Acrotaeniostola connexa, David & Sachin & Hancock, 2020

David, K. J., Sachin, K. & Hancock, D. L., 2020, A new species of Acrotaeniostola Hendel and new records of Gastrozonini and Ceratitidini (Diptera: Tephritidae) from India, Zootaxa 4731 (3), pp. 425-432 : 426-428

Acrotaeniostola connexa sp. n.

( Figures 1–11 )

Description: Male, Total length of the body, 7. 72 mm

Head: higher than long, yellowish orange/fulvous with four pairs of frontal setae, two pairs of orbital setae, single lateral vertical and medial vertical setae. Ocellar triangle black with well developed ocellar setae (as long as orbital seta), postocellar seta well developed. Gena fulvous with four setae, post ocular setae thin and black. Face fulvous and unmarked; antenna fulvous with first flagellomere (third segment) pointed apically, arista plumose.

Thorax: Scutum unicolorous, yellowish orange/fulvous without any dark markings and with well developed chaetotaxy; 2 scapular setae, 1 postpronotal lobe seta; 1 anterior notopleural seta; 1 posterior notopleural seta; 1 presutural supra-alar seta; 1 postsutural supra-alar seta, 1 dorsocentral seta, 1 postalar seta, 1 intra-alar seta, 1 prescutellar acrostichal seta. Pleura fulvous with single katepisternal, anepisternal and anepimeral setae. Scutellum fulvous with two pairs of scutellar setae. Legs: all segments fulvous, fore femur with row of spines, mid tibia with 1 apical spine.

Wing: (6.76 mm) banded; four transverse bands present, basal transverse band discontinuous from cell sc to apex of cell bcu through Rs; second transverse band extending from pterostigma to anal margin through crossvein R-M; third band from cell r 1 to posterior margin through crossvein dm-cu; apical band fused with third band at crossvein DM-Cu and apex of cell r 4+5 hyaline.

Abdomen: predominantly fulvous, tergite II broad expanded covering the lateral region of tergite III; tergite V longer than tergites III-IV combined; sternite V with a deep concavity.

Male genitalia: Epandrium fulvous except fuscous basally; lateral surstylus broad with posterior lobe bearing an apical seta, as long as anterior lobe; proctigersetose, larger than epandrium. Medial surstylus as long as lateral surstylus and with 2 thick, black prensisetae. Phallus elongate, coiled (3.29 mm); glans with a bifid, well sclerotised and hook-like acrophallus; vesica curved, preglans lobe present.

Female: Similar to male except for the number of frontal setae (three setae in female specimen examined) and size (body length; 11 mm (including oviscape); wing length, 8.1 mm). Oviscape fuscous apically (2.94 mm); eversible membrane elongate (3.29 mm) with spicules on distal end with 10-12 blunt projections ( Fig. 10 ); aculeus tip conical with four pairs of preapical setae ( Fig. 11 ). Two brown, rounded spermathecae present.

Material examined: Holotype: 1♂, INDIA: Kerala, Wayanad, Padivayal, 21.vii.2019, Coll. Sachin, K. Para- type: 1♀, India : Kerala, Wayanad , Padivayal , 21.vii.2019, Coll. Sachin, K.

Etymology: This species named based on the joined (connected) apical bands on the wing.

Remarks: This species is very similar to A. quinaria (Coquillett) from China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Sumatra in general appearance, but can be differentiated by the fused apical and subapical wing bands, which are separate in A. quinaria ; constriction of aculeus tip before prepical setae, which is broad in A. quinaria ; and deeper concavity of sternite V in males, which is shallow/flat in A. quinaria .

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Holotype of Acrotaeniostola connexa sp. n. 1, head; 2, thorax (lateral view) and legs; 3, scutum (dorsal view); 4, abdomen (dorsal view); 5, wing.

FIGURES 6–8. Postabdominal structures of holotype of Acrotaeniostola connexa sp.n. 6, epandrium, surstyli and proctiger (lateral view); 7, epandrium and surstyli (posterior view); 8, glans of phallus (lateral view)

FIGURES 9–11. Postabdominal structure of female of Acrotaeniostola connexa sp.n. 9, ovipositor; 10, spicules on distal end of eversible membrane; 11, aculeus tip.