Blepharoneura alleni 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 : 236-239

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

( Figures 6 A–H )

Diagnosis. This species resembles several other Mesoamerican species, including B. chaconi Norrbom & Condon , B. mikenoltei Norrbom & Condon , B. quetzali Norrbom & Condon , and B. variabilis Norrbom & Condon , in having an aculeus ratio greater than 3.0 x as long as wide, which means they possess a significant longer aculeus in comparison to other species in the femoralis group, in addition to a concave apex of the aculeus tip. The aculeus also has a reticulate scale-like pattern along the entire surface even extended to the margins of the cloacal opening. This feature is shared only with B. variabilis and B. quetzali . Blepharoneura alleni can be distinguished from the former species by its less deeply incised concave apex of the aculeus, and from B. quetzali by the presence of lateral and medial lobes on the aculeus tip. Although the aculeus of this new species has many similarities with B. mikenoltei , it differs from that species by having fewer hyaline spots in cells r 1, r 2+3 and r 4+5. The wing pattern of B. alleni shows a preapical spot in cell r 1 [#6], which is absent in B. quetzali and B. variabilis ; while in B. chaconi the spot in the pterostigma [#3] is always absent or barely visible, while the medial spots in cells r 2+3 and r 4+5 are broad [apparently fused #8+#9; #14+#15], including a preapical hyaline spot in cell dm [#53]. Although the female of B. thetis remains unknown, this species shares some similarities in the wing pattern with this new species, but differs by the absence of spots in the preapical portion of cell r 4+5, and has a distinctive brown spot on the scutellum, which is entirely yellow in this new species.

Description. Head ( Fig. 6A ): Face yellow; frons yellow to reddish; 2 frontal setae, and 2 orbital setae; ocellar seta long and well developed, as long as medial vertical seta; scape, pedicel and flagellomere yellow; arista shorthaired, yellow basally and dark apically; labella with rows of spinules; genal area and genal seta reddish brown; ocellar tubercle black and vertex yellow; medial occipital sclerite usually yellow, sometimes with a pair of reddish stripes; occipital sclerites yellow, with faint reddish stripes along occipital suture.

Thorax ( Fig. 6A ): Mesonotum measures 1.71–2.62 mm long and 1.24–1.76 mm wide (M-ratio= 1.2–1.6x, n=13); the following setae are present: 3 scapulars, 2 postpronotals, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 3 asymmetrical intra-postalars, 1 dorsocentral slightly anterior level of postalar, 1 acrostichal, and 3 scutellars. Postpronotal lobes yellow, sometimes darkened anteriorly; scutum yellow, mostly microtrichose; submedial and sublateral brown stripes weak, in some specimens (n=9) greatly reduced to small diffuse spots; submedials interrupted at transverse suture, reduced posteriorly before dorsocentrals; sublaterals interrupted at transverse suture, posteriorly reaching level of dorsocentrals; posterior scutal margin with two small brown spots; scutellum disc and lateral bases yellow, mostly microtrichose; subscutellum and mediotergite yellow, with pair of dark brown vittae; spot anterior to postsutural supra-alar present; notopleuron and most of pleuron yellow, except for posteroventral spot (pv-pal) at level of postalar seta, and on the posterior margin of anatergite. Fore- and mid-legs pale yellow, including femora, tibiae and tarsomeres; hind-femur yellow with an apicoventral brown spot occupying less than ¼ of the apex.

Wing ( Figs. 6 A-C): Length of 5.00– 5.67 mm long, and 2.33–2.90 mm wide (W-ratio= 1.7–2.2x); crossvein R-M located at 0.53–0.57x the distance from Bm-Cu to Dm-Cu; apex of vein R 1 ending before or at level of R-M; dorsal setulae on R 4+5 extending beyond R-M; vein Cu 1 dorsally setulose along body of cell bm, extending close to DM-Cu. Basal third of wing pattern brown with hyaline marks on basal cells r 1, br, bm, bcu; costal cell with two subquadrate hyaline marks separated by a distinct brown marking; cell br with subbasal hyaline spot [#12], and a distal spot proximal to R-M [#44], sometimes an additional spot present [#13]; cell bm with two hyaline spots [#19, #20]; cell dm brown, typically with two separate medial hyaline spots, only the proximal one extending to vein M, and an additional subapical spot present [#25], sometimes absent (n=10); body cell bcu mostly hyaline, lower posteroapical corner brown; anal lobe with 4–5 hyaline spots, and alula smoked; pterostigma usually brown, or with subapical hyaline to yellow spot [#3] present (n=23); cell r 1 mostly brown, with a subbasal hyaline spot (absent in one specimen), a triangular medial spot [#5] separated from hyaline spot [#8] of cell r 2+3, and a preapical spot [#6] reaching costal margin, rarely with two spots (n= 4 males); cell r 2+3 brown, medially with two hyaline marks [#8, #9], sometimes only one distal present [#9] (n=6), plus two apical hyaline spots [#10, #11]; cell r 4+5 brown with four hyaline spots as follows: subbasal spot [#14] not touching vein M, rarely absent (n=6), one hyaline spot proximal or above DM-Cu [#15], and two spots in apical third, but only one of them opened to wing margin, sometimes partly bilobed (n=17), atypically connected with apical hyaline spot of cell r 2+3 [#11] forming an apical hyaline band (n=1); cell m with three rounded hyaline marks [#26, #27; #29], sometimes first two fused (n=16), and the last two always open to wing margin, rarely an additional spot #49 present (n= 3 males); cell cu 2 with three medial hyaline marks [#31, #32, #33], completely separated from each other, and an additional subapical hyaline spot [#37], always isolated from other hyaline spots.

Abdomen ( Fig. 6A ): Terga pattern reticulate, with partly joined brown spots; syntergite 1+2 with two submedial dark brown markings; lateral edges of tergites 3–5 partially brown.

Female terminalia ( Figs. 6D–F ): Oviscape length ranging from 1.08–1.35 mm (n=5), completely brown; the aculeus is 0.73–0.83 mm long, and 0.20–0.24 mm wide (Ac-ratio= 3.6–4.1x); spinules on middle ventral membrane of the aculeus absent, ventral surface completely covered by scales forming a reticulate pattern that extends to the sides and tip; the overall shape of the aculeus tip oblong, truncate apically, with three distinct lobes; the lateral lobe is short and sharp not projected beyond the lateral margin; medial lobe short barely visible, preceded by a shallow indentation; the preapical lobe is short, with apical end of the aculeus broad, concave with non-serrated margins; spermatheca spherical and smooth.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 6G–H ): Epandrium reddish-brown nearly spherical; lateral surstylus short, apically rounded in posterior view; medial surstylus shorter than preceding one, broad basally with two asymmetrical prensisetae, inner one stronger, and outer barely noticeable; glans long, basal half translucent membranous with a short basal lobe; apical half bulbous, with strongly sclerotized areas.

Material Examined. Holotype ♀ ( IEXA) MEXICO. Veracruz: Xalapa, Km 1 carr Antigua a Coatepec , 1380m, 19.5400°N 96.9275°W, 8 Nov 2021, V Hernández & F Dzul, reared ex: Sechium edule . Paratypes: MEXICO: Veracruz, same data as holotype (20♂, 18♀ IEXA) ; same data as holotype except 17 Aug 2021, M Hernández, reared ex: Sechium edule (1♂ IEXA) ; same data as holotype except 13 Sep 2021, (1♂, 3♀ IEXA) ; same data as holotype except 25 Oct 2021, McPhail trap (1♂ IEXA) ; same data as holotype except 20 Sep 2021, McPhail trap (1♀ IEXA) . Puebla, Chilchotla, Santa Cruz La Joya , 2181m, 19.2533°N 97.1814°W, McPhail trap, 03 Jul 2011, M Rodríguez-Puga (1♀ IEXA) ; same locality, 22 May 2011, M Rodríguez-Puga (1♂ IEXA) , and 05 Jun 2011, M Rodríguez-Puga (1♀ IEXA) ; Chilchotla , El Carmen, 2330m, 19.2414°N 97.1983°W, McPhail trap, M Rodríguez-Puga, 15 May 2011 (1♂ IEXA) ; same locality, 26 Jun 2011, M Rodríguez-Puga (1♂ IEXA) ; same locality, 29 May 2011, M Rodríguez-Puga (1♂ IEXA) .

Etymology. This species is named to honour our colleague, Allen L. Norrbom (US Department of Agriculture), for his significant contributions to the knowledge of fruit fly biodiversity in the Americas.

Host plant. This species was infesting plants of Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. The larvae bore into the stems.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Blepharoneura alleni, new species: A) female habitus, dorsal view; B–C) wing pattern variations (scale 1 mm). Female terminalia: D–E) aculeus in ventral view, and close-up detail of aculeus tip (scale 0.1 mm); F) detail of hook-scales of eversible membrane. Male terminalia: G) epandrium and susrtyli, posterior view; H) glans. I) drawing of the aculeus of B. mikenoltei used for comparison (copied from Norrbom & Condon 2010).