Dacus (Mellesis) dorjii Drew & Romig, 2007

Drew, R. A. I., Romig, M. C. & Dorji, C., 2007, Records Of Dacine Fruit Flies And New Species Of Dacus (Diptera: Tephritidae) In Bhutan, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 55 (1), pp. 1-21 : 14-15

Dacus (Mellesis) dorjii Drew & Romig , new species

( Fig. 1 )

Material examined. – Holotype: male, BHUTAN: Lumitshawa , 17 May.2000, attracted to cue lure, coll. C. Dorji, deposited in BMNH.

Paratypes: 1 male, same data as holotype ; 3 males (24 May.2000), 2 males (10 Aug.2000), Lumitshawa, coll. C. Dorji; 4 males, Lumitshawa , 10 May.2000, coll. B.S. Fletcher ; 1 male, Rimchu , 26 Apr.2000, coll. Clarke & Fletcher ; 1 male, Rimchu trap No. 1, 4 May.2000, coll. B.S. Fletcher ; 1 male, Rimchu trap No. 2, 4 May.2000, coll. B.S. Fletcher ; 6 males, Tsirang, Darachu , altitude 1500 m, 30 May.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 3 males, 16km from Namling , altitude 1600 m, 9 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 5 males, 14 km from Namling , altitude 1800m, 7 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 18 males, 11 km from Namling , altitude 2000 m, 9 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 27 males, 7 km from Namling , altitude 2200 m, 9 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 3 males, 19 km from Sengor , 6 Jun.2001, altitude 2600 m, coll. Brian Fletcher ; 2 males, 25 km from Sengor , altitude 2400 m, 7 Jun.2001, coll. Brian Fletcher. All specimens attracted to cue lure. 10 paratypes in ANIC ; 10 paratypes in BMNH ; 17 paratypes in NPPC ; 10 paratypes in QM ( Reg. Nos T. 99310 – T. 99319) ; 20 paratypes in QDPI ; 10 paratypes in ZRC .

Diagnosis. – A medium sized species; face mostly black with oral and lateral margins fulvous; postpronotal lobes black; notopleura yellow; scutum black; lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent; a yellow triangle along anterior margin of mesonotal suture; mesopleural stripe equal in width to notopleuron dorsally; scutellum yellow; wing with a broad dark fuscous costal band overlapping R 4+5 throughout, cubital streak absent; cells bc and c fuscous; microtrichia covering all of cell c and outer 1/2 of cell bc; abdominal terga mostly black except for a narrow red-brown transverse band across intersegmental line between terga I and II and orange-brown spots posterocentrally on terga IV and V.

Description. – Male. Head. Height 1.26mm. Frons: length 1.33 times breadth; fuscous with fulvous along anterior margin and dark fuscous around bases of orbital setae; orbital setae black: 1 s.or., 2 i.or.; lunule fuscous. Ocellar triangle black. Vertex black. Face black consisting of a central triangular black pattern connecting two medium sized oval black spots, oral and lateral margins fulvous to red-brown; length 0.36mm. Genae fulvous, large dark fuscous subocular spot present. Occiput black, fulvous along eye margins; occipital row with a small number of weak setae. Antennae with segment 1 dark fuscous, segment 2 black, segment 3 dark fuscous; arista black (red-brown basally); length of segments: 0.42mm; 0.45mm; 0.75mm.

Thorax. Scutum black with red-brown behind ia. setae. Pleural areas entirely black. Yellow markings as follows: notopleura; narrow mesopleural stripe equal in width to notopleuron dorsally, anterior margin straight; a distinct triangle along anterior margin of mesonotal suture with base on notopleuron. Postpronotal lobes black. Anatergite and katatergite entirely black. Lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent. Postnotum entirely black. Scutellum yellow except for narrow dark basal band. Setae: sc. 2; prsc. absent; ia. 1; p.sa. 1; a.sa. absent (occasionally one weak seta present); mpl. 1; npl. 2; scp. 2.

Legs. All femora entirely black except small areas of dark red-brown on apices of mid and hind femora; all tibiae dark fuscous to black; fore tarsi with basal segment fuscous and apical four segments slightly darker fuscous, mid and hind tarsi with basal segment fulvous and apical four segments red-brown; mid tibiae each with an apical black spur.

Wings. Length 5.9mm; cells bc and c fuscous; dense microtrichia covering all of cell c and outer 1/2 of cell bc; remainder of wings colourless except dark fuscous cell sc, broad dark fuscous costal band overlapping R 4+5 throughout; cubital streak absent; dense aggregation of microtrichia around A 1 +CuA 2; supernumerary lobe weak.

Abdomen. Elongate oval and petiolate; terga fused; pecten present on tergum III. Tergum I and sterna I and II longer than wide. All terga entirely black except dark red-brown across intersegmental line between terga I and II and orangebrown posterocentral markings on terga IV and V. Posterior lobe of surstylus long, sternum V with a slight concavity on posterior margin.

Attractant. – Cue lure.

Distribution. – Known mostly from the higher altitudes of Bhutan (over 2,000 m).

Hosts. – No known record.

Remarks. – Dacus (Mellesis) dorjii new species, is similar to Dacus (Mellesis) siamensis Drew & Hancock , Dacus (Mellesis) tenebrosus Drew & Hancock and Dacus (Mellesis) vijaysegarani Drew & Hancock in the general colour patterns of the body, legs and wings. It differs from these species in possessing a black face, entirely yellow notopleura and the anatergite and katatergite entirely black and in lacking a.sa. setae. D. dorjii also differs from D. tenebrosus in having a narrow mesopleural stripe equal in width to the notopleuron and from D. siamensis in having distinct orange-brown spots posterocentrally on terga IV and V. It is not a pest species.

Etymology. – This species is named after Mr. Chencho Dorji, National Plant Protection Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Thimphu, Bhutan in recognition of his contributions to Entomology, especially fruit fly research, in that country.

Figures

Fig. 1. Dacus (Mellesis) dorjii, new species, holotype male: dorsal view.