Blepharoneura martyae Hernández-López & Hernández-Ortiz, 2024

Hernández-López, Mónica & Hernández-Ortiz, Vicente, 2024, Descriptions of six new Mexican species of the genus Blepharoneura (Diptera, Tephritidae) belonging to the femoralis species-group, Zootaxa 5448 (2), pp. 225-247 : 228-230

Blepharoneura martyae Hernández-López & Hernández-Ortiz , new species

( Figures 2 A–G )

Diagnosis. This species shares some similarities with B. splendida Giglio-Tos , B. sinepuncta Norrbom & Condon , B. punctistigma Norrbom & Condon , and B. aspiculosa Norrbom & Condon , since they all possess a largely brown mesopleuron, a brown apical fourth or less of hind femur, and distal portion of the wing having two oblique apical bands (AAB, PAB) separated by a hyaline stripe ( Fig. 2C ). The pterostigma has a hyaline spot [#3] in B. martyae , B. punctistigma and B. aspiculosa , but it is absent in B. splendida and B. sinepuncta ; two hyaline spots in cell bm [#19, #20] are present in B. martyae and B. aspiculosa , but only one in B. punctistigma , B. splendida and B. sinepuncta . Moreover, B. martyae has a higher Ac-ratio (= 2.5x) than those reported by Norrbom and Condon (2010) for B. aspiculosa (2.2x), punctistigma (1.8–2.1x), sinepuncta (1.6–1.8x), and splendida (1.5–2.0x). The medial membrane of the aculeus is smooth, lacking dentiform spinules in B. martyae ( Figs. 2F–G ) and aspiculosa ( Fig. 2H ), but the former species also can be distinguished from the latter by its deeper lateral and medial lobes.

Description. Head ( Figs. 2A–B ): Face yellow; frons with two brown longitudinal stripes from anterior margin of lunule to sides of ocellar tubercle; 3 frontal setae, 2 orbital setae; ocellar seta long, well developed, nearly as long and stout as posterior orbital seta; scape, pedicel and flagellomere yellow with some brownish; arista pubescent, basally yellow, apically dark; labella with rows of spinules; genal area with large brown marking; genal seta black; black coloration of ocellar tubercle not extending to postocellar seta, vertex yellow laterally; middle occipital sclerite with two submedial brown spots; lateral sclerites to occipital suture with brown triangular patch, merged with submedial marks.

Thorax ( Fig. 2A ): Mesonotum length 2.35–2.59 mm, width 1.47–1.74 mm (M-ratio= 1.4–1.6x, n=4); the following setae present: 1 scapular; 2 postpronotals; 1 presutural supra-alar; 1 postsutural supra-alar; 1 postalar; 1 intra-alar; 2–3 asymmetrical intra-postalars; 1 dorsocentral almost aligned with postalar; 1 acrostichal; 3 scutellars; scutum mostly microtrichose, and dorsal setulae dark brown, laterally reddish; postpronotal lobe yellow; overall pattern of scutum with presutural and postsutural brown markings well-defined; scutum with four presutural stripes, two submedials and two sublaterals, both interrupted at transverse suture; postsutural scutum with two isolated submedial spots, and two sublateral stripes almost touching a pair of spots on posterior margin of scutum; spots on posterior margin broad, subtriangular, and brown, weakly connected medially; scutellum with two basimedial ovoid spots partially fused, laterally yellow; subscutellum and mediotergite with lateral brown markings; notopleuron mostly brown along inferior margin; pleuron with brown markings, anepisternum, katepisternum, anepimeron, katatergite, anatergite, and meron mostly dark brown; basalare spot present ( Fig. 2B ); fore- and mid-legs completely yellow, including femur, tibia and tarsi; hind-leg mostly yellow, except femur with brown blotch on approximately 1/4 of apical length.

