Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis (Bezzi)

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 : 377-378

Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis (Bezzi) ( Figures 66‒75 )

Monacrostichus crabroniformis Bezzi, 1914: 153 . Type locality Yercaud , Tamil Nadu.

Mellesis crabroniformis — Bezzi, 1916: 117.

Callantra crabroniformis — Hardy, 1977: 45.

Dacus (Callantra) crabroniformis — Kapoor, 1993: 83; Drew et al., 1998: 584; Norrbom et al., 1999: 130; David and Ramani, 2011: 4.

Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis — Hancock and Drew, 2006: 173; Drew and Romig, 2013: 379.

Material examined: 1♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Tumkur, Madhugiri , 13.655 oN 77.219 oE, Abhishek , V. 2♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Bangalore , GKVK, 13.086 oN 77.566 oE, 19.xii.2023, Abhishek, V. 2♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Shivamogga , Navile , 13.957 oN 75.585 oE, 19.xii.2023, Abhishek, V. (NIM) .

Diagnosis: Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis was adequately redescribed by Drew et al. (1998); David and Ramani (2019) provided illustrations of epandrium and phallus. Epandrium (0.24 mm), heavily sclerotized, longer than lateral surstylus (0. 16 mm) in profile; apex posterior lobe of surstylus blunt, four times longer than anterior lobe; proctiger membraneous, triangular, and smaller than epandrium. In posterior view, epandrium and surstyli bulbous with well-developed prensisetae; medial surstylus longer than lateral surstylus. Phallus short, 1.5 mm in length (excluding glans, 0. 34 mm); 0. 75 sclerotized with patterned acrophallus.

Remarks: Although it shares a general appearance with D. ramanii , D. crabroniformis can be distinguished by the presence of a narrow anepisternal stripe that is as broad as the notopleuron and the absence of a radial-medial band on the wing.

Attractant: Zingerone.

Host plant: Not known.

Figures

FIGURES 66−67. Dacus crabroniformis (Bezzi). 66, dorsal habitus; 67, lateral habitus.

FIGURES 68−75. Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis (Bezzi). 68, head; 69, scutum (dorsal view); 70, thorax (lateral view); 71, abdomen; 72, wing; 73, epandrium and surstyli (lateral view); 74, epandrium and surstyli (posterior view); 75, glans of phallus.