Urophora sevanensis, Evstigneev, 2023

Evstigneev, D. A., 2023, A second species of the genus Urophora (Diptera: Tephritidae) attacking capitula of the genus Psephellus (Asteraceae), Zoosystematica Rossica (Zoosyst. Rossica) 32 (1), pp. 16-22 : 17-21

Urophora sevanensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1–9 )

Holotype. Female, Armenia, Gegharkunik Prov., western coast of Sevan Lake , between Noratus Vill. and Eranos Vill., among rocks, reared on 11.IV.2022 from capitulum of Psephellus sp. collected on 25.VII.2021, D. Evstigneev leg.

Paratypes. 3 males and 1 female, with same data as in holotype .

Description. Medium-sized fly: female body length (including oviscape) 7.0– 7.8 mm, male body length 4.6–5.3 mm, wing length 3.7–4.0 mm. General body colour black. All setae black. Ratios of head length to its height and width 1: 1.4: 1.5. Frons predominantly orange, with some areas pale brown. Palpus whitish, darkening to orange apically. Proboscis yellowish or whitish, with yellowish areas. First flagellomere orange. Pedicel yellow or orange. Scape yellow. Lunule whitish.

Thorax predominantly black; its length 1.6– 1.8 mm. Postpronotal lobe largely yellow or whitish. Upper part of anepisternum yellowish or whitish. Postpronotal seta based in yellowish area. Upper anepisternal seta based in yellowish area ( Fig. 1 ). Anterior notopleural seta based in black area (on margin of black and yellow areas). Posterior notopleural seta based in black area. Scutellum yellow centrally, black laterally, with two pairs of setae ( Fig. 7 ); basal scutellar setae based in black lateral area; apical scutellar setae based in yellow central area. Wing with distinct black subbasal, discal, preapical and apical crossbands (crossbands listed from wing base to wing apex). Subbasal and discal crossbands separate ( Figs 1–4 ). Discal and preapical crossbands separate. Preapical and apical crossbands joined anteriorly between veins C and R 4+5 [black area extends from one-third ( Fig. 3 ) to three-fourths ( Fig. 4 ) of width of cell r 2+3]. Subbasal crossband narrowed posteriorly, forming a process ( Figs 1–4 ). Posterior process is more prominent in males. Scutum with dense microtrichial pattern, similar in colour to pollen, with or without stripes and marks ( Fig. 7 ). Male femora usually entirely orange ( Fig. 1 ). Female fore and hind femora orange, with black longitudinal stripe; middle femora predominantly orange, with small mark on basal half ( Fig. 2 ). Two apical segments of tarsi often brown or black.

Abdomen black. Male abdomen length 2 mm. Female abdomen (including oviscape) length 4.8– 5.3 mm. Oviscape (= syntergosternite 7, = seventh tergosternite, = tergosternum 7) shiny black, 1.6–1.7 times as long as all tergites combined. Oviscape length 3.0– 3.3 mm. Aculeus with two pairs of preapical steps including strong primary (proximal) and weaker secondary (distal) steps ( Fig. 6 ). Aculeus with weak apical notch. Aculeus length 2.7 mm.

Comparison. The only other Urophora species known to attack the genus Psephellus is U. trinervii Korneyev et White, 1996 , which has an entirely different wing pattern characterised by reduced, faint crossbands, with the subbasal crossband absent or rarely represented by only a grey spot located between veins R 1 and A 1, the discal crossband obscure, represented in females by a weak, diffuse spot bordering r-m (= ta), and usually more or less expressed between R 1 and r-m in males, and the preapical and apical crossbands separated in females, and joined in 65% males. The basal scutellar seta in U. trinervii is on the margin of the yellow and black areas ( Korneyev & White, 1996) versus within the black area in U. sevanensis sp. nov. Korneyev & White (1996) reared U. trinervii from capitulum galls on Psephellus trinervius (Willd.) Wagenitz [as Odontolophus trinervius in Korneyev & White (1996) and as Centaurea (Odontolophus) trinervius in Korneyev & White (1999)]. Urophora sevanensis sp. nov. resembles U. aprica (Fallén, 1820) , which is associated with Centaurea cyanus L. A latter fly species located in couplet 54 in a key for the identification of the eastern Palaearctic Urophora species provided by Korneyev & White (1999). Here, the morphological details U. aprica are illustrated based on the original material from the Ulyanovsk Province of Russia ( Figs 10–18 ).

The following key may be used to differentiate U. sevanensis sp. nov. from U. trinervii and U. aprica :

1. Wing pattern characterised by reduced, faint crossbands. Larvae develop in the capitula of Psephellus trinervius .......................... U. trinervii

– Wing with four distinct crossbands: separated subbasal and discal crossbands, separated discal and preapical crossbands, anteriorly connected preapical and apical crossbands...................... 2

2. Male posterior process of subbasal crossband long ( Fig. 3 ). Usually male femora entirely orange. Aculeus with distinct preapical primary and small secondary steps ( Fig. 6 ). Apical notch small ( Fig. 6 ). Aculeus length 2.7 mm. Larvae develop in the capitula of Psephellus sp. .................................................. U. sevanensis sp. nov.

– Male posterior process of subbasal crossband short ( Figs 11, 13 ). Male femora with extensive black marks up to predominantly black, orange apically ( Fig. 11 ). Aculeus with two pairs of very prominent preapical steps ( Figs 17, 18 ). Apical notch deeper ( Figs 17, 18 ). Aculeus length 1.7–1.9 mm. Larvae develop in the capitula of Centaurea cyanus ........................................... U. aprica

Host plant. Larvae of the new species develop in the capitula of Psephellus sp. (Fig. 27, see Addenda). Terellia ermolenkoi Korneyev, 1985 was reared from the capitula of the same species of Psephellus . Information about this fly species is presented below.

Etymology. The species name is an adjective derived from Lake Sevan (Սևան in Armenian), on the coast of which the type locality is situated.

Distribution. The new species is known from the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia.

Figures

Figs 1–9. Urophora sevanensis sp. nov., paratypes (1–8) and holotype (9). 1, male habitus (in lateral view); 2, female habitus (in lateral view); 3, male wing; 4, female wing; 5, aculeus; 6, apex of aculeus; 7, female thorax (in dorsal view); 8, glans of phallus; 9, female abdomen (in dorsal view).

Figs 10–18. Urophora aprica (Fallén, 1820) from European Russia (Ulyanovsk Province; reared from Centaurea cyanus), females (10, 12, 15–18) and males (11, 13, 14). 10, female habitus (in lateral view); 11, male habitus (in lateral view); 12, female abdomen (in dorsal view); 13, male wing; 14, glans of phallus; 15, aculeus; 16, distal part of aculeus; 17, 18, apex of aculeus.