Phytobia Lioy, 1864

Genus Phytobia Lioy, 1864 View in CoL

Phytobia Lioy, 1864: 1313 View in CoL .

TYPE SPECIES. — Agromyza errans Meigen, 1830 .

REMARKS

Phytobia species View in CoL are generally dark coloured in the Nearctic and Palaearctic region, but many species have contrasting yellow coloration in the Neotropical region. Most Phytobia View in CoL have 3 +1 well-developed dc, a wing with vein R 4+5 ending closer to the wing tip than M 1+2 or both veins equidistant from wing tip. The frons is usually dark, sometimes paler (reddish), and the lunule is often silvery. The male genitalia usually have a broadly rounded hypandrium, and the surstyli are usually broad, lobate. A few species do not share this combination of characters and were included in a separate group, the Phytobia unica View in CoL group ( Boucher 2010), discussed below. Five specimens of Phytobia View in CoL were collected in Mitaraka, each representing a separate species. Among them, Phytobia View in CoL Mit-2 and Phytobia View in CoL Mit-3 are known from female specimens only ( Boucher & Pollet 2021), and their identities could not be confirmed. The other species, Phytobia View in CoL Mit-1, Phytobia View in CoL Mit-4 and Phytobia View in CoL Mit-5 ( Boucher & Pollet 2021) represent new species and are described below. Two of these new species ( P. dalensi Boucher , n. sp. and P. corona Boucher , n. sp.) are part of the Phytobia unica View in CoL group, along with four other previously known Neotropical species: P. unica Spencer, 1973 View in CoL , P. mentula Sasakawa, 1992 View in CoL , P. pipinna Sasakawa, 1992 View in CoL and P. guatemalensis Sasakawa, 2005 View in CoL . This species group is characterized by the presence of only two well-developed postsutural dc, in addition to a very small third one in some species, a phallus ending in paired tubules, a well-defined cylindrical mesophallus, a narrow and elongate hypandrium, a C-shaped surstylus covered with short spines, and narrowly connected to the posteroventral margin of the epandrium. Also, the wing venation of the P. unica View in CoL group is very similar to that of the subfamily Agromyzinae Fallén, 1823 View in CoL , with the subcostal vein joining R 1 before reaching the costa (also occurs in other Phytobia View in CoL ) and the distal margin of R 1 that is expanded near the junction.