Manicomyia stuckenbergi, Freidberg & Han, 2012

Freidberg, Amnon & Han, Ho-Yeon, 2012, A second species of Manicomyia Hancock (Diptera: Tephritidae: Tephrellini), African Invertebrates 53 (1), pp. 143-143 : 152-154

Manicomyia stuckenbergi sp. n.

Figs 3, 4 , 6 , 9, 10 , 12, 14, 16 , 20–22

Etymology: This species is named after the late Brian R. Stuckenberg, a friend, fine individual and biologist, who encouraged and assisted A.F. in specialising in the Afrotropical Tephritidae and who collected the first specimens of this species.

Description:

Male.

Head ( Fig. 6 ): Structure: Head ca 1.44× as high as long; eye ca 1.73× as high as long; face ca 0.98× as long as frons; antenna ca 0.5× as long as face height; flagellomere 1 ca 1.89× as long as high and 1.79× as long as pedicel; frons about as long as wide (length:width ca 1:1); face ca 1.87× as high as wide at narrowest point; palpus length:width proportion mean 2.8 (range: 2.7–2.9; n =3). Chaetotaxy, colouration and vestiture: As for genus. Thorax: As for genus. Structure: Scutum length:width proportion 1.08–1.16 (mean 1.11; n =4). Chaetotaxy: As for genus. Colouration: Subscutellum and mediotergite brown or blackish.

Wing ( Fig. 9 ): Pattern: Essentially Platensina -like, with only few small sub-hyaline spots irregularly scattered within blackish area. Wing predominantly black, or blackish, with small discrete round hyaline spots, both along wing margin and within dark area and with relatively large, mostly discrete, hyaline areas basally in cells r 1 (extending also into cell r 2+3) and cu 1 and in anal lobe. Border between basal hyaline area and dark pattern extends obliquely and sinuously from hind margin of wing at base of anal lobe via crossvein bm–cu to costa at middle of pterostigma, leaving hyaline basal area with few small grey markings in costal cells and near fork of veins R 2+3 and R 4+5; distal half of pterostigma mostly blackish, with hyaline mark centrally; cell r 1 beyond pterostigma with two large quadrangular hyaline spots, almost always united posteriorly and more-or-less clearly united also with smaller oval spot in cell r 2+3, forming hyaline ‘V’, cell r 1, slightly more distal, with transversely aligned pair of small round hyaline spots, one near costa and another near vein R 2+3, rarely forming one larger spot; one or both sometimes lacking or united with distal quadrangular spot; further distally narrow hyaline spot across cell, sometimes lacking; cell r 2+3 with three round equally-spaced hyaline spots: basal spot aligned with costal spine, medial spot part of hyaline ‘V’, and distal spot at middle of costal section; remaining dark area of wing mostly with small number (ca 10) of small round hyaline spots, especially beyond level of crossvein r–m, and similar number of even smaller sub-hyaline spots in remaining, basal, dark area; anal lobe and cell cu 1 jointly with irregular group of ca 13 hyaline spots, resulting in grey-hyaline posterior area of wing. Venation and setulae: Wing proportion 2.23, crossvein proportion 1.55–1.75. R 4+5 with setulae varying as follows: dorsally with 15–24 proximal to crossvein r–m, 10–18 distal to this crossvein; ventrally with 10–17 proximal to crossvein r–m, 0–1 setulae distal to this crossvein (n =10).

Abdomen. Terminalia ( Figs 12, 14, 16 ): As for M. chirindana with the following differences: epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 14 ) more rounded, and prensisetae more equal in size; epandrium in lateral view ( Fig. 12 ) more triangular and pointed ventrally, with more-or-less distinct posteroventral protuberance; phallus as in Fig. 16 .

Female.

Thorax. Wing: Pattern ( Fig. 10 ): As for genus, and similar to pattern of female M. chirindana . Main differences from conspecific male pattern: female pattern mostly paler, brownish, less extensive, not extending to costa at pterostigma and mostly comprising sub-hyaline spots, generally of Elaphromyia - type. Main differences from female M. chirindana pattern: dark band more extensive, especially along cells br (brown background with blackish spots also at level of pterostigma; only blackish spots at level of pterostigma in M. chirindana ) and r 4+5 (brown background with blackish spots also between levels of crossveins r–m and dm–cu; only blackish spots at this area in M. chirindana ).

