Dacimita curvifasciatus David & Hancock, 2022

David, K. J., Hancock, D. L., Gracy, R. G. & Sachin, K., 2022, A new genus of fruit fly in subfamily Dacinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from India, Zootaxa 5195 (6), pp. 585-597 : 587-589

Dacimita curvifasciatus David & Hancock , sp. n.

( Figs 1−14 )

Description: Total length, 7.01−8. 26 mm.

Head ( Fig. 2 ): higher than long with well developed frontal plate, cheatotaxy reduced with single frontal seta, orbital setae absent; ocellar triangle black with ocellar seta vestigial/ absent; medial vertical seta present, postocular setae lacking. Frons fulvous with a median quadrate to triangular black patch on anterior margin, lunule glossy black. Scape, pedicel short, concolorous with first flagellomere; first flagellomere shorter than face, arista shortplumose. Face fulvous with elongate black marking in each antennal furrow tapering dorsally. Palpus yellow, setulose, labellum yellow with black markings. Gena narrow, with black genal spot, genal seta present but pale, postgena and part of occiput fulvous and swollen (in profile), median occipital sclerite ( Fig. 3 ) with black patches.

Thorax ( Figs 3, 4 ): predominantly black with yellow markings. Scutum black with two parallel rows of microtrichia, with broad, pre- and postsutural lateral yellow vittae, postpronotal lobe yellow, notopleuron yellow with narrow black ventral margin. Anepisternal stripe broad, reaching postpronotal lobe separated by a narrow black stripe; anepimeron black, katepisternum black with yellow transverse marking posterodorsally, meron partly black and partly fuscous (dark brown), anatergite yellow and narrowly black ventrally, dorsal 0.75 of katatergite yellow. Scutellum triangular, yellow with narrow black basal band, with. subscutellum black with medial triangular fulvous/yellow patch. Haltere yellow. Chaetotaxy reduced; 2 scapular setae, 1 anterior notopleural seta, 1 posterior notopleural seta, 1 postalar seta, 1 anepisternal, and 1 (apical) scutellar setae.

Legs ( Fig. 1 ): elongate, predominantly fulvous to yellow. Coxae elongate, fulvous except hind coxa black basally. All femora fulvous without any black or fuscous markings. Fore and hind tibiae yellow, basal half black; tarsi and pretarsi fulvous.

Wing ( Fig. 7 ): Elongate (5.86−7.07 mm), predominantly hyaline with two curved transverse brown bands; proximal band from pterostigma to apex of vein CuA; distal one from apex of vein R 2+3 to middle of cell r 1, then curving posteriorly to apex of vein CuA+CuP, enclosing crossvein r-m. Cell cua as broad as cell bm, cell cua extension shorter than main part of cua.

Male abdomen ( Fig. 5 ): elongate (4.0− 5.8 mm), syntergite 1+2 longer than broad, basal half parallel-sided, distal half and tergite 3 broadening posteriorly such that abdomen is slightly petiolate, syntergite 1+2 black basally, on distal half with two black, longitudinal markings along lateral margins, tergites 3−5 fulvous with basal black band, tergite 5 also with lateral black marking; tergite 3 without pecten.

Female abdomen ( Fig. 6 ): Similar to male except for visible tergite 6, with black basal and lateral margins, and fuscous oviscape as broad as last tergite 6, dorsoventrally flattened.

Male genitalia: Epandrium spinulose; dorsal margin with no demarcation between epandrium and surstylus ( Fig. 8 ). Proctiger setose and larger than epandrium. Medial surstylus well developed, with 2 large prensisetae ( Fig. 9 ). Phallus elongate (2.50−2.89 mm long), with glans mostly sclerotised with well-developed acrophallus and dorsal curved tubular structure resembling subapical lobe ( Fig. 10 ).

Female genitalia: Oviscape broad, triangular (1.75 mm long), dorsoventrally flattened, fuscous ( Fig. 11 ); eversible membrane (1.65 mm long) as broad as apex of oviscape, taeniae not prominent ( Fig. 11 ), spicules on distal end of eversible membrane dome-shaped ( Fig. 12 ), aculeus (1.65 mm long) with conical apex and narrow subapical constriction ( Fig. 13 ); tip with 5 preapical setae (2 distal ones longer than proximal ones). Two black to brown spermathecae, convoluted with bulbous apex ( Fig. 14 ).

Type material: Holotype ♂, INDIA: Meghalaya, West Garo Hills, Renchagre, 22.iii.2021, Sachin , K .; Paratypes 6 ♂♂, 1♀ same data as holotype ( NIM) .

Host plant: Unconfirmed. Collected on leaves of tiger grass, Thysanoleana sp., next to bamboo thicket.

Etymology: The specific name is an adjective derived from the Latin words; curvum (=curved) and fasciae (=bands), meaning curved bands.

DNA Barcode: NCBI Accession number MZ 503643 (1♂, INDIA: Meghalaya, West Garo Hills, Renchagre, 22.iii.2021, Sachin , K.).

Remarks: Dacimita curvifasciatus resembles species of the genus Monacrostichus Bezzi in possessing an elongate body, black coloured scutum with yellow sublateral postsutural vittae, reduced chaetotaxy of head and thorax. It can be differentiated by having the antenna shorter than the face, the arista plumose, the lack of a transverse facial furrow, cell bm as broad as cell cua, veins R 2+3 and M 1 without pronounced curvature, more than 1 frontal seta present, epandrium without any demarcation with surstylus, proctiger larger than epandrium and apex of aculeus conical with preapical constriction and five pairs of preapical setae.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus (lateral) of male of Dacimita curvifasciatus David & Hancock, sp. n.

FIGURES 2−7. Dacimita curvifasciatus David & Hancock, sp. n. 2, head (profile); 3, scutum (dorsal view); 4, thorax (lateral view); 5, male abdomen; 6, female abdomen; 7, wing.

FIGURES 8−14. Postabdominal structures of Dacimita curvifasciatus David & Hancock, sp. n. 8, epandrium and surstyli (lateral view); 9, epandrium snd surstyli (posterior view); 10, glans of phallus; 11, oviscape; 12, spicules on distal end of eversible membrane; 13, aculeus tip; 14, spermatheca.