Elaphromyia siva Frey

David, K. J., Hancock, D. L., Sachin, K., Ramya, R. S. & Ramani, S., 2021, Taxonomic notes on the genus Elaphromyia Bigot (Diptera: Tephritidae: Tephritinae: Pliomelaenini) in India, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5023 (2), pp. 251-262 : 256-258

Elaphromyia siva Frey

Elaphromyia siva Frey, 1917: 19 . Type locality: Anuradhapura , North-Central Sri Lanka.

Elaphromyia pterocallaeformis: David & Ramani (2011 , fig. 104) [misidentification].

Material examined: 1♂, INDIA: Karnataka: Bangalore, Attur , 07. i.2013, David, K.J .; 1♀, Bangalore, Hebbal , 07.ii.2013, David, K.J .; 1♀, INDIA: Karnataka, Bangalore, Attur , 13.i.2014, David, K.J .; 1♀, Bangalore, Attur , 15.xi.2017, Prabhu, G .; 1♀, Bangalore, Attur , 31.x.2020, Sachin, K. ( NBAIR) . 1♂, INDIA: Karnataka, West Chikkaballapur , 03.viii.1976, C.A., Viraktamath. ( UASB) .

Diagnosis ( Figs 15, 16 ): Small species (male- 2.45 mm; female- 3.02 mm). Head higher than long; frons with three pairs of frontal setae (posterior frontal seta white) and two pairs of orbital setae (posterior orbital seta white); ocellar triangle dark fuscous with well-developed ocellar setae; medial vertical seta black; lateral vertical seta, paravertical seta and postocellar seta stubby white; postocular setae black interspersed with white stubby setae. Face fulvous with deep concavity. Scape and pedicel fulvous, first flagellomere concolorous with frons, arista short pilose. Gena narrow, with genal seta. Scutum uniformly dark brown with three faint longitudinal lines, chaetotaxy well developed: 1 on postpronotal lobe, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral placed in line with postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 1 prescutellar acrostichal seta. Scutellum brown with two pairs of scutellar setae. Anepisternum fulvous with two or three setae near phragma; anepimeron fulvous with two setae, katepisternum with a single seta; anatergite dark brown; katatergite and meron fulvous. All segments of leg fulvous without any black/dark markings; forefemur with a single row of 4–5 ventral setae. Wing (2.74 mm in male; 3.04 mm in female) shorter than in E. juncta , parallel-sided, predominantly dark brown with a series of rounded/circular subhyaline markings not arranged in distinct subparallel transverse rows and hyaline marginal spots. Cell sc with a single marginal spot; cell r 1 with 3–4 hyaline spots along the costal margin; cell r 2+3 with a single hyaline spot near the apex of vein R 2+3, cell m with three marginal hyaline spots; posterior subhyaline band extends from anal cell to vein Cu 1. Abdomen fully fulvous without any markings on tergites in male; but with a pair of faint black spots on tergite VI in female.

Male genitalia: Epandrium broad with no demarcation between surstylus and epandrium ( Fig. 17 ); apex of lateral surstylus blunt (in profile view); proctiger short, much smaller than epandrium; medial surstylus shorter than lateral surstylus and with well-developed prensisetae ( Fig. 18 ). Phallus (1.00 mm) relatively shorter than in E. juncta ; glans of phallus sclerotised with acrophallus patterned and broadly bifid apically ( Fig. 19 ).

Female genitalia: Oviscape orange-yellow ( Fig. 20 ), conical (0.79 mm); eversible membrane (0.66 mm) with elongate taeniae (three-quarters length of eversible membrane); spicules on distal end semicircular ( Figs 21, 22 ); aculeus (0.56 mm) curved, flattened in sagittal plane, pointed with reduced preapical setae ( Fig. 23 ); spermathecae dark brown to black, elongate-oval with a prominent neck and covered with numerous projections ( Fig. 24 ).

Distribution: Sri Lanka (Type locality) and southern India (new record).

Remarks: This species is much smaller than the other two species recorded from India ( E. juncta and E. pterocalleformis ) and is the smallest species known. Apart from the difference in size, it can be differentiated from the other two species by the presence of rounder subhyaline spots that are not aligned into subparallel transverse rows and the presence of a single spot in the subcostal cell. It can be differentiated further from E. pterocalleformis in lacking acutely pointed lateral surstylus and by the elongate-oval spicules on the distal end of the eversible membrane and abdominal markings. Described originally from Sri Lanka, this species is recorded for the first time from India, having been previously misidentified as E. pterocallaeformis by David & Ramani (2011: fig. 104). The identity of the Indian specimens has been confirmed by comparison with photographs of the Holotype female from Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURES 15–16. Elaphromyia siva Frey. 15, habitus (lateral view); 16, habitus (dorsal view)

FIGURES 17–24. Elaphromyia siva Frey. 17, epandrium (lateral view); 18, epandrium (posterior view); 19, glans of phallus; 20, ovipositor; 21, eversible membrane; 22, close-up view of spicules of eversible membrane; 23, aculeus tip; 24, spermatheca.