Abdomen. Terminalia ( Figs 20–22 ): Oviscape yellow, subshiny; flattened in dry specimens, with fine brown setulae; tergal-oviscapal measure 2.Aculeus ( Figs 20, 21 ) shorter than in M. chirindana and relatively less elongate (ca 7× as long as wide). Spermatheca as in Fig. 22 .

Holotype: ♂ MALAWI: Center: Ntchisi Forest [13.32°S 34.05°E], 1500–1700 m, 17–18.ix.1998, F. Kaplan & A. Freidberg ( TAU). The holotype is pinned directly and is in excellent condition.

Paratypes: MALAWI: 62♂ 40♀ same data as holotype (most of them in TAU, some in BMNH, NMSA, SANC, USNM, YSUW) ; 2♂ 3♀ same locality, [SE]1334 Ac , 1500 m, 3–4 xii.1980, J. Londt & B. Stuckenberg, montane forest & woodland ( NMSA) . North : 2♀ Nyika National Park , Zovo-Chipolo Forest, 25–26.ix.1998, F. Kaplan & A. Freidberg ( TAU) . ZAMBIA: 1♀ Nyika National Park , Chowo Forest, 28.ix.1998, F. Kaplan & A. Freidberg ( TAU) . Some paratypes were damaged by pest beetles.

Biology: The majority of the specimens were swept from a roadside plant, Brillantaisia oligantha Milne-Redhead (Acanthaceae) abundant in Ntchisi Forest. This blue-flowered plant was colleted for rearing purposes, but only smaller specimens of a related genus, Pseudafreutreta Hering, 1942 , emerged and the flowers appear to be too small for Manicomyia . Another potential host species, B. cicatricosa Lindau , grew in one spot in the same forest, but no other indication for possible association between this plant and Manicomyia was obtained.

Remarks: This species is similar to M. chirindana , especially in the female sex, and the two are probably sister-species. The main differences between the females of both species are the slight difference in the wing pattern and the proportions of all three main parts of the ovipositor (oviscape, inversion membrane and aculeus), which together are in M. chirindana about 1.5× as long as in M. stuckenbergi . The males are more distinct, although they differ readily from each other only in the wing pattern. The wing pattern of the male of M. chirindana primarily comprises a dark longitudinal band, as well as two yellow anterior patches separated by a hyaline incision and it has numerous small subhyaline spots. It thus closely resembles species of Elaphromyia . The wing pattern of the male of M. stuckenbergi is more extensively and uniformly dark, with a few, rather indistinct sub-hyaline spots, and thus resembles wing patterns of Platensina spp. The two species differ also in details of the male terminalia. The known distribution is central and northern Malawi and north-east Zambia.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Manicomyia spp., habitus: (1, 2) M. chirindana, male (1) and female (2); (3, 4) M. stuckenbergi sp. n., male (3) and female (4). Not to scale.

Figs 5, 6. Manicomyia spp., head: (5) M. chirindana, lateral view; (6) M. stuckenbergi sp. n., sublateral view. Not to scale.

Figs 7–10. Manicomyia spp., wing: (7, 8) M. chirindana, male (7) and female (8); (9, 10) M. stuckenbergi sp. n., male (9) and female (10). Not to scale.

Figs 11–17. Manicomyia spp., male terminalia: (11, 13, 15, 17) M. chirindana: (11) epandrium and hypandrium, lateral view; (13) epandrium, posterior view; (15) phallus; (17) ejaculatory apodeme; (12, 14, 16) M. stuckenbergi sp. n.: (12) epandrium, lateral view; (14) epandrium, posterior view; (16) phallus. Not to scale.

Figs 18–22. Manicomyia spp., female terminalia: (18, 19) M. chirindana, aculeus and enlarged aculeus tip; (20–22) M. stuckenbergi sp. n.: (20) aculeus, (21) enlarged aculeus tip, (22) spermatheca. Not to scale.