Urophora dirlbeki Mohamadzade

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 : 101

Urophora dirlbeki Mohamadzade sp. nov.

( Figs. 10–18 )

Korneyev & White 1993: Urophora sp. 2.

Type material. Holotype ♀: Iran: Yazd Province, Taft , Sanich , 2600 m, 31°34.715' N, 54°01.256' E, swept from flowerheads of Onopordum acanthium L., 06.v.2010, Mohamadzade ( JAZM).

Paratypes: Iran: 9♂, 2♀, same collection data as holotype; 24♂, 9♀, Yazd Province, Khezrabad , 1670m, 31°52.688' N, 54°57.412' E, reared from flowerheads of O. acanthium , collected: 06.v.2010, emerged: 27.v.2010; 10♂, 2♀, Yazd Province, Taft, Tezerjoon , 2150m, 31°38.134' N, 54°10.017' E, 23.iv.2010; 13♂, 14♀, Yazd Province, Taft, Deh bala , 2600 m, 31°33.475' N, 54°07.139' E, 23.iv.2010; Mohamadzade ( JAZM; some paratypes are deposited in MHNG, SIZK, ZISP and SMNC).

Diagnosis. U. dirlbeki is a moderately large fly, with strongly reduced wing pattern and yellow femora, similar to U. impicta . It differs by the shape of the aculeus apex, which has two pairs of distinct preapical steps ( U. impicta has one pair of preapical steps and the apex shorter) and also has a different host plant. The length and shape of the aculeus tip are similar in U. dirlbeki and U. terebrans , but the latter species has banded wings and narrower yellow margins on the scutum. The two latter species also share the same host plant species.

Description. Head. Length: height: width ratio = 1: 1.15: 1.45. First flagellomere yellow, twice as long as wide. Compound eye 1.2 times as high as long. Gena as high as length of first flagellomere ( Fig. 11 ). Legs yellow, only fore femur with black stripe posterodorsally ( Fig. 10 ). Wing hyaline. Distance between crossveins r-m and dm-cu 1.3 times as long as crossvein dm-cu ( Fig. 10 ). Terminalia. Aculeus apex with 2 pairs of distinct preapical steps, as in Figs. 12 & 13 . Tergite 5 of male as long as two preceding tergites, with long setae on posterior margin. Epandrium and lateral surstylus rounded in posterior view and glans long and slender and poorly sclerotized ( Figs. 16–18 ).

Measurements. Holotype ♀: BL = 9.5, WL = 5.2; ♂: BL = 4–4.9mm (average 4.6), WL = 3.7–4.9 mm (average 4.3); ♀: BL = 8.2–9.3mm (average 8.8) WL = 4.5–5.3mm (average 4.9), (n=10), AL = 3.4–4.5 mm (average 3.9), AL/WL = 0.75–0.85 (average 0.8) (n = 5).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Dr. Jan Dirlbek, Czech dipterist, in recognition of his contribution to the study of Middle Eastern Tephritidae .

Host plant. Adults were reared from capitulae of Onopordum acanthium L.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 18. Urophora dirlbeki new species 10. Total view, left, Holotype ♀. 11. Head in profile. 12. Aculeus. 13. Aculeus tip. 14. Ejaculatory apodeme. 15. Mesonotum. 16. Epandrium, posterior view. 17. Epandrium and hypandrium, lateral right view. 18. Glans of phallus, lateral.