Tephritis kovalevi Korneyev & Kameneva 1990

Korneyev, Severyn V. & Korneyev, Valery A., 2019, Revision of the Old World species of the genus Tephritis (Diptera, Tephritidae) with a pair of isolated apical spots, Zootaxa 4584 (1), pp. 1-73 : 43

Tephritis kovalevi Korneyev & Kameneva 1990

Tephritis kovalevi Korneyev & Kameneva 1990 ; Norrbom et al. 1999: 217.

Diagnosis. Tephritis kovalevi can be easily separated from other Tephritis species by the following combination of characters: wing with mottled brown or grey pattern not extended into anal cell and anal lobe, with 2 dark spots at the apices of R 4+5 and M veins isolated from the remaining wing pattern; cell r 1 with 3 hyaline spots distal of apex of vein R 1, large hyaline spots in r 1 and r 2+3 widely confluent to form bold M- or N-shaped mark, 4 hyaline spots proximal and distal of crossvein r-m large, usually entirely confluent with each other, but not forming hyaline crossband of irregular shape dividing dark pattern into discal and subapical areas; basal halves of cells dm and cua mostly dark brown or grey with hyaline spots, but not reaching vein A 1 +Cu 2; abdominal tergites at least partly (or often entirely) reddish yellow, white setulose and setose; oviscape entirely orange to reddish brown, brown setulose without white setae; aculeus poorly sclerotized basally, apically narrowed into blunt, simple, slightly rounded tip ( Figs 23a – b ).

It shares the wing pattern not extending into anal cell, very similar shape of aculeus and the host plants of the tribe Cichorieae with T. dilacerata , T. sonchina , and T. youngiana new species, differing from them by the wider developed dark pattern with numerous small hyaline and yellow, partly confluent, spots; and dark pattern covering distal 3 quarters of cells dm and cua (in T. dilacerata , T. sonchina , and T. youngiana new species the wing pattern with larger and sparcer hyaline spots and cells dm and cua widely hyaline in basal half with at most narrow grey bars).

The nominative subspecies, Tephritis kovalevi kovalevi , is similar to T. zernyi Hendel in having mainly reddish yellow coloration of mesonotum and abdomen, differing by having cells dm and cu predominantly brown with small, partly comfluent hyaline spots (in T. zernyi , cells dm and cu predominantly hyaline, with narrow, pale grey bars separating widely confluent large hyaline spots) and by the oviscape shorter than 3 posteriormost abdominal tergites and uniformly brownish setulose (in T. zernyi , oviscape longer than abdominal tergites 4–6, with numerous white setulae in basal half).

Description. Head and legs: As described for T. bardanae , occiput with black or brown V-shaped mark on medial occipital sclerite.

Thorax: Ground colour yellow to brownish red, yellow microtrichose and white setulose. Scutum with 5 poorly expressed pale brownish red vittae. Scutellum anteromedially usually dark brown ( Fig. 2 2b ). Mediotergite reddish yellow to black in ground colour, uniformly microtrichose.

Legs: As described for T. bardanae , entirely yellow. Fore femur with 2 rows of posterodorsal setae, of them basal 3–5 white, and others brown, and 1 row of longer posteroventral setae, white in basal half (5–7 setae) and brown in apical half (6–7 setae). Hind tibia with parallel rows of yellow to brown setulae and distinct anterodorsal row of dark brown to black setae on basal 2/3, longest seta about as long as width of tibia.

Wing ( Figs 2 2c – e ): Similar to T. dilacerata , except as follows. Dark parts of cell r 2+3 with 3–8 hyaline or yellowish dots posterior to pterostigma and apex of vein R 2+3. Cell br hyaline in basal half and dark in apical half, with 5–8 hyaline and yellow spots of variable size. Crossvein r-m surrounded by 4 yellow or hyaline dots sometimes fused into hyaline or yellow bars. Vein R 4+5 with 6–8 setulae ventrally. Cell r 4+5 at the level of dm-cu with 1 or 2 round hyaline spots of variable size, sometimes fused to form 8-shaped spot; medial third of cell r 4+5 brown; with 8–15 variously shaped, isolated or partly fused, small yellow or hyaline dots. Cell dm hyaline at base, dark in apical half with 10–15 hyaline spots of variable shape and size. Cell m dark, with very variable pattern of 5–15 spots of variable shape and size, isolated or partly merged. Cell cu mostly dark brown except basal onequarter and hyaline posterior area separating dark pattern from vein A 1 +CuA 2, with 8–10 hyaline spots of variable shape and size in brown area; posterior margin usually with 2 brown isolated spots aligned to apex of vein A 1 +CuA 2. Anal cell with 3 grey or brown isolated or partly fused bars. Anal lobe hyaline.

Abdomen: Abdominal tergites yellow; white setulose and setose; tergites 3–5 entirely yellow or at most anteromedially with fused black or brown spots, male tergite 5 and female tergites 5 and 6 with brown marginal setae.

Terminalia: Male. Epandrium and glans as in Tephritis dilacerata . Female. Oviscape at most as long as tergites 5 and 6 combined, reddish yellow, entirely brown setulose. Eversible membrane with taeniae 0.33 × as long as membrane itself; membrane bearing uniformly small scales ( Fig. 25c ). Aculeus 5 × as long as wide, with widely rounded apex ( Figs 23a – b , 25a – b ). 2 long and narrow, papillose spermathecae 7.5–9 × as long as wide ( Figs 23c , 25d ).

Figures

FIGURES 2a–h. Tephritis, spp. wings: a—T. valida; b—T. kogardtauica; c—T. dilacerata dilacerata; d—T. dilacerata kaszabi; e—T. kovalevi kovalevi; f—T. kovalevi kumana; g—T. formosa; h—T. youngiana. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 23a–c. Tephritis kovalevi kovalevi: a—tip of aculeus, ventral view; b—aculeus, ventral view; c—spermathecae; df—sonchus cf—palustris and T. kovalevi in natural habitat—d—flower head; e—t—kovalevi kovalevi sitting on the leaf; f— Infested flower head. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 25a–e. Tephritis kovalevi kumana: a—tip of aculeus, ventral view; b—aculeus, ventral view; c—eversible membrane, ventral view; d—spermathecae; e—glans of phallus, lateral. Scale bar = 1 mm.