Ceratitis (Ceratalaspis) flavipennata De Meyer & Virgilio, 2016

Meyer, Marc De, Mwatawala, Maulid, Copeland, Robert S. & Virgilio, Massimiliano, 2016, Description of new Ceratitis species (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Africa, or how morphological and DNA data are complementary in discovering unknown species and matching sexes, European Journal of Taxonomy 233, pp. 1-23 : 16-18

Ceratitis (Ceratalaspis) flavipennata De Meyer & Virgilio sp. nov.

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Fig. 5

Etymology

After the Latin ‘ flavus’ meaning yellow and ‘ pennatus ’ meaning feathered, and referring to the yellow feathering on the midtibia. The species name should be treated as an adjective.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA: Ƌ, Karura Forest , 11 Aug. 2006, N. Erbout ( RMCA).

Paratype

KENYA: 1 Ƌ, same locality and data as holotype (barcoded, see Table 1 ; Supplementary file).

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 4.08 (3.92–4.16) mm; wing length: 4.88 (4.80–4.96) mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 5a ). Antenna yellow, first flagellomere in lateral view 3 times as long as wide, obtuse apically. Arista short to medium pubescent, ventral proximal rays at most twice width of arista at base. Two frontal setae, thinner than, and subequal in length to, anterior orbital seta; two orbital setae, anterior orbital longer than posterior one; ocellar seta about 3 times as long as ocellar triangle; postocellar seta black, shorter than lateral vertical seta. Frons convex, not protruding in lateral view; yellow. Genal seta and genal setulae pale to dark orange. Face yellow-white, occiput yellow.

THORAX ( Fig. 5 b–c). Postpronotal lobe yellow-orange, slightly paler than scutum; without distinct black middle spot around base of postpronotal seta but with darker irregular marking near seta. Scutum ground colour shining orange to orange-brown, with pale pilosity/microtrichosity; with distinct small black spot near mesal end of transverse suture; otherwise no distinct black marking on central part of scutum; paired separate prescutellar semi-circular white markings posterior of prescutellar acrostichal seta. Setae black, except scapulars red brown. Pleura yellow-orange to yellow-brown. Anepisternum dorsal margin narrowly white, ventral third to half more brownish; one anepisternal seta. Anatergite yellow-white, with irregular black marking; katatergite yellow-white. Scutellum yellowish-white, apical margin with three separate black spots, extending anteriorly beyond basal scutellar seta; without distinct black spots basally, at most with slightly darker marking. Subscutellum yellow with three black spots of which the upper margin is confluent, thereby forming single black band.

LEGS ( Fig. 5e ). Slender; yellow to yellow-orange; with dispersed yellow-orange pilosity. Forefemur with orange ventral spine-like setae, posterodorsally and posteriorly with several rows of longer yelloworange setae, producing bushy appearance. Midtibia with yellow-orange feathering dorsally along distal 0.45 and ventrally along distal 0.30.

WING ( Fig. 5f ). Markings yellow to yellow-brown. Anterior apical band, subapical band, posterior apical band and discal band present; anterior apical band not touching discal band; subapical band touching discal band; posterior apical band touching anterior apical band. Cross-vein R-M situated just beyond midlength of cell dm. Brown streaks and spots present in basal cells.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 5d ). Ground colour yellow to orange, pale and brown setulae. Tergites 2 and 4 along posterior margin slightly more greyish.

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

Kenya.

Host plants

Unknown.

Remarks

Ceratitis flavipennata sp. nov. resembles Ceratitis neostictica De Meyer, 1998 in the pilosity of the forefemur and feathering on the midtibia. It can be differentiated from the latter by the differences in wing banding (posterior apical band touching anterior apical band in flavipennata sp. nov., separate in neostictica ; subapical band touching discal band in flavipennata sp. nov., separate in neostictica ) and the pattern of the scutum (extensive black markings in neostictica , largely absent in flavipennata sp. nov.). Like C. neostictica , C. flavipennata sp. nov. is placed in the subgenus Ceratalaspis based on the colouration of the abdominal tergites (predominantly yellow to orange, no distinct black transverse bands). Based on its DNA barcode it does not cluster with any other species within the genus Ceratitis (see Supplementary file).

Figures

Fig. 5. Ceratitis flavipennata De Meyer & Virgilio sp. nov. a. Head and thorax, anterodorsal view. b. Thorax, lateral view. c. Thorax, dorsal view. d. Abdomen, dorsal view. E. Midleg, anterior view. F. Wing. Scale bars = 1 mm