Acroceratitis breviscapa David, Ramani and Hancock

David, K. J., Hancock, D. L. & Ramani, S., 2014, Two new species of Acroceratitis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae) and an updated key for the species from India, Zootaxa 3895 (3), pp. 411-418 : 415-416

Acroceratitis breviscapa David, Ramani and Hancock , sp. nov.

( Figs 13–19 )

Description. Female. Length of body including oviscape, 6.55 mm; wing length, 5.86 mm.

Head ( Fig. 13 ): Length: height: width ratio, 1: 1.5: 1.86. Frons fulvous with 3 pairs of frontal setae and 2 pairs of orbital setae, 1 ocellar, 1 postocellar, 1 medial and lateral vertical seta well developed. Occiput fulvous with row of black postocular setae. Gena, parafacial fulvous, genal seta well developed. Antenna light fuscous, first flagellomere pointed dorsoapically, arista long plumose.

Thorax ( Figs 14 & 15 ): Scutum black with two dark brown vittae from scapular seta to dorsocentral seta. Yellow postsutural lateral vittae tapered before postalar seta and expanded to yellow spot at level of intra-alar seta. Base of scutum with U-shaped xanthine, arms of which braces pits of dorsocentral seta. Postpronotal lobe black with yellow margin, notopleuron yellow with anterior and posterior black margins. Chaetotaxy: 2 scapular, 1 postpronotal, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 intra-alar, 1 dorsocentral aligned with postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, and 1 prescutellar acrostichal seta. Threefourths of scutellum black with yellow basal margin and two pairs of scutellar setae. Pleura almost entirely fulvous except for black longitudinal black band in anepisternum just before phragma; 2 anepisternal, 1 each of anepimeral and katepisternal seta. Anatergite with a black spot near apex. Haltere fulvous.

Legs ( Fig. 15 ) fulvous with five stout ventral spines on fore femur.

Wing ( Fig 17 ): Length, 5.86 mm; hyaline with costal band extending from cell sc to wing apex confluent with R4+5, pterostigma dark basally. Discal band broadly fused with costal band, subapical band fused with posterior apical band. Crossvein r-m placed before middle of cell dm.

Abdomen ( Fig 16 ): Tergites fulvous except third tergum which is dark brown to black. Length of oviscape, eversible membrane and aculeus are 0. 85 mm, 1. 58 mm and 1. 428 mm, respectively. Oviscape brown basally and black apically, shorter (0.85 mm) than abdominal tergites. Aculeus tip blunt with 4–5 preapical setae ( Fig. 18 ), spicules of eversible membrane with 8–10 elongate conical projections, medial projections 3 times longer than the basal ones ( Fig. 19 ).

Material examined. Holotype ♀, INDIA, Karnataka, Madikeri, 0 8. xi. 2012. Coll. David K. J. ( NBAIR).

Etymology. The specific epithet based on its short (=brevi) oviscape.

Comments. Resembling A. striata and A. parastriata David & Hancock , sp. nov. in having a large black spot on postpronotal lobe and scutellar markings, but can be differentiated from A. striata in having black 3rd abdominal tergum and shorter oviscape (0.85 mm), and from A. parastriata by the presence of fused subapical and posterior apical wing bands. Also resembling A. tenmalaica by possessing black 3rd abdominal tergum, but that species can be easily separated by yellow postpronotal lobe, wing pattern and longer oviscape.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 17. Acroceratitis breviscapa David, Ramani and Hancock, sp. nov.. 13, head; 14, scutum; 15, thorax (lateral view); 16, abdomen; 17, wing

FIGURES 18 – 19. Postabdominal structures of female of Acroceratitis breviscapa David, Ramani and Hancock, sp. nov.. 18, aculeus tip; 19, spicules of eversible membrane.