The Australian Agromyzidae (Diptera, Insecta)

Abstract

The known Australian Agromyzidae have been revised, 24 new species are described and keys are given to genera and species in the 10 genera now known to be represented in Australia. The origin of the 57 species is discussed. No evidence is so far available of any close relationship with South American species and it is concluded that the Australian Agromyzidae have arrived from the north, in at least three distinct waves, the earliest possibly being in the Cretaceous. 5 5 306 My own observations made in January-February-admittedly not the best collecting season-suggest that the Agromyzidae are widespread in Australia but not abundant, as, for instance, in Western Europe or parts of South America. It is incorrect, as Paramonov (1959: 175) suggests, that many leaf-mining species of Agromyza and Phytomyza remain to be discovered. Certainly many new species do still await discovery, but there is no reason to believe they will not be found approximately in the proportions of the species now known, with a continuing dominance of Melanagromyza. In two days' collecting in Tasmania, on Mount Wellington and in the Mt. Field National Park, I was only able to discover two species. The main genera of the Agromyzidae have recently been characterized in detail by Frick (1952), and it is not proposed to recapitulate generic characters here, apart from those given in the key to genera. The scale line of the drawings represents 0•1 mm. for genitalia and pupal spiracles and 0•5 mm. in other cases, except where otherwise indicated. The following abbreviations have been used:ors-upper fronto-orbital bristle(s). ori-Iower fronto-orbital bristle(s). acr-acrostichals. dc-dorso central bristle(s). The dc are numbered forwards, the strongest being referred to as the first. The location of types of previously described species is indicated as follows:

The agromyzidae of New Zealand (Insecta: Diptera)

“…senecionella is in fact of Australian origin and is clearly the sister-species of M. seneciophila Spencer, 1963; known from the Sydney area with Senecio vagus F. Muell. as host.…”

“…P. convoluta sp.n. is closely related to australensis Spencer, 1963, which is widespread in New South Wales; huttensis sp.n., with proclinate orbital setulae (only female known), is almost certainly in this group (referred to as arctica group). P. bicolorata sp.n belongs to the Lemurimyza group, with species known in Australia (undescribed) and New Guin~a.…”

“…Type REMARKS: On external characters this species is not distinguishable from australensis Spencer, 1963. Re-examination of australensis shows that the aedeagus is in fact longer than illustrated by Spencer, 1963: fig.…”

“…It should nevertheless be emphasized that larval charaoters and biology, with pupation in the leaf and the anterior spiracles projecting through the epidermis, is characteristic of many feeders on Ranunculaceae, and this must be given due weight in assessing 'the monophyly of clematadi with species such as vitalbae Kalt. in Europe and clematidicolla Spencer 1963, in Oban, "Garden Mound", 1 <;1, 13.i.61; Glory Bay, 1 <;1, emerged 11.ii.61 ex C. paniculata (both M. N. Watt).…”

Redescription of leaf miners (Agromyzidae) infesting pods of legumes from India and Nepal

“…The population of albisquama (Malloch) in India differ from those described by Spencer (1963aSpencer ( , 1963bSpencer ( , 1977, in having gena 1/5.25-1/12 vertical height of eye, wing length 1.57-1.99 mm in male, the colour of squammae varies from whitish to brownish; arista long, pubescent; distiphallus fringed, revealed only at higher magnification, bladder inconspicuous with an additional sclerite in between ventral bladder and basiphallus.…”