Dacus (Mellesis) fletcheri Drew, 2007

Drew, R. A. I., Romig, M. C. & Dorji, C., 2007, Records Of Dacine Fruit Flies And New Species Of Dacus (Diptera: Tephritidae) In Bhutan, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 55 (1), pp. 1-21 : 16-18

Dacus (Mellesis) fletcheri Drew , new species

( Fig. 2 a, b )

Material examined. – Holotype: male, BHUTAN: 19 km from Sengor , altitude 2600 m, 6 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher, attracted to cue lure, deposited in BMNH.

Paratypes: 10 males, same data as holotype ; 8 males, 9 km from Sengor , altitude 2800 m, 9 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 8 males, 25 km from Sengor , altitude 2400 m, 7 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 1 male, 7 km from Namling , altitude 2200 m, 9 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 1 male, 11 km from Namling , altitude 2000 m, 9 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 1 male, Suntalay , Tsirang, 11 Nov.2004, coll. Karma Duckpar and Karma Yangzom ; 1 male, Lumitshawa , 10 May.2000, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 1 male, Lumitshawa , 31 May.2000, coll. C. Dorji ; 1 male, 2 km from Lumitshawa , 26 Apr.2000, coll. Clarke & Fletcher. All specimens attracted to cue lure. 4 paratypes in ANIC; 4 paraptypes in BMNH ; 6 paratypes in NPPC , 4 paratypes in QM ( Reg. Nos T. 99320 – T. 99323) ; 8 paratypes in QDPI ; 6 paratypes in ZRC .

Diagnosis. – A large species; face with a pair of medium sized oval black spots and a distinct black spot medially below bases of antennae; postpronotal lobes dark fuscous to black; notopleura yellow; scutum black; lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent; a distinct yellow triangle along anterior margin of mesonotal suture; narrow mesopleural stripe equal in width to notopleuron dorsally; scutellum yellow; wing with a broad dark fuscous costal band overlapping R 4+5; cubital streak absent; cells bc and c dark fuscous; microtrichia covering all of both cells bc and c; abdominal terga II-V black with distinct orange-brown spots posteromedially and increasing in size from terga II-IV and a medial longitudinal orange-brown area on tergum V which expands across posterior margin of tergum; terga II-IV with large protuberances posterocentrally along the midline best viewed in lateral view of the abdomen.

Description. – Male. Head. Height 1.76mm. Frons: length 1.26 times breadth; fuscous with fulvous along lateral and anterior margins and darker fuscous around bases of orbital setae; orbital setae black: 1 s.or., 2 i.or.; lunule fuscous. Ocellar triangle black. Vertex dark fuscous. Face generally fuscous with a pair of medium sized oval black spots and a black spot medially below bases of antennae; length 0.48 mm. Genae fuscous, small dark fuscous subocular spot present; black seta present. Occiput black, fulvous along eye margins; occipital row with 2–4 small black setae. Antennae with segments 1 and 2 dark fuscous to black; segment 3 dark fuscous; length of segments: 0.66mm; 0.72mm; 1.14mm.

Thorax. Scutum black with red-brown behind ia. setae and around margins of mesonotal suture and yellow triangle anterior to mesonotal suture. Pleural areas entirely dark fuscous to black. Yellow markings as follows: notopleura; narrow mesopleural stripe equal in width to notopleuron dorsally, anterior margin straight; a distinct triangle along anterior margin of mesonotal suture with base at notopleuron. Postnotum dark fuscous to black. Anatergite fuscous to black; katatergite entirely black. Lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent. Postnotum black. Scutellum yellow except for narrow black basal band. Setae: sc. 2; prsc. absent; ia. 1; p.sa. 1; a.sa. 1; mpl. 1; npl. 2; scp. 2.

Legs. Femora entirely black except for small apical redbrown areas; fore tibiae dark fuscous to fuscous, mid and hind tibiae red-brown to fuscous; fore tarsi with all segments fuscous to dark fuscous, mid and hind tarsi with basal segment fulvous and apical four segments pale fuscous; mid tibiae each with an apical black spur.

Wings. Length 8.25mm; cells bc and c dark fuscous; dense microtrichia covering all of both cells; remainder of wings colourless except for a broad dark fuscous costal band confluent with vein M at basal area of cell dm and distinctly overlapping R 4+5 to apex of wing; cubital streak absent; dense aggregation of microtrichia around A 1 +CuA 2; supernumerary lobe weak.

A

B

Abdomen. Elongate oval and petiolate; terga fused; pecten present on tergum III. Tergum I and sterna I and II longer than wide. Tergum I dark fuscous to black with narrow redbrown band along intersegmental line between tergum I and II; tergum II black with a large orange-brown spot posterocentrally; terga III and IV black with orange-brown posterocentral areas increasing in size from tergum II to tergum IV; tergum V black with a medial longitudinal orangebrown area that expands across posterior margin. A pair of oval shining spots which vary from entirely orange-brown to dark fuscous to black on the anterior half and orange-brown on posterior half. Posterior lobe of surstylus long, sternum V with a slight concavity on posterior margin. Terga II, III and IV with distinct large protuberances posterocentrally on the mid-line (these are best observed from the lateral view of the abdomen).

Attractant. – Cue lure.

Distribution. – Known only from the higher altitudes of Bhutan, generally above 2000 m.

Hosts. – No known record.

Remarks. – Dacus (Mellesis) fletcheri new species, is similar to Dacus (Callantra) siamensis Drew & Hancock , Dacus (Mellesis) tenebrosus Drew & Hancock and Dacus (Mellesis) vijaysegarani Drew & Hancock in the general colour patterns of the body, wings and legs. It is distinct from these species in possessing large posterocentral orange-brown markings on abdominal terga II, III and IV and orange-brown medially on tergum V, large protuberances posteromedially on the midline of terga II, III and IV and the abdominal shape elongate-oval, not distinctly club shaped. It is not a pest species.

Etymology. – This species is named after Dr. Brian Fletcher, Sydney, Australia, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to fruit fly ecology, especially in the subfamily Dacinae , worldwide. He also collected the holotype and some paratypes of this species.

Figures

Fig. 2. Dacus (Mellesis) fletcheri, new species, holotype male: a, dorsal view; b, abdomen lateral view.