Milichiella acantha
Milichiella acantha has been reared from Opuntia (Platyopuntia) and Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Cactaceae).
Differs from congeners in the combination of anteriorly slightly grey, posteriorly slightly brown microtomentose frons and black abdomen with grey posterolateral spots on T5.
Male coloration and vestiture: frons posteriorly slightly brown and anteriorly slightly grey, ocellar triangle and orbital plates brown microtomentose, lunule brown, basoflagellomere brown, basomedially red, face grey microtomentose, palpus black; thorax with mesonotum brown microtomentose, except for grey anterior margin, scutellum brown microtomentose, pleura brown microtomentose, anteriorly and ventrally more grey, wing hyaline, veins light brown, brown spot at tip of vein R1 absent, calypter hyaline, margin light brown or brown, halter black, legs black, except for lighter bases of tibiae in some specimens; abdomen with T2-4 brown microtomentose, darker dorsally; T5 brown microtomentose except for grey microtomentose posterolateral spots. Female coloration and vestiture: thorax with mesonotum greyish brown microtomentose with 5 brown stripes, middle stripe extending onto otherwise greyish brown scutellum, pleura, halter yellow, abdomen with T2-5 brown microtomentose except for more greyish lateral sides of T5.
Morphology. Head: frons with 2 orbital and 2+0.5 frontal setae, middle frontal seta medioreclinate. In males frons 1.9x as wide at posterior margin than at base of antenna, arista about 2.8x as long as basoflagellomere wide, pubescence on arista very short, posterior eye margin with tiny notch (0.5oc) and emargination, which is gradually separating from eye margin.
Thorax: 2 dc, 1 prsc, 1 pprn, 1+0.7+0.5 prs, 1+0.7 keps setae, posterior prsc less than 0.8x as long as posterior dc, seta between posterior prsc and posterior dc absent. Wing with vein R4+5 and M1 converging (2.6), and ultimate section of vein M1 2.5x as long as penultimate section. Fore femur strongly setulose, tibial organ absent.
Male abdomen: posteromedial triangular projection of T1 into T2 weak. Tergal chaetotaxy: T2 anterolateral corner mostly with 2 lines of setae but triangular extension with more setae, T2-5 setulose except for anterior margins and lateral part of grey spots. S5 1.2x as long as wide, 1.4x as long and 1.2x as wide as S4, posterior margin strongly indented, setulose on posterolateral 2/3. Male genitalia with cercus with two strong but not especially long setae, one of which is thorn-like, 1 (paired) seta on phallapodemic sclerite (at lateral margin close to base of pregonite), 1 seta on subepandrial plate, surstylus 1.7x as long as epandrium high, bent posteriorly, very slightly dilated apically (1.1x) with small edentation posteriorly preapically, 12x as long as wide, structure of lateral surface smooth, medial surface without setulae.
Special characters: strong, short seta on male cercus.
Body length: 1.7-2.3 mm; wing length: 2.4 mm.