Blepharoneura aspiculosa Norrbom & Condon, 2010

Norrbom, Allen L. & Condon, Marty, 2010, Revision of the femoralis group of Blepharoneura Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae) 2374, Zootaxa 2374 (1), pp. 1-139 : 19-29

Blepharoneura aspiculosa Norrbom & Condon , new species

Figs. 9 , 136

Diagnosis. This species, B. splendida , sinepuncta , and punctistigma differ from other Blepharoneura species in having the thoracic pleuron largely brown, the apical fourth or more of the hind femur dark brown, and the distal part of the wing with oblique bands. Blepharoneura aspiculosa is very similar to B. punctistigma . It differs by aculeus shape (apex slightly more elongate, steps shallower) and lack of medial scales; the hyaline subapical band not constricted along vein R4+5; and cell dm with a single very long and broad hyaline area in the basal 3/4 (the narrowest part extends 3/4 of distance to anterior margin of cell; B. punctistigma usually has 2 separate hyaline areas). These two species differ from B. splendida and sinepuncta by their markings in cell dm (subapical spot [#25] isolated and distal to posterior spot aligned with r-m [#24]) and the pterostigma (always with a subapical spot, which is absent in B. sinepuncta and usually absent in B. splendida ). The aculeus tip differs from those of B. splendida and sinepuncta in having shallower gaps between the lobes.

Description. Head: Dark brown area on ocellar tubercle extended more than half distance to postocellar seta. Medial vertical seta in yellow area. Medial occipital sclerite with pair of pale brown submedial vittae on ventral half. Occipital suture narrowly dark brown, on lateral side bordered by triangular brown area extending to postocular setae, not including lateral vertical seta.

Thorax: Scutum entirely microtrichose, with 2 pairs of dark brown vittae or rows of spots; submedial vitta narrowed and almost interrupted posterior to transverse suture and separated from mark on posterior margin; sublateral vitta interrupted at transverse suture, narrowly connected to mark on posterior margin; posterior margin with 1 broad brown mark narrowed medially. Notopleuron brown except for small pale area surrounding posterior seta. Small brown spot anterior to postsutural supra-alar seta faint, diffuse. Brown vitta anterior to postalar seta present. Brown spot lateral to dorsolateral corner of scutellum present. Scutellum with single somewhat inverted U-shaped medial brown mark extended to basal margin. Subscutellum and mediotergite with pair of dark brown vittae, extended along lateral margin on ventral half of mediotergite. Pleuron mostly dark brown, yellow only on propleuron, anterior margin of anepisternum and broadly bordering phragma, all of katepimeron, greater ampulla, and dorsal margins of anepimeron and anatergite. Basalare brown. Dorsocentral seta aligned slightly anterior to postalar seta.

Legs: Mostly yellow. Mid femur with anteroventral and posteroventral brown marks on apical 2/5. Hind femur with entire apical 1/4–1/2 dark brown.

