The leaf-miner flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae) of Mitaraka, French Guiana

DNA barcoding of the leaf-miner flies (Diptera, Agromyzidae) of Mitaraka, French Guiana

“…Prior to the 2015 Mitaraka expedition, approximately 500 agromyzid species were recorded in the Neotropical region including only four species in French Guiana (Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), Liromyza sativae Blanchard, Nemorimyza maculosa (Malloch)) (EPPO 2021)). Morphological examination indicated that the Mitaraka agromyzids did not correspond to any of the named species previously recorded for French Guiana (Boucher and Pollet 2021), but some questions remained related to species delineation and identification for the Mitaraka specimens.…”

“…The family includes some important pest species of agricultural and ornamental plants, including three well known species occurring in many parts of the world, including South America: Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), Liromyza sativae Blanchard. Agromyzidae species identification based on morphology alone is a difficult task due to their small size and morphological homogeneity, but also due to their high diversity, presence of numerous undescribed species and lack of recent identification keys for many countries (Benavent-Corai et al 2005;Boucher 2010;Boucher and Pollet 2021). Misidentification has happened repeatedly in the literature even when identification was performed by specialists (Scheffer and Winkler 2008).…”

“…Misidentification has happened repeatedly in the literature even when identification was performed by specialists (Scheffer and Winkler 2008). Examination of male genitalia through dissection is often required to confirm species identity, or to support morphospecies delineation in biodiversity surveys (Boucher and Pollet 2021), but this is not an easy process requiring laborious preparation and expertise. In addition to these challenges, species descriptions are often based on one sex only (more commonly males), making male/ female association difficult, especially when sexually dimorphic species are involved.…”

“…A recent and relatively short biotic survey conducted in 2015 at the Mitaraka massif, a mostly unexplored region of French Guiana (Touroult et al 2018), resulted in 138 agromyzid specimens (43 males; 95 females), delineated into 50 morphospecies (Boucher and Pollet 2021). Based on a combination of external and genitalic characters, male specimens could be delineated into 23 morphospecies, but 69% of the specimens collected were females and morphospecies delineation and male/ female association were highly challenging due to the lack of external diagnostic characters.…”

“…Based on a combination of external and genitalic characters, male specimens could be delineated into 23 morphospecies, but 69% of the specimens collected were females and morphospecies delineation and male/ female association were highly challenging due to the lack of external diagnostic characters. This problem was especially noticeable for the genera Melanagromyza and Ophiomyia, the two most abundant and diverse agromyzid genera at Mitaraka (Boucher and Pollet 2021).…”