Neoceratitis flavoscutellata Merz & Dawah

Meyer, Marc De & Freidberg, Amnon, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the fruit fly genus Neoceratitis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae), Zootaxa 3223, pp. 24-39 : 35

Neoceratitis flavoscutellata Merz & Dawah

Figs 1 b, 2d, 3e, 4d, 5f, 6e.

Neoceratitis flavoscutellata Merz & Dawah, 2005: 988 .

Type material. Holotype, ♂, SAUDI ARABIA, Abha, Madenate Ameer Sultan , 25.II-25.V.2002, H.A. Dawah ( MHNG).

Paratypes: same date and locality as holotype, 13 2Ƥ ( MHNG); 13 1Ƥ ( RMCA); 33 3Ƥ ( TAUI).

Male. Body length: 3.87 (3.70−4.00) mm; wing length: 3.92 (3.60−4.20) mm.

Head. Antenna yellow, first flagellomere more brownish and about three times as long as wide; arista pubescent with hairs at most equal to basal width. Frons dorsal half reddish to brown, ventral half white; setae black. Face yellow-white, ventral to antennal implant with brown spots in antennal grooves, sometimes extended into reddish transverse band; ventral eye margin with darker yellow to brown spot; occiput dorsal third yellow-brown, ventral half yellow-white.

Thorax. Postpronotal lobe white, anterior margin narrowly brown. Scutum ratio 1−1.10; shining black-brown, silver microtrichia in typical pattern except not extending to scutellar margin or scapular setae medially ( Fig. 1 b); dark pilosity except where silver microtrichia with silvery setulae. Pleura brown, anepisternum with white band occupying posterodorsal part, extending to postpronotal lobe, its ventral margin extending to posteroventral corner; katatergite and anatergite whitish, posteroventral margin of laterotergite narrowly brown; one black anepisternal seta. Scutellum ( Fig. 2 d) swollen with straight margin near basal seta and apically partially flattened; white, laterally at base brown ventrally.

Legs. Yellow, femora largely brownish.

Wing. With discal, subapical, anterior apical and posterior apical brown bands ( Fig. 3 e), all well developed. Basal brownish part forming distinct band and largely separated from discal band. Subapical band isolated. R-M ratio 0.60−0.75.

Abdomen. Shining orange-brown to brown. Tergite 2 and 4 largely yellow-white, except anterolateral corners, anterior margin of tergite 2, and anterior third of tergite 4 more extensively brown; tergite 5 yellow medially. Male terminalia ( Fig. 4 d) with surstyli short. Phallus glans as illustrated by Merz & Dawah (2005: Fig. 6 ).

Female. Body length: 4.12 (3.90−4.40) mm; wing length: 4.02 (3.60−4.40) mm.

As male except for the following characters: oviscape about 3/5 the length of tergites 1-5 jointly, shining orange to brownish. Aculeus ( Fig. 5 f) brown; at least ten times as long as wide; apically ( Fig. 6 e) evenly tapered, simply pointed.

Distribution. Saudi Arabia.

Hosts. Unknown.

Comments. Neoceratitis flavoscutellata fits the general description of Neoceratitis except for the following character states: the shape of the scutellum (more flattened, as in Perilampsis and Carpophthoromyia species), the face in lateral view slightly more concave, and the microtrichia pattern on the scutum that is restricted to near the scapular setae and the scutellum. In all other aspects it resembles the other species within this genus and inclusion in this genus seems justified.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Neoceratitis scutum, dorsal view: a) albiseta; b) flavoscutellata; c) lycii.

FIGURE 2. Neoceratitis scutellum, dorsal view: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) flavoscutellata; e) lycii.

FIGURE 3. Neoceratitis wing: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) efflatouni; e) flavoscutellata; f) lycii.

FIGURE 4. Neoceratitis epandrium lateral view: a) asiatica; b) cyanescens; c) lycii; d) flavoscutellata (after Merz & Dawah 2005); e) efflatouni.

FIGURE 5. Neoceratitis aculeus: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) efflatouni; e) lycii; f) flavoscutellata.

FIGURE 6. Neoceratitis aculeus tip: a) albiseta; b) asiatica; c) cyanescens; d) efflatouni; e) flavoscutellata; f) lycii.