Blepharoneura variabilis 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 : 117-119

Blepharoneura variabilis Norrbom & Condon , new species

Figs. 71–76, 85, 109, 171

Diagnosis. This species differs from all other Blepharoneura species in the shape of its aculeus, which is almost bilobed due to the deeply concave medial apical area. It can also be recognized by the following combination of characters: pterostigma without subapical hyaline spot; scutum with 2 pairs of brown vittae; anepisternum entirely yellow; cell r2+3 between crossveins r-m and dm-cu more extensively brown than hyaline, and distally at most with 1 (usually 0) marginal hyaline spot; and cell cell r4+5 distally with hyaline band across cell. It is similar to B. quetzali in wing pattern, but the spot in cell r4+5 near crossvein dm-cu [#15] is aligned with or proximal to the crossvein, rather than slightly distal to it as in B. quetzali . The aculeus has a much deeper medial concavity and more lobes (4 rather than 2 pairs) than that of B. quetzali .

Description. Head ( Fig. 85 ): Dark brown area on ocellar tubercle extended less than half distance to postocellar seta. Medial occipital sclerite with pair of brown submedial vittae on ventral half. Occipital suture narrowly brown.

Thorax: Scutum entirely microtrichose, with 2 pairs of dark brown vittae or rows of spots; submedial vitta often interrupted or narrowed slightly posterior to transverse suture and not connected to mark on posterior margin; sublateral vitta interrupted at transverse suture and separated from mark on posterior margin; posterior margin with 2 well separated brown marks. Notopleuron usually (12 of 14 specimens) with small posterior brown spot on lateral margin. Small brown spots anterior to postsutural supra-alar seta, anterior to postalar seta, and lateral to dorsolateral corner of scutellum present, sometimes small or faint. Scutellum entirely yellow or (4 specimens) with pair of minute brown spots on basal margin opposite posterior marks of scutum. Subscutellum and mediotergite with pair of dark brown vittae, moderately broad or sometimes reaching lateral margin on ventral half of mediotergite. Pleuron entirely yellow or more often with small brown medial spot on anepimeron (9 of 14 specimens) and/or with brown marking on anatergite (with dorsal and/or ventral spots to mostly brown), rarely (1♂, USNMENT00213894) also with margins of katatergite brown. Basalare with brown spot, occasionally faint. Dorsocentral seta aligned with or slightly anterior to postalar seta.

Legs: Mostly yellow. Hind femur and sometimes mid femur with elongate, moderately broad anteroventral and posteroventral dark orange to red brown marks on apical 1/5–1/3 ( Fig. 109 ).

Wing (Figs. 71–76): Length 5.35–6.80 mm, width 2.57–3.10 mm, ratio 2.00–2.20. Crossvein r-m at 0.51– 0.55 distance from bm-cu to dm-cu. Cell c with 2 rectangular hyaline spots, both reaching costa and subcosta; medial brown area distinctly paler than area of cell r1 posterior to pterostigma, sometimes fainter posteriorly or medially, and as broad as or usually broader than hyaline spots or rarely narrower than distal spot. Pterostigma without subapical hyaline spot. Cells r1 and r2+3 basally (proximal to apex of R1) usually without hyaline spots, r1 rarely (1 specimen) with small spot relatively distally (without spot posterior to apex of vein Sc), r2+3 occasionally (4 specimens) with 1 spot. Radial cells medially with relatively narrow slightly to strongly tapering basal marginal hyaline mark [#5] in cell r1 and usually with aligned spots in r2+3 [#8] and r4+5 [#14], sometimes forming continuous band, but often narrowed posteriorly in r1 or in r2+3, spot in r2+3 sometimes absent (3 specimens) or not reaching R2+3 or R4+5, usually narrower than spot in r4+5; aligned spot [#14] in r4+5 more than half as wide as cell, rarely extended to vein M; cell r2+3 with more distal, moderately large hyaline spot [#9], touching R4+5 but only occasionally (2 specimens) reaching R2+3; cell r4+5 with spot [#15] anterior to crossvein dm-cu or more proximal, rarely (1 wing of 2 specimens) fused to spot [#14] aligned with r1 mark, often (8 specimens) with additional anterior or medial hyaline spot [#48] near midlength, occasionally (2 specimens) connected to bands from cell m or associated spot. Distally cell r1 rarely with 1 small marginal hyaline spot [#6] (1 specimen) or 1 small pale brown posterior spot (1 specimen). Cell r2+3 without marginal hyaline marks or occasionally (4 of 13 specimens) with small spot [#10A] at apex of R2+3 or rarely (1♂, USNMENT00213893) with elongate mark [#10] extending almost to vein R4+5; posteriorly with 2 large hyaline spots, often partially connected along R4+5 or fused into 1 broader mark, proximal mark [#10B?] posterior to apex of R2+3 usually larger than distal mark, isolated (6 specimens), fused to marginal spot (1♂, USNMENT00213893), or connected or fused to distal mark (6 specimens); distal mark [interior part of spot #11?] aligned with and connected to distal hyaline mark in cell r4+5 forming band extending to posteroapical margin of r4+5, band relatively straight or concave, or if connected to proximal posterior mark in r2+3 appearing more or less parallel to costa. Cell r4+5 also with posterior hyaline spot or mark aligned and usually connected with hyaline marks in cell m. Cell m with 2 elongate marginal hyaline marks [proximal mark fusion of #26A, #26 and #27; distal mark #29], both usually connected to spot or mark in cell r4+5 forming bands or inverted V-shaped mark extending into latter cell, but sometimes (5 specimens) either proximal or distal or both marks interrupted, occasionally (3 specimens) proximal or both marks not reaching vein M. Cell br with subbasal hyaline spot [#12]. Cell bm usually with circular subbasal and subapical hyaline spots [#19, #20], subbasal spot rarely absent, or with single broad hyaline area [fused #19, #20]. Posteromedial part of wing with isolated hyaline spots, or usually with them variously connected to form larger markings; cell br with large subapical hyaline spot [#13] and often with smaller more proximal spot [#44], occasionally connected or fused into very broad spot; cell dm with 2 broad or 1 very broad hyaline mark(s) in basal 3/5, subbasal mark [fused #21, #22 and/or #51, #52] (or basal part of fused mark) aligned with or slightly proximal to subapical spot [#13] in cell br and with or distal to more proximal spot [#44] in br (if present) or if broad usually with both spots, also aligned with proximal anterior spot in cell cu1 [#31]; cell dm also with large posteromedial spot [#23 and/or #24] (or distal extension to subbasal mark if they are fused) extending 2/3–3/4 or rarely (1♂) halfway to vein M; cell cu1 medially with 2–3 anterior [#31, #32, and usually #33] hyaline spots (distal spot [#33] absent in 2 specimens) faintly separated from proximal and medial marginal hyaline spots [#34, #36], or usually with medial spot [#36] connected to medial and distal anterior spots [#32, #33] and sometimes to proximal anterior spot [#31] and/or proximal marginal spot [#34] to form Y-shaped or trident shaped mark or posteriorly bilobed mark; subapical marginal hyaline spot [#37] moderate to large, often extending to vein Cu1. Cell dm with anterior to anteromedial subapical hyaline spot [#25] relatively large, often extended to vein M.

