Vidalia sp.

Korneyev, S. V., Hauser, M., Borkent, C., Maples, B. K., Roubtsova, T. V., Zangpo, T., Dorji, S., Chophel, S., Dorji, N., Tsomo, Dendup, U., Dawa, K., Dorji, L., Dhimal, C. Mani, Kinley, R., Dorji, U., Dema, Y., Korneyev, V. A. & Gaimari, S. D., 2023, The Fruit Flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) In Bhutan: New Faunistic Records And Compendium Of Fauna, Zoodiversity 57 (2), pp. 93-124 : 120

Vidalia sp. nr. ceratophora Bezzi, 1913 ( fig. 22 )

Material. Sarpang, 13 km NW Gelephu , 26.968° N, 90.559° E, 1200 m, 25.08.2017, hand collecting, 1 Ơ

(M. Hauser leg.) FFP 17BT101 ( CSCA 18L207).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. India, Malaysia ( Norrbom, 2022), Thailand ( Hardy, 1973 — as an unknown species and genus); Bhutan (first record of the genus).

Note. The specimen from Bhutan has the head shape, body coloration and wing pattern as in V. ceratophora , differing from it by having cell r 4+5 entirely black above dm-m (in V. ceratophora , with a small hyaline dot) and by the middle frontal seta longer and thicker than the posterior one (in V. ceratophora , the posterior frontal seta longer and thicker than the middle one). A study of a wider series of specimens is needed to evaluate the status of this specimen, to determine if these differences are merely intraspecific variability.

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by a USDA Plant Protection Act 7721 grant “Enhancing taxonomic and molecular diagnostics capacity for fruit flies ( Diptera : Tephritidae )” to the last author. We thank David L. Hancock for his valuable expertise and help in identification. The first author greatly appreciates supervision of Prof. Lynn S. Kimsey. Thanks also to the Bhutan Ministry of Agriculture and Forests for facilitating the trip in 2017 when the majority of specimens listed here were collected. The authors thank three anonymous referees for their valuable improvements to the manuscript and constructive criticism.

Figures

Fig. 22. Vidalia sp. nr. ceratophora Ơ: a — left-side lateral view; b — dorsal view.