Terellia ivannikovi Korneyev et Evstigneev, 2013

Evstigneev, D. A. & Boyko, N. S., 2024, New data on the morphology, distribution and host plants of three species of the Terellia virens group (Diptera: Tephritidae), Zoosystematica Rossica (China) 33 (1), pp. 106-115 : 109-113

Terellia ivannikovi Korneyev et Evstigneev, 2013

( Figs 16–30, 39)

Material examined. Russia: Saratov Prov., Perelyub Distr., Natal’in Yar Vill. , 1 female and 1 male reared on 29.IV–2. V.2019 from capitula of Centaurea chartolepis collected on 19.VIII.2018; Ul’yanovsk Prov., Melekess Distr., between Moiseevka Vill. and Verkhniy Melekess Vill., saline bank of Malyy Avral River , 3 females and 4 males reared on 31.III–10. V.2023 from capitula of C. chartolepis collected on 23.VIII.2022. Armenia, Aragatsotn Prov., Arteni Mt. , 1 female and 1 male reared on 6–20.VIII.2023 from capitula of Centaurea takhtajanii collected on 16.VII.2023.

Comments. This species, previously known from Samara Province of Russia, is found in Saratov and Ul’yanovsk (northernmost location) provinces herein. Terellia ivannikovi was reared from its typical host plant, namely Centaurea chartolepis Greuter (syn. Chartolepis intermedia Boiss. ) (Fig. 49; see Addenda). This species was also found for the first time from Armenia and Transcaucasia, with C. takhtajanii Gabrieljan et Tonjan being a new host plant.

Redescription. Medium-sized tephritid fly with general body colour greenish yellow. Body length: 4.7–5.7 mm in male, 5.0–7.0 mm in female. Thorax length 1.7–2.3 mm. Wing entirely hyaline, with yellow pterostigma. Distal portion of vein M twice as long as penultimate section. Scutal pattern with black and orange (ochreous) elements ( Figs 16, 18). Median element of pattern: broad black stripe (vitta) bifurcated near its posterior end (median transsutural stripe bifurcated posteriorly). Lateral elements of pattern: a pair of short black oval patches located anterior to transverse suture (left and right presutural oval marks) and with two paired postsutural lateral stripes (black sublateral and orange lateral). Scutum with black spots at bases of prescutellar acrostichal setae ( Figs 16, 18). Katepisternum and meron with intense orange (ochre) spots ( Figs 24, 26). Male abdomen length 2–2.4 mm. Male abdominal tergite 5 with pairs of basal central (anteromedial), basal lateral (anterolateral) and apical lateral (lateroapical) black spots. Anteromedial spots large; anterolateral spots small. Anterolateral spots more often discernible in living specimens. Male abdominal tergites 3–4 with small anteromedial spots (often hardly discernible). In dried specimens, spots often discernible only on tergite 5: anteromedial and lateroapical or only lateroapical spots. Oviscape 2.6–2.8 times as long as tergite 6. All abdominal tergites combined 1.2–1.3 times as long as oviscape. Oviscape (= syntergosternite 7, = tergosternum 7, = seventh tergosternite) with dark setulae. Shape of aculeus typical for T. virens species–group. Aculeus length 2.0– 2.4 mm.

Variability. One aberrant male from Ul’yanovsk Province with extensive dirty ochre patch instead of narrow orange postsutural lateral stripe ( Fig. 26). One male reared from C. takhtajanii with two medial stripes not completely fused with each other. This specimen demonstrates that the unpaired median stripe, which is typical of this species, is a result of fusion of two medial stripes. The female reared from C. takhtajanii has a typical unpaired median stripe (broad black stripe bifurcated near its posterior end).

Distribution. Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan ( Korneyev et al., 2013), Armenia (new record).