Abdomen: All tergites with 4 evenly spaced dark brown spots, L-shaped posterolateral dark brown band, separated medially, and on tergites 3–5 anterolateral dark brown spot; some or all of these markings often connected or fused to form irregular lateral markings, but at least submedial spots distinct except sometimes on tergite 5.

Female terminalia: Oviscape entirely dark brown; length 1.00– 1.12 mm. Aculeus ( Fig. 171 ) 0.9 mm long, 3.6 times as long as wide, without scales dorsally or ventrally on membrane medially; lateral margin with minute, irregular serrations extending almost to lateral lobe; tip angular basolaterally, moderately long (lobed part 0.37–0.43 times as long as wide), with broad deep medial apical concavity (deeper than length of medial lobes and more than half as broad as distance between apices of subapical lobes) bordered by moderately large, triangular pair of medial lobes and with 3 pairs of small step-like lobes; sublateral and submedial lobes similar in size; lobes separated by elongate shallow gaps, lateral gap 2.00 times as long as wide, gap between medial and submedial lobes 1.5 times as long as wide. Spermathecae subspherical, with long, straight to slightly convoluted, slender sclerotized neck and with or without small cylindrical basal apodeme.

Male terminalia: Medial surstylus with prensisetae separated by several times width of medial prensiseta, medial prensiseta on curved lobe, lateral prensiseta small to minute, less than one-third as wide as medial prensiseta, acute, orange brown to dark brown.

Distribution. Mexico (Chiapas). The type specimens were collected between 1300–2000 m elevation in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas.

Type data. Holotype ♀ ( USNM USNMENT00213892 ), 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 . Paratypes: Same data as holotype, 4♂ 2♀ ( USNM USNMENT00213890 , USNMENT00213893 , USNMENT00213896– 97 , USNMENT00213899–900 ) 3 ♂ 2 ♀ ( TAUI USNMENT00213889 , USNMENT00213891 , USNMENT00213895 , USNMENT00213901–02 ) 1♂ ( IEXV USNMENT00213898 ) ; El Triunfo , 1800 m, 14 May 1985, A. Freidberg, 1♂ ( USNM USNMENT00213894 ) .

Etymology. The name of this species is a Latin adjective referring to the variable wing pattern.

Figures

FIGURES 84–89. Head, posterior: 84, B. femoralis (Mexico: Lagunas de Zempoala, USNMENT00213772); 85, B. variabilis (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213890); 86, B. hirsuta (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, USNMENT00213794); 87, B. chaconi (Costa Rica: San Gerardo, INBio002539948); 88, B. sp. nr. thetis (Bolivia: Arroyo Tuhiri, USNMENT00056566); 89, B. quadristriata (Mexico: Los Tuxtlas, USNMENT00214950).

FIGURES 109–112. Left hind leg, anterior: 109, B. variabilis (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213891); 110, B. nigrifemur (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055922); 111, B. bidigitata (Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213834); 112, B. apaapa (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055934).

FIGURES 165–172. Aculeus: 165, B. amplihyalina (holotype); 166, B. marshalli (holotype); 167, B. multipunctata (holotype); 168, B. mikenoltei (holotype); 169, B. mexicana (Mexico: Mexico City, USNMENT00213809); 170, B. regina (Mexico: Lagunas de Zempoala, USNMENT00213846); 171, B. variabilis (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213899); 172, B. bidigitata (Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213907).