Dacus (Mellesis) maculipterus White

Abhishek, Venkateshaiah, David, Karamankodu Jacob, Hancock, David Lawrence, Pradeep, Shivanand, Kalleshwaraswamy, C. M., Sridhara, S. & Satish, K. M., 2024, New Indian species of Dacus Fabricius (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae: Dacini) similar to Dacus crabroniformis (Bezzi), endemic to the Western Ghats and Northeastern Himalayas, Zootaxa 5446 (3), pp. 366-382 : 378-379

Dacus (Mellesis) maculipterus White ( Figures 76‒82 )

Dacus (Callantra) maculipterus White , in Drew et al., 1998: 607. Type locality Ban Sap Bon , near Saraburi, Thailand.

Dacus (Mellesis) maculipterus — Hancock and Drew, 2006: 173; Drew and Romig, 2013: 389.

Material examined: 1♂, INDIA, Meghalaya, Umiam, 25.668°N 91.918°E, 10–14.x.2019., Salini, S. (NIM). Diagnosis: Drew et al. (1998) provided an adequate description of this species, except for postabdominal structures. David et al. (2020) described and illustrated male genitalia. Epandrium, dark brown, heavily sclerotized. Posterior lobe of surstylus 6–7 times longer than anterior lobe; lateral surstylus shorter than epandrium. In posterior view, epandrium and surstyli bulbous; medial surstylus shorter than lateral surstylus and with black, finger-like prensisetae. Phallus long (2.28 mm) with a sclerotized glans (0.57 mm); the acrophallus has a single tubule with pattern, and there are lobes in the preglans and subapical regions.

Remarks: This species is similar to D. crabroniformis , D. ramanii , D. satanas and D. sinensis (Wang) but can be differentiated by pale areas on abdominal terga IV and V on either side of medial longitudinal black band.

Attractant: Zingerone.

Host plant: Not known.

Figures

FIGURES 76−82. Dacus (Mellesis) maculipterus White. 76, head; 77, scutum (dorsal view); 78, thorax (lateral view); 79, wing; 80, epandrium and surstyli (lateral view); 81, epandrium and surstyli (posterior view); 82, glans of phallus.