Urophora sirunaseva (Hering, 1938)

Evstigneev, D. A. & Glukhova, N. V., 2022, Tephritid flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia: new records and new host plants, Zoosystematica Rossica (China) 31 (1), pp. 118-129 : 119

Urophora sirunaseva (Hering, 1938)

( Figs 1–7)

Material examined. Armenia, Kotayk Prov., nr. pre-Christian pagan temple of Garni in Garni Vill. , 2 females and 1 male reared 31.III–13.IV.2020 from capitula of Centaurea solstitialis collected on 9.VIII.2019 (coll. D.A. Evstigneev).

Distribution. Turkey, Greece, Moldova ( White & Clement, 1987; White & V. Korneyev, 1989), Ukraine (Kameneva & V. Korneyev, 1987; White & V. Korneyev, 1989; V. Korneyev & White, 1993), Israel (White & V. Korneyev, 1989), Azerbaijan (V. Korneyev & White, 1993) and Iran ( Karimpour, 2011; Mohamadzade Namin & V. Korneyev, 2018).

Comments. This species is recorded from Armenia for the first time. It was known from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran neighbouring with Armenia. The morphological details of U. sirunaseva are illustrated in Figs 1–7. This species is characterised by distinct subbasal, discal, preapical and apical crossbands (crossbands are listed from wing base to wing apex), distinct preapical primary and secondary steps and truncate apex of the aculeus. The species belongs to the Urophora solstitialis species–group (V. Korneyev & White, 1993) and differs from the other members of the group in the entirely yellow femur without any black spots ( Figs 1, 2) and the short distance between the primary and secondary steps of the aculeus ( Figs 6, 7).