Lake Crabtree leaf miner on Cyperus retrorsus maybe D1774 2019 1 - Taphrocerus nicolayi

Moved

Moved from Taphrocerus.

Norm Woodley had this comment about his IDs on the latest batch of buprestids:

"I have identified the specimens as best as I can. I'm confident on all except those I have called T. nicolayi. I'm not sure what the differences are between T. nicolayi and T. albodistinctus, the latter having been described from Florida and Texas and reported from other southeastern states. The male genitalia in the original description seem distinctive, but I've never seen a male. I've collected the species you have in Maryland, and despite collecting dozens, I've never gotten a single male. Likewise, all of your specimens are females as well. The genus definitely needs revision in North America."

I assume that comment applies here as well:

… Charley Eiseman, 9 February, 2020 - 1:49pm

It seems that almost all of t

It seems that almost all of the IDs are T. nicolayi! I guess that means we can't be sure of any of them. I assume that most species are not parthenogenic?

… Tracy S. Feldman, 9 February, 2020 - 2:14pm

They may be parthenogenetic...

This is also a common phenomenon in some Brachys spp., that there seem to be very few males--see this paper, for instance. Hopefully someone will revise the genus Taphrocerus in our lifetimes and take another look at our specimens...

… Charley Eiseman, 9 February, 2020 - 2:19pm

D1846 is Taphorcerus howardi! Adults have been found on Fimbristylis and Scirpus, but there are no published rearing records for that species.

… Charley Eiseman, 9 February, 2020 - 2:22pm

That's cool!

… Tracy S. Feldman, 9 February, 2020 - 2:28pm

Moved

Moved from Unidentified Leaf Mines.

… Charley Eiseman, 12 July, 2019 - 9:47am

Have any of these pupated? I

Have any of these pupated? I suspected some were close, but I wasn't sure.

… Tracy S. Feldman, 12 July, 2019 - 12:24pm

Yes--

I definitely saw one pupa.

… Charley Eiseman, 12 July, 2019 - 12:26pm

Adult emerged

Have you been able to confirm the host species?

… Charley Eiseman, 21 July, 2019 - 2:41pm

Not yet--I'll work on it.

… Tracy S. Feldman, 21 July, 2019 - 4:06pm