Euphranta wrightiae, David, K. J. & Singh, Shakti Kumar, 2015

David, K. J. & Singh, Shakti Kumar, 2015, Two new species of Euphranta Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae: Trypetiane) and an updated key for the species from India, Zootaxa 3914 (1) : -

Euphranta wrightiae sp. nov.

Description. Male ( Figure 1 ). Body length, 4.70–5.86 mm; wing length, 3.6–4.53 mm.

Head ( Fig. 2 ): slightly higher than long, with two frontal setae and single orbital seta, both acuminate, ocellar setae absent or minute, 1 lateral and medial vertical seta each and a row of black, thin postocular setae. Frons fulvous with rectangular black patch, constricted at the level of orbital seta and reaching ocellar tubercle. Antenna as long as or slightly longer than face; first flagellomere orange yellow in proximal half and dark fuscous in distal half. Arista long plumose. Face fulvous with a broad black patch towards epistomal margin, gena, parafacial and occiput yellow.

Thorax ( Figs 4 & 5 ): Scutum 1.8–2.4 mm long; 1.3–1.5 mm wide, brownish to black in ground colour with broad yellow prescutellar patch, narrowed at the level of anterior supra-alar seta, extending to the level of anterior notopleural seta. Lateral postsutural vittae yellow extending from base of transverse suture to intra-alar seta. Postpronotal lobe yellow with black margin, notopleuron yellow. Thorax with a full complement of setae: 2 scapular, 1 postpronotal, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intraalar, 1 prescutellar acrostichal, 2 anepisternal and 1 katepisternal seta. Scutellum yellow with two pairs of scutellar setae, subscutellum and mediotergite brown/black. Pleuron predominantly black without anepisternal stripe. Anatergite black with fine erect hairs; katatergite black.

Legs ( Fig. 5 ): Coxa and trochanter yellow; fore femur yellow with stout dorsal and ventral spines with a preapical black spot; mid and hind femur fuscous in distal half. Tibiae and tarsi with rows of black setulae, fore tibia fulvous with rows of setulae, mid and hind tibia black basally and fulvous towards the apex.

Wing ( Fig. 3 ): 3.75–4.5 mm long, 1.3–1.5 mm wide, hyaline with two transverse bands: subapical and posterior apical band; posterior apical band broad, fused with narrow anterior apical band. Pterostigma yellowish brown, crossvein r-m before the level of apex of cell sc.

Abdomen ( Fig. 6–9 ): 2.2–2.75 mm long, 1–1.3 mm wide; tergites 1–5 black except for a medial yellowish band on tergites II to IV. Epandrium and surstyli as in Figs 7 and 8 ; glans of phallus weakly sclerotised with well developed patterned acrophallus ( Fig. 9 ).

Female ( Figs 6 , 9–10 ): Relatively large compared with males (body length, 6.45 mm; wing length, 5.5 mm). Oviscape 1.24 mm long; apex of aculeus trilobate with serrated margin ( Fig. 10 ).

3rd instar larva: Cephalopharyngeal skeleton ( Fig. 11 ): Mandible black, heavily sclerotised with blunt apical tooth, devoid of preapical tooth and mandibular neck. Ventral apodeme broad and perpendicular to dorsal margin of mandible. Dorsal apodeme perpendicular to dorsal margin of mandible. Hypopharyngeal sclerite black and heavily sclerotised with hypopharyngeal bridge beyond the centre of hypopharyngeal sclerite. Labial sclerite well developed and prominent; ventral bridge of pharyngeal sclerite absent. Parastomal bar of pharyngeal sclerite reaching midway of hypopharyngeal sclerite and projected upwards. Dorsal bridge pointed; anterior sclerite absent. Pharyngeal sclerite produced into unbranched dorsal cornua and single branched ventral cornua. Spiracles: Anterior spiracle ( Fig. 12 ) with 19 tubules; posterior spiracle ( Fig. 13 ) sclerotised, with three slits, each slit nearly 3 times as long as wide. Dorsal and ventral spiracular bundles with 5–6 hairs per group; lateral spiracular bundles with 3–5 hairs per bundle.

Host plant. Wrightia tinctoria R. Br. (Apocynaceae) .

Material examined. Holotype ♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Bangalore, GKVK Campus, 5. ix. 2014. David, K. J., reared from pods of Wrightia tinctoria ( NBAIR). Paratypes, 1♂, same data as holotype, 1♂, same data except 30. viii. 2014, 1♂, same data except 0 9. ix. 2014, 1♀, same data except 10. ix. 2014 ( NBAIR)

Etymology. The species name is derived from the host plant genus, Wrightia .

Remarks. This species is similar to E. hyalipennis David and Freidberg in possessing a medial yellow patch on scutum, dark brown to black pleuron and preapical spot on forefemur ( David et al., 2013) but can be differentiated by the presence of a prominent subapical band, posterior apical band and patterned acrophallus.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of male of Euphranta wrightiae sp. nov.

FIGURES 2 - 6. Euphranta wrightiae sp. nov. 2, head; 3, wing; 4, thorax (dorsal); 5, thorax (lateral); 6, abdomen

FIGURES 7 – 10. Genitalia of Euphranta wrightiae sp. nov. 7, epandrium and surstyli (lateral view); 8, epandrium and surstyli (posterior view); 9, glans of phallus; 10, apex of aculeus.

FIGURES 11 – 13. Third instar larva of Euphranta wrightiae sp. nov. 11, cephalopharyngeal skeleton; 12, anterior spiracle; 13, posterior spiracle.