Oedosphenella bob Smit, 2020

Penado, Andreia, Smit, John, Aguiar, António Franquinho, Cravo, Délia, Rego, Carla, Santos, Renata & Boieiro, Mário, 2020, The fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) of the Madeira archipelago with the description of a new Oedosphenella Frey, Zootaxa 4810 (3), pp. 559-575 : 567-570

Oedosphenella bob Smit new species

(Figs. 1C, 1G, 2A–D, 3A–D)

Material examined. Holotype ♂: Original labels: “1851- 1 ♂ / Vereda Eira do Serrado to / Curral das Freiras / 17.vi.2004 / leg. F. Aguiar ”, “ Holotype / Oedosphenella / bob sp. n. / det. J.T. Smit 2019” ( MMF). The holotype is in good condition and was photographed prior to dissection of the abdomen.

Paratype ♀. Original labels: “1851- 2 ♀ / Vereda Eira do Serrado to / Curral das Freiras / 17.vi.2004 / leg. F. Aguiar ”, “ Paratype / Oedosphenella / bob sp. n. / det. J.T. Smit 2019” ( MMF) .

Both types are deposited in the collection of MMF.

Description. Male. Wing length: 3.8 mm (Fig. 2A, 2C)

Head. Yellow, frons slightly darker and with a few setulae above the lunule. Basoflagellomere orange. The following setae acuminate and black: frontal, anterior orbital, medial vertical, ocellar setae, genal setae and some of the shorter postocular setae, all others are lanceolate and white. Subvibrissal setulae black. Proboscis spatulate and yellow, palpi yellow with few black setulae, otherwise with white setulae.

Thorax. Black, entirely dusted, golden dorsally, more greyish anteriorly and laterally predominantly greyish. All major setae black and acuminate, all setulae lanceolate and white. One pair of dorsocentral setae posterior to transverse suture and one pair of prescutellar acrostichal setae. Two pairs of equally developed scutellar setae, with a few white setulae in between. Scutellum slightly convex, not shiny but dusted, more or less concolorous with scutum.

Legs. Entirely orange-brown, including coxae. Setulae predominantly black. Profemur with a row of strong black setae posteroventrally, hindfemur with a row of strong black setae anteroventrally.

Wings. Pattern strong, apical band isolated and without hyaline indentation posteriorly (Fig. 1C, 2A). Cell cup with a short but broad extension, bent in vein Cu2 about halfway. Abdomen. Tergites all black, without a narrow grey-brown posterior edge, black setulose except for syntergite 1+2, the lateral edges of the tergites as well as a single row of slightly longer setulae on the posterior edges; these are all white.

Terminalia: Surstyli each with two prensisetae, and a strong, triangular posterior prong (Fig. 3A, 3B). Vesica well developed, broadly rounded but with a clear triangular projection (Fig. 3C). Distiphallus as in Fig. 3D.

Description of female (Fig. 2B, 2D). Wing length: 4.5 mm. Very similar to male, except for the obvious sexual differences. Abdominal tergites narrowly grey-brown at posterior edge. Oviscape entirely black.

Diagnosis. This species is immediately distinguished from its congeners by the tomentose and non-shiny scutellum and the wing pattern, with the posterior band entire, without a hyaline indentation posteriorly.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of the late Bob van Aartsen, friend and mentor of this species’ author. The specific epithet should be treated as a noun in apposition.

Biology. So far, all host plant records for species in the Sphenella group of genera are confined to the plant genus Senecio (Asteraceae) ( Freidberg 1987; Freidberg & Kaplan 1992). As for the genus Oedosphenella, Munro (1939) stated that O. auriella develops in spindle-shaped stem galls of Senecio sp. and Merz (1992) reported O. canariensis from flower heads of Senecio steetzii . It is therefore believed that O. bob sp. n. most probably develops in Senecio too.

Distribution: Possibly endemic to Madeira.