Platensina bradyseta Maneesh & Hancock, 2025

Singh, Maneesh Pal & Hancock, David Lawrence, 2025, Five new species of subfamily Tephritinae (Tephritidae: Diptera) from Himalayas and description of postabdominal structures in Chaetostomella completa (Kapoor, Malla & Ghosh), Pliomelaena spathuliniforma (Dirlbek & Dirlbek) and P. zonogastra (Bezzi), Zootaxa 5689 (2), pp. 299-332 : 304-307

Platensina bradyseta Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov.

( Figures 3–4 )

Diagnosis: Medium sized ( 4.12 mm) species characterized by 3 frontal and 2 orbital setae, basal scutellar setae twice as long as apicals, wing mostly black with distinct hyaline spots and indentations, cell r 1 with 2 large indentations crossing cell and a small subapical spot, cell r 2+3 with a single marginal spot, cell br without spots, cell r 4+5 with apical spot small and much narrower than large, oval basal spot near r-m crossvein, two narrow hyaline indentations in cell m, abdomen black, oviscape longer than half length of abdomen, spicules on distal end of eversible membrane broad with 3–5 short projections.

Platensina bradyseta Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov. is similar to P. platyptera Hendel in general characters but can be differentiated by longer apical scutellar setae, longer oviscape (longer than half length of abdomen), cell br without any hyaline spots, hyaline spot at apex of cell r 4+5 small and narrower than basal spot near r-m crossvein, two narrow hyaline indentations in cell m, broader spicules on distal eversible membrane with projections and sharper tip of aculeus ( cf. David et al. 2022a figs 38 & 41). Hyaline spots and indentations in Platensina are often variable but in cells br, r 4+5 and m they are usually consistent. Images of P. platyptera from India, Taiwan and Singapore examined by MPS all have a circular hyaline spot in cell br and the apical spot in cell r 4+5 broader than the basal hyaline spot. These characters of P. platyptera are also consistent with the illustrations of David et al. (2022a figs 31–32).

Head: Head yellowish brown, front broad and darker except inverted U-shaped orange-brown area just above lunule ( Fig. 3B ), stubby white setulae present in middle of front between the row of frontal setae, antennae ( 0.41 mm) shorter than face, flagellum lighter in colour, dorsoapically slightly curved, pubescent and with a plumose arista. Scape and pedicel dorsally with black setulae. Face yellow, lateral margins below facial carina with row of black setulae togenal seta. Palpi with black setulae, the anterior setula longer. Proboscis with yellowish setulae. Postocciput with black setulae and long yellowish setae. Setae yellowish except frontal and ocellar blackish: 3 frontal, 2 orbital, 1 ocellar, 2 vertical (outer stubby white), 4 postocellar (medial longer and stouter), 4–5 stubby white postocular (3 black setulae between each stubby white seta) and 1 genal.

Thorax: Scutum greyish, pollinose with shiny yellowish setulae. Postpronotal lobe, suture and area around posterior notopleural seta yellowish. Pleuron yellowish brown, katatergite, anatergite, mediotergite and subscutellum greyish black. Scutellum disc greyish otherwise yellowish brown. Three stubby white setulae in row behind each apical scutellar seta and bunch of 5 stubby white setulae behind each basal scutellar seta (fig. 3D). Anepisternal stripe with 10 scattered stubby white setulae (fig. 3C). Full complement of thoracic setae, all yellowish except posterior notopleural seta darker. Apical scutellar setae almost half length of basal scutellar setae. Setae: 1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 1 prescutellar acrostichal, 2 scutellar, 2 anepisternal, 1 anepimeral and 1 katepisternal.

All legs yellowish brown with black setulae, mid and hind femora slightly darker brownish than fore femora, the latter with a row of 6 setae on ventrolateral side.

Wings 3.68 mm long, black with numerous spots and hyaline indentations, rounded at apical margin, with 4 black setulae near Rs joint (fig. 3F). Cell bc hyaline, humeral crossvein infuscated, cell c hyaline with 3 narrow black bands, medial slightly broader than basal and apical bands, placed distal of midline and separated from apex by a quadrate hyaline area. Cell sc black with basal hyaline indentation at Sc break, the latter with 1 long and 1 shorter costal setae. Cell r 1 with a rectangular hyaline spot below upturned apex of vein Sc, 2 broad indentations crossing cell and a small marginal subapical spot, the basal broadest and confluent with extension of indentation in cell r 2+3, the medial narrower and weakly connected to oval spot in cell r 2+3. Cell r 2+3 additionally with a hyaline marginal spot near apex of vein R 2+3 and two circular grey spots between apical and basal hyaline spots. Cell br without hyaline or grey spots. Cell r 4+5 with two hyaline spots, the basal spot near r-m crossvein oval and much larger than the small apical spot and two circular grey spots between them alongside veins R 4+5 and M ( Fig. 3F ). Cell dm with 2 circular hyaline indentations of almost equal size. Cells bm and bcu basally hyaline. Cell m with 2 narrow and widely separated marginal hyaline indentations. Cell cu 1 with 2 medial marginal indentations separated from 2 medial spots and 2 basal spots. Anal lobe grey with 2 large indentations and 2 small circular medial spots ( Fig. 3F ).

Abdomen: Abdomen shiny black and setose, tergites I & II black with lateral and medial brownish coloration. Tergites III & IV black with narrow brownish transverse band at posterior margin. Tergites V & VI black, slightly brownish laterally. Tergite VI slightly longer than V and with 12–14 setae at posterior margin (fig. 4A). All sternites yellowish with irregularly-shaped medial black patches.

Genitalia: Oviscape shiny black, 1.31 mm long (more than half length of abdomen) and conical. Aculeus brownish fulvous, 1.25 mm long, spear-shaped with sharper apical tip chisel like (fig. 4A). Eversible membrane 1.3 mm long with broader spicules on distal end. Spicules on distal end with 3–5 short projections (fig. 4C) and posteriorly spicules broadly triangular (fig. 4C). Spermathecae not extracted.

Type Material: Holotype ♀, on Artemisia sp. , INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Solan, Nauni, 30°51’47” N 77°10’7” E. 10.v.2024, Maneesh Leg. at Zoological Survey of India (High Altitude Regional Centre ( HARC), Solan, Himachal Pradesh)

Etymology: Specific epithet derived due to longer apical scutellar setae.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Platensina bradyseta Maneesh & Hancock sp. n. Holotype; A: Lateral habitus, B: Head, C: Lateral thorax, D: Scutellum, E: Thorax and F: Wing.

FIGURE 4. Platensina bradyseta Maneesh & Hancock sp. n. Holotype; A: Abdomen, B:Aculeus, C: Spicules on distal evesible membrane and D: Tip of aculeus.