Bactrocera (Bactrocera) geminosimulata Leblanc & Doorenweerd, 2021

Leblanc, Luc, Tsatsia, Francis & Doorenweerd, Camiel, 2021, Novel lures and COI sequences reveal cryptic new species of Bactrocera fruit flies in the Solomon Islands (Diptera, Tephritidae, Dacini), ZooKeys 1057, pp. 49-103 : 49

Bactrocera (Bactrocera) geminosimulata Leblanc & Doorenweerd sp. nov.

Fig. 6A-E , 9E-G

Type material.

Holotype. Solomon Islands • ♂; Guadalcanal, forest; -9.4045, 159.8665; 120 m; 4-16 Apr. 2018; L. Leblanc, F. Tsatsia leg.; cue-lure baited trap FFSo022; molecular voucher UHIM.ms09156". Deposited in UHIM. Paratypes. 13 males. Solomon Islands • 4 ♂; Guadalcanal, forest; -9.4072, 159.8664; 153 m; 4-16 Apr. 2018; L. Leblanc, F. Tsatsia leg.; cue-lure baited trap FFSo016; molecular voucher UHIM.ms08673 • 2 ♂; same locality and date as for preceding; -9.4069, 159.8664; 153 m; trap FFSo017 • 2 ♂; same locality and date as for preceding; -9.4064, 159.8671; 145 m; trap FFSo018 • 1 ♂; same locality and date as for preceding; -9.4045, 159.8665; 139 m; trap FFSo022 • 2 ♂; same locality and date as for preceding; -9.4038, 159.8646; 103 m; trap FFSo024; molecular voucher UHIM.ms09155) • 2 ♂; same locality and date as for preceding; -9.4026, 159.8695; 57 m; trap FFSo027; molecular vouchers UHIM.ms09153, UHIM.ms09154. Nine of the paratypes are deposited at UHIM, three at WFBM, and one at USNM.

Differential diagnosis.

Bactrocera geminosimulata is identical in all points to the sympatric B. simulata (Malloch), only distinguished by a subtle difference in wing infuscation in the presence of a light fuscous tinge as a broad, somewhat triangular area covering much of the middle of the wing, including the areas bordering r-m and dm-cu (Fig. 9E-G ); the latter is absent in B. simulata (Fig. 9A-D ). The new species can be distinguished from B. bryoniae (Tryon) by the lighter fuscous tinge of the costal band, a narrower anal streak and the largely to entirely black abdomen, whereas the abdomen in B. bryoniae is orange-brown with a narrow black ‘T’ -shaped pattern (Fig. 8 ). Bactrocera bryoniae is widespread in Australia and New Guinea but is absent from the Solomon Islands.

Molecular diagnosis.

The COI sequences of B. geminosimulata [N = 4] are similar to those of B. bryoniae [N = 5], but with a minimum of 1.47% pairwise distance. The reference COI dataset only includes B. bryoniae from Australia. The COI sequences suggest no close relationship with B. simulata , and can be used to reliably distinguish B. geminosimulata from B. simulata .

Description of adult.

Male. Head (Fig. 6A ). Height 2.02 ± 0.18 (SD) (1.77-2.17) mm. Frons, of even width, 0.98 ± 0.11 (0.83-1.07) mm long and 1.33 ± 0.08 (1.24-1.43) times as long as broad; generally fulvous; anteromedial hump covered by short red-brown microtrichia; three pairs of black frontal setae present; lunule yellow. Ocellar triangle black. Vertex fulvous with two pairs of black vertical setae. Face fulvous with a pair of large circular black spots in antennal furrows; length 0.62 ± 0.07 (0.53-0.67) mm. Gena fulvous, with or without a faint dark fuscous subocular spot; red-brown seta present. Occiput dark fuscous and narrowly fulvous along eye margin; a row of 6-8 black postocular setae present behind eye. Antenna with scape and pedicel fulvous and flagellum fulvous with light fuscous lateral surface; a strong red-brown dorsal seta on pedicel; arista fulvous basally and black distally; length of segments: 0.30 ± 0.03 (0.27-0.33) mm; 0.40 ± 0.05 (0.33-0.43) mm; 0.95 ± 0.07 (0.89-1.03) mm.

Thorax (Fig. 6B ). Scutum black with small orange-brown markings anterior and posterior to lateral postsutural vitta. Pleural areas black. Yellow markings: postpronotal lobe; notopleuron; moderately broad paired lateral postsutural vitta, tapering posteriorly and ending before intra-alar seta posteriorly; moderately broad anepisternal stripe with anterior margin straight, ending before anterior notopleural seta dorsally; a large transverse spot on katepisternum below the anepisternal stripe; anterior ¾ of anatergite and katatergite (posteriorly black). Mediotergite black. Scutellum yellow with narrow black basal band. Setae: 1 pair scutellar; 1 pair prescutellar acrostichal; 1 pair intra-alar; 1 pair postalar; 1 pair postsutural supra-alar; 1 pair anepisternal; 2 pairs notopleural; 2 pairs scapular; all setae well developed and black.

Legs (Fig. 6E ). Coxae and trochanters black. Remainder of legs fulvous with hind tibia tending fuscous to dark fuscous. Fore femur with a row of long dark dorsal setae. Mid-tibia with an apical black spur.

Wing (Fig. 9E-G ). Length 6.4 ± 0.4 (5.9-6.9) mm; basal costal and costal cells fulvous with microtrichia in posterodistal corner of costal cell; broad dark fuscous costal band confluent with R4+5, ending between R4+5 and medial vein; light fuscous tinge as a broad, somewhat triangular area covering much of the middle of the wing, including the areas bordering r-m and dm-cu (absent in B. simulata ); broad dark fuscous anal streak; dense aggregation of microtrichia around A1 + CuA2; supernumerary lobe moderately developed.

Abdomen (Fig. 6C, D ). Oval with tergites not fused; pecten present on tergite III; posterior lobe of surstylus short; abdominal sternite V with a deep concavity on posterior margin. Base of syntergite I+II wider than long. Syntergite I+II black except for yellow along posterior half of and narrowly orange-brown along anterior margin of tergite II. Tergites III-V entirely black or with two broad longitudinal orange-brown areas running from center of tergite IV to posterior margin of tergite V, each side of a broad medial longitudinal dull black stripe. Ceromata on tergite V black. Abdominal sternites black.

Female. Unknown

Male attractant.

Cue-lure.

Etymology.

The specific name is a noun in apposition, derived from the Latin noun geminus (twins) and the epithet of the sympatric and morphologically nearly identical B. simulata (Malloch).

Notes.

Bactrocera geminosimulata was included as B. spSol12 in Doorenweerd et al. (2020).

Figures

Figure 6. Bactrocera geminosimulata sp. nov. A head B head and scutum C abdomen D lateral view and wing.

Figure 8. Bactrocera bryoniae (Tryon) A head B head and scutum C abdomen D lateral view and wing.

Figure 9. Wings of Bactrocera simulata (Malloch) A molecular voucher ms 09146 B ms 09147 C ms 09148 D ms 09151, Bactrocera geminosimulata sp. nov. E ms 09153 F ms 09154 G ms 09155 Bactrocera bryoniae (Tryon) H ms 01515 I ms 01516 J ms 07717.