Pliomelaena Bezzi, 1918

Singh, Maneesh Pal & Hancock, David Lawrence, 2025, Five new species of subfamily Tephritinae (Tephritidae: Diptera) from Himalayas and description of postabdominal structures in Chaetostomella completa (Kapoor, Malla & Ghosh), Pliomelaena spathuliniforma (Dirlbek & Dirlbek) and P. zonogastra (Bezzi), Zootaxa 5689 (2), pp. 299-332 : 313-316

Genus Pliomelaena Bezzi

Pliomelaena Bezzi, 1918: 220 . Type species: Euaresta ( Pliomelaena) brevifrons Bezzi, 1918 .

Two species of Pliomelaena were described from India, P. zonogastra (Bezzi) and P. udhampurensis Agarwal & Kapoor , the latter synonymised with P. spathuliniforma (Dirlbek & Dirlbek) by Hancock (2007a), while a third previously included species, Pliomelaena quadrimaculata Agarwal & Kapoor , was transferred to genus Quadrimelaena Hancock by Hancock (2004). Pliomelaena is characterized by yellowish translucent setae on head and thorax, lateral margins of face with distinct setulae, flagellum yellowish, shorter than face, pubescent, slightly dorsoapically curved, arista lightly plumose, greyish thorax, stubby white anepimeral seta, fore femora with a ventrolateral row of 5–7 yellow setae, hind tibia with a lateral row of yellow setulae, cells bc and c hyaline except narrow infuscation in cell c, setulae absent on dorsal side of vein R 1 below sc break, cells r 1 and r 2+3 with 3 hyaline indentations near vein R 1, more or less forming an inverted triangle often with a small circular indentation connected to it in cell r 2+3, apical marginal hyaline indentation in cell r 4+5 and 3 marginal hyaline indentations in cell m. Abdomen usually yellowish with narrow or broad black bands, oviscape black and shorter than abdomen, and glans of phallus with a pair of apical spines (fig. 9J). Key characters of setulae absent on dorsal side of vein R 1 below sc break, cells r 1 and r 2+3 with 3 hyaline indentations near vein R 1, more or less forming an inverted triangle, apical marginal hyaline indentation in cell r 4+5 and 3 marginal hyaline indentations in cell m appear consistent based on examination of long series of specimens. Variability in wing pattern is often a result of sexual dimorphism rather than specific separation, as discussed below.

Key to Indian species of Pliomelaena Bezzi

1. Triangular pattern of hyaline indentations in cells r 1 & r 2+3 with an extra circular hyaline spot alongside vein R 2+ 3 in cell r 2+3......................................................................... P. spathuliniforma (Dirlbek&Dirlbek)

- Triangular pattern of hyaline indentations in cells r 1 & r 2+3 without an extra circular hyaline spot in cell r 2+3.................................................................................................. P. zonogastra (Bezzi)