Malaisinia Hering, 1938

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 : 300-304

Genus Malaisinia Hering

Malaisinia Hering, 1938: 54 . Type species M. pulcherrima Hering, 1938 .

This genus is characterized by having 3–4 pairs of frontal, 2 pairs of orbital and 1 pair of scutellar setae [apicals absent], scutum covered with short, yellowish, scale-like setulae, wing apex dark with at most a very small hyaline subapical spot and an unusually angled basal hyaline indentation in cell m. Hancock (2001) included three species: pulcherrima Hering from Myanmar and W China, variegata (Radhakrishnan) from NE India and biseta (Wang) from SW China. A fourth species is added here from northern India. Only the host plant of M. variegata is known; it forms stem galls on Inula cappa ( Asteraceae : Radhakrishnan, 1984).

Key to known species of Malaisinia Hering

1. Anterior part of wing largely pale without distinct hyaline indentations crossing cell r 1 and hyaline indentations in cells m and cu 1 separated by black areas darker than rest of wing [NE Myanmar and W China ( Xizang [ Tibet])]....................................................................................................... M. pulcherrima Hering

- Anterior part of wing not largely paler than rest of wing and with distinct hyaline indentations crossing cell r 1; hyaline indentations in cells m and cu 1 often not separated by black areas darker than rest of wing.............................2

2. Head with 4 pairs of frontal setae; wing with apical hyaline area in cell c rectangular, 3–4 hyaline indentations crossing cell r 1 and hyaline indentations in cell m separated by black areas darker than rest of wing [NE India ( Meghalaya)].......................................................................................... M. variegata (Radhakrishnan)

- Head with 3 pairs of frontal setae; wing with apical hyaline area in cell c quadrate, 2 hyaline indentations crossing cell r 1 and hyaline indentations in cell m separated by grey areas not darker than rest of wing.................................. 3

3. Wing cell r

2+3 with hyaline extension of outer indentation in cell r

1 narrow and linear; cell m with 3 large hyaline marginal indentations and a single spot above medial indentation; anal cell with 2 marginal and no medial spots [SW China ( Yunnan)]....................................................................................... M. biseta (Wang)

- Wing cell r 2+3 with hyaline extension of outer indentation in cell r 1 broad, as wide as the posterior part of the latter; cell m with 3 large hyaline marginal indentations plus a smaller subapical marginal spot and 2 partially joined spots above medial indentation; anal cell with 4 marginal and 2 medial spots [N India ( Himachal Pradesh)].............................................................................................. .. M. tenebrosa Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov.