Valera Mohamadzade

Memari, Fatemeh, Namin, Saeed Mohamadzade & Hakimitabar, Masoud, 2016, A new genus and species of Xyphosiini (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4126 (2), pp. 280-286 : 281-282

Valera Mohamadzade , new genus

Diagnosis. Large flies, which can be recognized from other Tephritinae by the combination of frontal vitta setulose, arista bare, all setae of head and body yellow; 3 frontal and 2 orbital setae; anterior and posterior orbital setae concolourous, posterior one strongly inclinate; lateral vertical seta long and concolorous with medial vertical one; postocular setae concolourous, without short black setulae in row; R4+5 with 4–5 setulae dorsally at node; wing with banded pattern; male terminalia with unpaired acrophallus and without sclerotized apicodorsal lobe; aculeus broad and blunt with pairs of preapical steps; 2 spherical, densely and long papillose spermathecae.

Description. Head ( Fig. 3 ): slightly higher than long; frons slightly longer than wide, setulose; face slightly concave. Eye oval, higher than long. Proboscis capitate; palp spatulate. Chaetotaxy as follows: 3 subequal concolourous frontal setae; 2 concolourous orbital setae, posterior orbital seta strongly inclinate (convergent); ocellar seta about as long as frontal setae; lateral vertical seta 0.8 as long as medial vertical seta; all setae and setulae yellow except frontal setulae whitish yellow.

Thorax: Mostly yellow, silvery microtrichose, with black pattern on anterior half of scutum obscured by yellow microtrichia. Scutum about as long as wide; scutellum white setulose (mostly marginally), rounded, dorsal surface slightly convex. Chaetotaxy as follows: 1 postpronotal; 1 presutural supra-alar; 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural dorsocentral seta in line with supra-alar seta; 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 2 scutellar setae, 2 notopleural, 2 anepisternal, 1 anepimeral and 1 katepisternal seta; all setae concolorous yellow; setulae pale yellow, setulae on posterior margin of scutum and anepisternum, anepimeron and katepisternum moderately coarse.

Legs: Fore femur with a row of long erect setae posteroventrally and 2 regular rows of setae posterodorsally; mid femur with a row of short, erect setae anteriorly in middle; hind femur with 1 to few semierect anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae preapically; hind tibia with row of short setae anterodorsally.

Wing ( Figs. 1, 4 ): veins almost straight, distal sections of R4+5 and M curved posteriorly; wing apex between ends of R4+5 and M; cell R4+5 parallel-sided; vein R1 uniformly setulose dorsally (without gap at Sc apex) and ventrally at apex; vein R4+5 with 4–5 setulae dorsally and 2–3 setulae ventrally at node; wing with banded pattern. Thoracic calypter 1.5–2 times as long as alar calypter, distinctly protruding beyond it.

Abdomen: Structure: Tergite 5 of male about as long as combined length of tergites 3 and 4; sternite 5 largest, with posterior margin incised. Tergites 3–6 of female of subequal length; sternites distinctly wider than long; discal and marginal abdominal setae concolourous.

Male terminalia: Epandrium in posterior view oval, with lateral surstyli curved mesally; medial prensiseta slightly larger than lateral one; distiphallus with rather strong, mostly peripheral, sclerotization, and with apical tube; glans with very strongly sclerotized acrophallus, as in Xyphosia spp.; ejaculatory apodeme fan-shaped.

Female terminalia: Aculeus gradually tapered, blunt apically with preapical steps; without preapical sensilla; spermathecae 2, dark brown, spherical, surface rugulose.

Etymology: This genus is named after Dr. Valery Korneyev (Kyiv, Ukraine) in recognition of his contribution to the systematics of the family Tephritidae . The generic name is derived from his first name and is considered a noun of the first declination, masculine.

Discussion. Valera new genus belongs to the tribe Xyphosiini , fitting the diagnosis in the following characters: all setae uniformly yellow; anterior orbital and posterior orbital setae concolorous, lateral vertical seta long (more than half as long as medial one) and concolorous with medial vertical seta; no minute black postocular setae; frons setulose; dorsocentral seta about in line with anterior supra-alar seta; male terminalia with unpaired acrophallus and without sclerotised apicodorsal rod. In Valera , Neaspilota , and Xyphosia , the posterior orbital seta is inclinate (homoplasy with Terelliini ); in addition, vein R4+ 5 in Valera contains 4–5 setulae at node dorsally but in the remaining species of Xyphosiini (except Ictericodes and Neaspilota ), R4+5 is setulose to dm-cu, and in Neaspilota R4+5 is bare or with 1–2 setulae dorsally. In Valera , aculeus tip has a pair of preapical steps but in the rest of Xyphosiini , aculeus is broad and usually blunt without preapical steps. In addition the new genus has banded wing pattern, but the wing pattern in the other Xyphosiini is reticulated except the wing pattern in Neaspilota that is variable (sometimes completely hyaline; hyaline with yellow to brown stigma, or with rather reduced, banded or reticulate-banded pattern).

Among Xyphosiini , Valera new genus is similar to Xyphosia in such characters as inclinate posterior orbital seta, vertical oval compound eye, same shape of the phallus glans in male, and very long ovipositor and densely and long papillose spermathecae of female, differing by the banded wing pattern (reticulate or dark spotted in Xyphosia ) and spherical shape of spermatheca (pear-like in Xyphosia ). It is believed to be a sister group of Xyphosia , but characters in plesiomorphic state compared to Xyphosia have not been found yet to support this.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Valera ariana, 1. Lateral habitus, Holotype, ♀. 2. Thorax. 3. Head in profile. 4. Wing, Paratype.