Urophora kasachstanica ( Richter 1964 )

Namin, Saeed Mohamadzade & Nozari, Jamasb, 2015, Revision of the Urophora xanthippe species group, with description of new species (Diptera: Tephritidae), Zootaxa 3990 (1), pp. 97-112 : 106

Urophora kasachstanica ( Richter 1964)

( Figs. 30–34 )

Richter 1964: 287; 1965: 142 ( Euribia ); Foote 1984: 142; Korneyev & White 1993: 96; Norrbom et al. 1999: 242; Fazel et al. 2011: 1231.

Material examined. Iran: 1♂, Fars Province, Kavar, 1570 M, 29°11' N 52°42' E, 05.iv.2010, Fazel (the author studied the picture of this specimen with Dr. Valery Korneyev’s kindness); Kyrgyzstan: 1♂, Bishkek, Tshon-Aryk, 1500M, 05.vi.1994, Korneyev; 1♀, Chon-Aryk prope Bishkek, 1200m, 05.vi.1994, Korneyev ( SIZK); 1♀, Talas valley, 10.3km from Kok-Sai, steppe, 1700–1850m, 42°26' N, 71°00' E, 26.vi.1998, Korneyev & Kameneva ( SMNC); 1♂, Moldo-Too mts., Korogo pass, 105km W of Naryn, 61km NE of Kazarman 2000–2700m, 41°31' N, 73°42' E, 12.vii.1998, Korneyev ( SMNC).

Diagnosis. U. kasachstanica differs from U. stalker by the shape of apex of aculeus (two pairs of distinct steps), absence of dark spots and stripes on femora and absence of subbasal band on wing.

Redescription. Head. Length: height: width ratio = 1: 1.15: 1.45. First flagellomere, 2.7 times as long as wide. Compound eye 1.3 times as high as long. Gena 0.25–0.35 as high as eye and 0.75 times as high as length of first flagellomere ( Fig. 32 ). Legs completely yellow ( Fig. 30 ). Wing pattern with three well developed dark brown crossbands. Subbasal band reduced; discal crossband complete, crossing wing from pterostigma through r-m crossvein to posterior margin, or broken into spots; preapical crossband complete, reaching posterior margin; apical band well developed, always widely separated from preapical band. Distance between crossveins r-m and dm-cu about 1.4 times as long as crossvein dm-cu ( Fig. 30 ). Terminalia. Aculeus apex with two pairs of distinct steps ( Figs. 33–34 ). Tergite 5 of male as long as three preceding tergites.

Measurements. ♀: WL = 2.5–3.8mm (average 3.1), AL = 1.5–2.9 mm (average 1.9), AL/WL = 0.43–0.81 (average 0.6) (n = 22) ( Korneyev & White 1993).

Host plant: Acroptilon repens L. ( Korneyev & White 1993; 2000).

Distribution. Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran ( Korneyev & Merz 1999; Fazel et al. 2011).

Comments. Among the species of the U. xanthippe species group only U. kasachstanica and U. stalker have the wing pattern with brown crossbands. U. kasachstanica differs from U. stalker in having only three brown crossbands, with the apical and preapical crossbands are widely separated, in addition to shorter wing length ( U. stalker has four crossbands). Furthermore the aculeus tip in U. kasachstanica has two pairs of distinct preapical steps, but the second pair of steps in U. stalker is diminished. On the other hand U. affinis and U. pauperata have similar wing patterns, with three separated crossbands and lacking the basal band, but U. kasachstanica differs in having yellow notopleuron and aculeus tip with two pairs of distinct steps.

Figures

FIGURES 30 – 34. Urophora kasachstanica 30. Total view, right, ♀. 31. Mesonotum. 32. Head in profile. 33. Aculeus. 34. Aculeus tip.