Neoceratitis efflatouni (Hendel)

Meyer, Marc De & Freidberg, Amnon, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the fruit fly genus Neoceratitis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae), Zootaxa 3223, pp. 24-39 : 33-34

Neoceratitis efflatouni (Hendel)

Figs 3 d, 4e, 5d, 6d.

Ceratitis (Trirhithromyia) efflatouni Hendel, 1931: 3 .

Ceratitis (Trirhithromyia) efflatouni: Munro 1935 [differentiation from lycii ] Trirhithromyia efflatouni: Hardy 1967 [differentiation from lycii ]; Freidberg & Kugler 1989 [ Israel fauna]

Neoceratitis efflatouni: Merz & Dawah 2005 [ Saudi Arabia fauna].

Type material. Holotype ♂, SUDAN, Mersa Halaib, 21.I.1929, Efflatoun Bey (whereabouts unclear. Possibly in the collections of the Entomological Society of Egypt according to Norrbom et al. 1999).

Other material. EGYPT: 1Ƥ, Gabal Elba, W. Cansisrob, 20.I.1933, Priesner ( USNM). ISRAEL, Herzliyya, 13, 24.IX.1975; 13, 23.IX.1975, both ex fruit of Lycium barbarum [= synonym of L. schweinfurthii ] 15.X.1975; 53 6Ƥ, 28.IX.1975, ex fruit of Lycium barbarum 15-19.X.1975; 43 4Ƥ, 12.X.1975, ex fruit Lycium barbarum 30.X-4.XI.1975, all A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 13, Ne’ot Semadar , 5km E, 20.IX.1995, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 1Ƥ, Shezaf N.R., Nahal Shahaq , 20.III.1999, I. Yarom, Malaise trap ( TAUI); Tel Aviv, 13 6Ƥ, 7.XI.1976, ex fruit of Lycium schweinfurthii 3.XII.1976 & 26.VIII-3.IX.1977, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 33 1Ƥ, 15.XI.1976, ex fruit of Lycium schweinfurthii 13.XII.1976, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 23 14Ƥ, 7.XI.1977, ex fruit of Lycium schweinfurthii 3-11.XII.1977, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 163 19Ƥ, 7.XI.1977, ex fruit of Lycium schweinfurthii 10.IV-15.IX.1978, A. Freidbeg ( TAUI); 7.XI.1977, ex fruit of Lycium schweinfurthi [sic] 27.VIII.78, A. Freidberg, 23 2Ƥ ( BMNH); 13 1Ƥ ( MHNG); 33 3Ƥ ( TAUI); Tel Aviv Country Club , 83 14Ƥ, 20.XI.1994, ex Lycium schweinfurtii; adult IV- IX.1995, N. Dorchin ( TAUI); 33 6Ƥ, 10.XII.1999, ex Lycium, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 23 4Ƥ, 19.X.2003, ex Lycium schweinfurthii fruit 9.XI.2003; 503 42Ƥ, 11.X.2010, ex Lycium schweinfurthii berry, pupa: 12-20X.2010; adult: 28.X-5.XI.2010 (all TAUI). SAUDI ARABIA: 13, Hedjaz, Gadda, Feb. 1927, Kasim ( USNM); 13, Abha, Madenate Ameer Sultan , 25.II-25.V.2002, H.A. Dawah ( MHNG). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 1Ƥ, Sharjah Desert Park, 1-25.II.2006, # 3686 in light trap, van Harten ( MHNG).

Male. Body length: 2.62 (2.40−3.10) mm; wing length: 2.49 (2.25−2.90) mm.

Head. Antenna yellow, first flagellomere about twice as long as wide; arista short pubescent with hairs shorter than basal width. Frons yellow to dark yellow, in middle with darker yellow-brown to brown transverse band, more greyish dorsal to band; setae black. Face yellow-white, ventral and lateral to antennal implant brownish; gena ventral to eye with brownish spot; occiput dorsal third dark brown, ventral half yellow-white. Rarely brownish markings on face and frons less conspicuous.

Thorax. Postpronotal lobe black-brown, posteriorly with whitish crescent, extending to postpronotal seta or almost so, rarely more extensively white. Scutum ratio 0.86−0.87; shining black-brown, silver microtrichia in typical pattern (cf. Fig. 1 c); dark pilosity except where silver microtrichia with silvery setulae. Pleura brown, anepisternum white except dorsal and ventral margins; greater ampulla, katatergite and anatergite whitish, posteroventral margin of laterotergite narrowly brown, one black anepisternal seta. Scutellum swollen with concave margin near basal seta; black brown, subbasally with four semicircular whitish spots (two medial, two lateral, cf. Fig. 2 e), medial spots rarely fused.

Legs. Yellow; mid femur basoventrally more brownish; fore and hind femur yellow-brown except apically yellow.

Wing. With discal, subapical, and anterior apical brown bands ( Fig. 3 d); separate posterior apical band missing, rather this band completely merged with anterior apical band, the latter being very broad at wing apex, extending posteriorly to vein M. Basal brownish part partially confluent with subbasal brown spots and streaks, subapical band broadly touching discal and anterior apical bands. R-M ratio 1.17−1.22.

Abdomen. Shining black-brown. Tergite 2 along posterior 2/5 with transverse band of silvery microtrichia, medially extending to anterior margin; tergite 4 along posterior ½ to ½ with transverse band of silvery microtrichia, anterior part with brownish microtrichia. Male terminalia ( Fig. 4 e) with surstyli short. Phallus glans as illustrated by Freidberg and Kugler (1989: Fig. 216).

Female. Body length: 2.91 (2.60−3.20) mm; wing length: 2.83 (2.70−3.10) mm.

As male except following characters: mid femur sometimes more extensively yellow-brown. Oviscape about half as long as abdominal tergites 1–5 jointly, shining black-brown. Aculeus ( Fig. 5 d) brown; 4 to 5 times as long as wide; apically ( Fig. 6 d) tapered evenly, simply pointed.

Distribution. Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Hosts. Reared from fruits of Lycium schweinfurthii Dammer (also under synonym L. barbarum , cf material examined) ( Solanaceae ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Neoceratitis scutum, dorsal view: a) albiseta; b) flavoscutellata; c) lycii.

FIGURE 2. Neoceratitis scutellum, dorsal view: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) flavoscutellata; e) lycii.

FIGURE 3. Neoceratitis wing: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) efflatouni; e) flavoscutellata; f) lycii.

FIGURE 4. Neoceratitis epandrium lateral view: a) asiatica; b) cyanescens; c) lycii; d) flavoscutellata (after Merz & Dawah 2005); e) efflatouni.

FIGURE 5. Neoceratitis aculeus: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) efflatouni; e) lycii; f) flavoscutellata.

FIGURE 6. Neoceratitis aculeus tip: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) efflatouni; e) flavoscutellata; f) lycii.