeneity across the species (both externally and in the male genitalia) and the lack of decisive diagnostic features.Most species are very small (often between 1.5-2.5 mm in wing length), usually yellow (frons, part of pleura and scutellum, sometimes legs) and black (mesonotum, part of pleura) in colour, with only some exceptions. For example, L. nigra Spencer, 1984 from Colombia has a dark frons and dark scutellum. Most Liriomyza males have a characteristic feature: the stridulatory organ present on the lateral membranous portion of the abdomen. This structure is sometimes pale and difficult to see and may be secondarily lost in a few species. A total of 15 specimens of Liriomyza were collected on the Mitaraka massif, representing three species. Two ( Liriomyza Mit-2 and Liriomyza Mit-3) were represented by female specimens only ( Boucher & Pollet 2021: table 2), and their identity remains doubtful. These two species have two or three posterolateral setae on the mid tibia, a character rarely seen in Neotropical Liriomyza species. The other species ( Liriomyza Mit-1) represented by nine females and three males represents a new species described below. Three Liriomyza species were previously known from French Guiana. These are widespread and well-known pest species: Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard, 1926) , Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess, 1880) and Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, 1938 .