Wing ( Fig. 9 ): Length 6.40 mm, width 3.05 mm, ratio 2.10. Crossvein r-m at 0.57 distance from bm-cu to dm-cu. Cell c with 2 rectangular hyaline spots, both reaching costa and subcosta; medial brown area as dark as to distinctly paler than area of cell r1 posterior to pterostigma, sometimes paler medially, narrower than both hyaline spots. Pterostigma with large subapical hyaline to pale brown spot [#3] reaching R1. Cell r1 basally (proximal to apex of R1) with 1 pale brown to hyaline spot posterior to apex of vein Sc; cell r2+3 basally with 1 spot. Radial cells medially with broad tapering basal marginal hyaline mark [#5 fused with additional spot?] in cell r1 and aligned spots in r2+3 [#8] and r4+5 [#14] forming acute triangular mark, extended slightly into r4+5; cell r4+5 with hyaline spot [#15] near anterior end of dm-cu extending to vein M. Distally cell r1 without hyaline spots [#6], and cell r2+3 without marginal hyaline marks. Cell r4+5 with hyaline band from posteroapical margin, extending parallel to costa to or almost to vein R2+3, not extended into cell r1, not constricted along vein R4+5, tapering anteriorly, broader than marginal brown area. Cells m and r4+5 with inverted V-shaped hyaline mark [fusion of at least #26A, #26, #27, #29], extending anteriorly to vein R4+5, both arms reaching margin in cell m. Cell br with subbasal hyaline spot [#12]. Cell bm with circular subbasal and subapical hyaline spots [#19, #20]. Cell bcu with hyaline spot in lobe. Anal lobe hyaline except brown area from apical part of lobe of cell bcu and base of vein A1+Cu2 to apex of vein A2. Posteromedial part of wing with large, broad hyaline areas; cell br with isolated subapical hyaline spot [#13]; cell dm with very long and broad hyaline mark [fused #51, #52, #21, #22, #23, #24] aligned with large hyaline mark in cell cu1, longer posteriorly than anteriorly, proximal part extended to anterior margin, distal part extended 3/4 of distance to margin; cell cu1 with very broad Y-shaped mark [#32, #33, #36] nearly fused proximally with mark across vein A1+Cu2 [fused #34, #39] isolating 1 small anterior and 1 small submarginal brown spot; subapical marginal hyaline spot [#37] large, reaching vein Cu1. Cell dm with anterior subapical hyaline spot [#25?] isolated and distal to proximal mark, extending to vein M.

Abdomen: Syntergite 1+2 with pair of isolated submedial spots and irregular marks formed by sublateral spots connected to posterolateral band. Tergites 3–5 with isolated pairs of submedial, sublateral, and anterolateral brown spots and posterolateral brown bands.

Female terminalia: Oviscape entirely dark brown; length 1.05 mm. Aculeus ( Fig. 136 ) 0.70 mm long, 2.23 times as long as wide, without scales dorsally and ventrally on membrane medially; tip angular basolaterally, moderately long triangular (lobed part 0.55 times as long as wide), with small, convex medial lobe and 3 pairs of step-like lobes separated by shallow gaps; sublateral and submedial lobes similar in size; lateral gap 1.54 times as long as wide. Spermathecae subspherical, with nearly straight, slender sclerotized neck and large cylindrical basal apodeme.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Mexico.

Type data. Holotype ♀ ( USNM USNMENT00213912 ), MEXICO: Chiapas: 49 km S of Jaltenango, [Parque Natural] El Triunfo [15°40'N 92°48'W], 1300–2000 m, 13–15 May 1985, A. Freidberg.

Etymology. The name of this species is an adjective formed from the Latin a- (without) and spica (point) in reference to the lack of acute scales medially on the aculeus.

Figures

FIGURES 6–15. Wing: 6–7, B. amplihyalina (Argentina: Horco Molle, USNMENT00213855; Villa Padre Monti, USNMENT00213859); 8, B. apaapa (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055943); 9, B. aspiculosa (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213912); 10–11, B. bidigitata (Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213906; Interlagos, USNMENT00213839); 12, B. bipunctata (holotype); 13, B. biseriata (Mexico: Huipulco, USNMENT00213948); 14, B. sp. nr. biseriata (Mexico: E El Palmito, USNMENT00213947); 15, B. bivittata (holotype).

FIGURES 136–145. Aculeus: 136, B. aspiculosa (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213912); 137, B. cyclantherae (Mexico: Rt. 95, USNMENT00052304); 138–142, B. femoralis (Guatemala: Coban, USNMENT00213771; Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213760, USNMENT00052320, USNMENT00213761; Peru: Chanchamayo, USNMENT00213960); 143, B. nigrifemur (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055925); 144, B. sinepuncta (Costa Rica: Zurquí, USNMENT00050130); 145, B. zumbadoi (Costa Rica: San Gerardo, INBio002578264).