ARS | Publication request: The first confirmed record of the leafminer Phytomyza rufipes (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in the United States

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 8, 2007
Publication Date: January 1, 2008
Citation: Scheffer, S.J., Winkler, I.S. 2008. The first confirmed record of the leafminer Phytomyza rufipes (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in the United States. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 110:674-678.

Interpretive Summary: Members of the leafmining fly family typically cause extensive losses to vegetable and horticulture crops in the US and around the world. One species, Phytomyza rufipe, is common in Europe and feeds on crops such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard and other related crops. It was once thought to be present in the United States, but these records were found to be erroneous. In this paper we report specimens of this species from three counties in California for the first time. We analyzed DNA from two California specimens and one European specimen and found them to be almost identical and conclude that this species was introduced to the U.S. sometime prior to 1995. We present external structures and a key to aid in its identification. This information will be of interest to pest managers, quarantine officials, and scientists.

Technical Abstract: Phytomyza rufipes Meigen (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is a leafmining pest of Brassicaceae in Europe and other regions of the world. Once reported from Oregon in the United States, this record has since been found to be a misidentification. Here we report P. rufipes for the first time from California. We compare mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sequences of two specimens from California and one specimen from Lithuania. The two sequences from California specimens were identical and only a single nucleotide different from the Lithuanian specimen. This pattern is consistent with previous suggestions that New World populations of P. rufipes are the result of introductions. We provide information for the identification of P. rupifes using existing keys and for its discrimination from other Phytomyza in the United States.