Rhagoletis bagheera Richter & Kandybina, 1997

Korneyev, S. V., Smith, J. J., Hulbert, D. L., Frey, J. E. & Korneyev, V. A., 2022, A New Species Of Rhagoletis (Diptera, Tephritidae) From Switzerland, With Discussion Of Its Relationships Within The Genus, Zoodiversity 56 (1), pp. 1-20 : 7-8

Rhagoletis bagheera Richter & Kandybina, 1997 ( fig. 3 )

Rhagoletis bagheera Richter & Kandybina, 1997: 915 (description, biology); Korneyev et al., 2018 a: 462 (key); Korneyev & Korneyev, 2019: 93 (key).

T y p e m a t e r i a l. Holotype Ơ: Armenia: “ Erevan , ex fruits of Rhamnus pallasii , em. 28.VI.1971 ” (G. Ariutunan) ( ZISP).

Paratypes. Armenia: Erevan, ex fruits of Rhamnus pallasii , em. 28.06.1971, 1 Ơ, 1 ♀ (G. Arutiunan); Asni, Vedi Distr. , 5.08.1965, 37 Ơ, 20 ♀ (V. Richter), 1 Ơ, 1 ♀, same labels ( SIZK) ; Georgia: Vashlovan Nature Reserve , ex fruits of Rhamnus pallasii , 2 ♀, em. 24.06.1974 (I. Hodzevanishvili); idem, em. 4– 18.05.1981 (I. Hodzhevanishvili) ( ZISP) .

D i a g n o s i s. Head yellow, antenna and frontal vitta dark yellow; ventral half of median occipital sclerite and occiput lateral of it widely black or brown, widely yellow emarginated. Flagellomere 1 pointed apically. Scutum black, with 4 gray microtrichose vittae. Wing pattern with four brown bands, without intercalary band; apical band separated from costa by hyaline area in cells r 2+3 and r 4+5 ( fig. 1 , d). Femora dark brown to black. Abdomen black, tergites with yellow posterior margins. This species is similar to R. batava and R. merzi in general appearance and femora coloration, but is conspicuously smaller (body length = 2.7–2.9 mm and wing length = 2.2–2.36 mm for R. bagheera ,> 3 mm in R. batava and R. merzi ) and has different host plants: Rhamnus (Rhamnaceae) for R. bagheera , and Hippophae (Elaeagnaceae) for R. batava and Juniperus (Cupressaceae) for R. merzi .

Measurements. Wing length Ơ = 2.0– 2.4 mm; wing length ♀ = 2.2–2.5; costal cell length = 0.7; aculeus length = 0.71 mm; aculeus length / costal cell length = 1 ( Richter & Kandybina, 1997).

Host plant. Rhamnus pallasii Fisch. & C.A. Mey ( Richter & Kandybina, 1997).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Armenia, Georgia.

Figures

Fig. 3. Rhagoletis bagheera paratype male (a, с–e) and female (b, f–h): a — habitus left (abdomen dissected), b — same, dorsal; c, d — epandrium, hypandrium and surstyli (c — left, d — posterior), e — phallus glans; f — aculeus apex, g — ovipositor, h — spermatheca.

Fig. 1. Palearctic species of Rhagoletis species similar to R. merzi, wings: a — R. zernyi; b — R. flavigenualis; c — R. merzi, sp. n.; d — R. bagheera; e — R. batava. Bands are marked as follows: A — apical, D — discal, SA — subapical, SB — subbasal. Red arrow shows connection of D and SA; cyan arrow shows cr — crescentic hyaline area. Scale: 1 mm.