Wing ( Fig. 2C ): Length 5.29–5.52 mm, width 2.48–2.81 mm (W-ratio= 1.9–2.2x); crossvein R-M at 0.6x distance between BM-Cu and DM-Cu; apex of vein R 1 ending distal to crossvein R-M; dorsal setulae on vein R 4+5 widespread beyond R-M; vein Cu 1 dorsally setulose along body of cell bm and extending almost to DM-Cu; basal third of wing pattern brown with hyaline marks on basal cells br, bm, and bcu, anal lobe, and alula; wing apical third with unbroken anterior apical band (AAB) along costal margin, ending approximately at apex of cell r 4+5; and posterior apical band (PAB) nearly as wide as AAB; costal cell with two subquadrate hyaline marks separated by well-defined brown stripe; pterostigma with subapical hyaline dot [#3] present; cell br with basal hyaline mark [#12] present, and second hyaline spot [#13] proximal to R-M; cell bm with two hyaline spots [#19,#20]; cell bcu widely hyaline, with posteroapical corner brown; cell r 1 with small basal hyaline spot, medially with triangular hyaline mark [#5] narrowed posteriorly, extending into cells r 2+3 [#8] and r 4+5 [#14], apically brown along costal margin; cell r 2+3 with basal and apical sections brown with small subbasal hyaline dot, medially with hyaline mark [#8] forming part of triangular mark; cell r 4+5 with sub-basal hyaline spot [#14] forming part of triangular hyaline mark, with large hyaline spot anterior to vein DM-Cu [#15], broad subapical hyaline area connected to hyaline areas in cell m to form inverted V-shaped mark, and apical margin with broad hyaline mark extending into r 2+3; cell dm brown, medially with two fused hyaline areas, proximal one extending to anterior margin; subapical anterior hyaline spot [#25] present; cell m with two broad hyaline marks reaching wing margin, connected anteriorly to subapical hyaline mark of cell r 4+5, without medial spot close to DM-Cu [#49]; cell cu 2 with large H-shaped medial hyaline mark [#32+#33], reaching posterior wing margin; cell cu 2 with subapical hyaline spot [#37].

Abdomen: Pattern of tergites reticulate, with brown bands separated medially, and partially connected each other on tergites 3–5, lateral edges mostly brown; syntergite 1+2 with two subcentral dark brown markings.

Female terminalia ( Figs. 2F–G ): Oviscape length 1.5 mm, completely dark brown; aculeus length 0.91 mm, and 0.36 mm wide (Ac-ratio= 2.5x as long as wide); medial ventral membrane of the aculeus smooth, not spinulose; overall shape of aculeus tip more or less acute, with lateral, medial and preapical lobes; lateral lobe short and sharp, not projected beyond lateral margin; medial lobe almost identical to preceding, apically acute, widely separated from the former by deep indentation; apex of aculeus tip convex, broad and short; aculeus tip margins non-serrate; spermatheca spherical, smooth.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 2D–E ): Epandrium red brownish, nearly spherical; in posterior view lateral surstylus short (less than 1.0x epandrium height), apically wide and rounded; medial surstylus short and wide basally, triangular shaped with two small prensisetae of similar size, widely separated from each other; phallus short, glans large and bulbous with one basal lobe, strongly sclerotized medially, apical end membranous, translucent.

Material Examined. Holotype ♀ ( IEXA) MEXICO. Veracruz, Xalapa 1380m 19.5400°N 96.9275°W, 09 Aug 1992, S Guillén . Paratypes: MEXICO. Veracruz, Zongolica, Amititla, 1250m, 18.6529°N 50.8100°W, trampa luz, 30 Apr–01 May 2011, E Mora & L Lara (1♂, 1♀ IEXA) ; Veracruz, Tequila , 1600m, 18.7294°N 97.0703°W, 31 May–28 Jun 2011, trap NTP, L Delgado (1♂ IEXA) .

Etymology. This species is named to honour our colleague Marty Condon, professor and researcher at Cornell College ( USA), in recognition of her foremost contributions to the knowledge of natural history, behaviour, and sympatric speciation in Blepharoneura .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Blepharoneura martyae, new species: A) head and mesonotum, dorsal view; B) female habitus, lateral view; C) wing pattern (scale 1 mm). Male terminalia: D) phallus and glans; E) Epandrium and surstyli, posterior view. Female terminalia: F–G) aculeus ventral view, close up detail of aculeus tip (scale 0.1 mm); H) aculeus of B. aspiculosa used for comparison (from Norrbom & Condon 2010).