Themarictera Hendel 1914

Korneyev, Severyn V., Hancock, David L., Hauser, Martin, Korneyev, Valery A. & Gaimari, Stephen D., 2021, A new species of the genus Themarictera Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae: Phytalmiinae: Acanthonevrini) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 4996 (2), pp. 383-391 : 385

Themarictera Hendel 1914

Type species: Themarictera rufipennis Hendel, 1914 by original designation, = Dacus flaveolatus Fabricius, 1805 .

Syn.: Stigmatothemara Enderlein 1920 , Type species: Stigmatothemara pterocallina Enderlein by original designation, = Dacus flaveolatus Fabricius, 1805 (synonymy by Hancock, 1986).

An endemic Afrotropical genus, previously known by the single described species, T. flaveolata ( Fabricius, 1805) , widespread in continental Africa. Hancock (1986) synonymised several nominal species. The genus belongs in the tribe Acanthonevrini (Phytalmiinae) and has the head with ocellar setae rudimentary or absent, vertical plates at least as long as half the length of the frons and the frons with 2 frontal setae at the anterior margin and 2 orbital setae (anterior seta at middle of frons length). The arista is long plumose, the scutellum has 3 pairs of marginal setae, the anepimeral seta is lacking, the secondary apical midtibial seta is subequal to the longest seta (spur), the male head is expanded laterally and the female aculeus has subapical setae.

Themarictera can be separated from Aethiothemara by the following characteristics: katepisternal seta weak or absent; medial scutellar seta weaker than basal scutellar seta; veins R 4+5 and M 1 with apical sections parallel; head 2.5–3.5× (in male) and 2.3× (in female) as wide as long; legs without erect long, thin setae; female aculeus apically pointed (in Aethiothemara , katepisternal seta well-developed; medial marginal scutellar seta not weaker than basal scutellar seta; veins R 4+5 and M 1 apically divergent; head non-modified, ca 1.6× as wide as long; legs with long and thin erect setae; and aculeus apically blunt).