Neoceratitis lycii (Coquillett)

Meyer, Marc De & Freidberg, Amnon, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the fruit fly genus Neoceratitis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae), Zootaxa 3223, pp. 24-39 : 35-37

Neoceratitis lycii (Coquillett)

Figs 1 c, 2e, 3f, 4c, 5e, 6f.

Ceratitis lycii Coquillett 1901: 30 .

Trirhithrum lycii var. minimum Bezzi 1924: 484 . New Synonym

Trirhithrum lycii: Munro 1925 [ South Africa, host record]; Munro 1929 [ South Africa, host record, description male]

Ceratitis (Trirhithromyia) lycii: Munro 1935 [ South Africa, host record, biology]

Trirhithromyia lycii: Hardy 1967 [differentiation from efflatouni ]

Neoceratitis lycii: Korneyev 1994 [new combination]

Ceratitis (Trirhithromyia) minima: Munro 1935 [ South Africa, differentiation from lycii ]

Neoceratitis minima: Korneyev 1994 [new combination]; Hancock 2000 [Brandberg fauna]; Hancock et al. 2003 [checklist Namibian fauna]

Type material. Syntypes Ceratitis lycii , 2Ƥ, SOUTH AFRICA, Cape Colony , CP Lounsbury , berries Lycium afrum ( USNM, one Ƥ carrying label Type Nr 5791).

Holotype Trirhithrum lycii var. minimum , Ƥ, SOUTH AFRICA, Grootfontein , Middelburg Cape, 5.III.1916, R.O. Wahl, ( SANC, type reference Nr1193) .

Other material. NAMIBIA: 1Ƥ, Ameib Farm, 19mi NW Karibib , 31.I-2.II.1972 ( BMNH); 1ex (sex unknown, damaged: head and abdomen missing), Aus , 14.IX.2003, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 23 2Ƥ, Hentiesbaai, Swakopmund Dist ., 8/II/1974, ‘ vegetated sand mounds near nest’, ME & BJ Irwin ( NMSA via TAUI); 23 1Ƥ, Klein Aus, Vista 7km SW Aus, 1350m, 13.IX.2003, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); Okahanja , 1Ƥ, 2-4.II.1972; 1Ƥ, 4.II.1972, Camping place riverside vegetation Malaise trap (both BMNH); 1Ƥ, 30km N Rosh Pinah, Rt B13, 1000m, 15.IX.2003, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 1Ƥ, Swakopmund , 2-4.IV.1928, R.E. Turner ( BMNH). SOUTH AFRICA: 43 3Ƥ, Balfour CP, November 1952, H.K. Munro, M1186 [= reared from fruits of Lycium oxycladum according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 1Ƥ, East London, October 1946, Gowan C. Clark ( SANC); Fish Hoek, C.P., 33 16Ƥ, 17.I.1918, P.B. Cloete ( SANC); 23 10Ƥ, April 1927, H.K. Munro, M223 [= reared from fruits of Lycium campanulatum according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 33, 2.V. 1927, H.K. Munro ( SANC); 13 1Ƥ, April 1937, H.K. Munro ( BMNH); 73 13Ƥ, Fort Beaufort, November 1952, H.K. Munro, M1185 [= reared from fruits of Lycium oxycladum according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 33 5Ƥ, Gordon’s Bay, C.P. , March 1943, H.K. Murno, M741 [= reared from fruits of Lycium campanulatum according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 13 2Ƥ, Grahamstown, April 1936, H.K. Munro M587 [= reared from fruits of Lycium sp. according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 13, Grootfontein, Middelburg , CP, 11.IX.1934, B. Smit ( SANC); 1Ƥ, Jacobsdal , 26.III.1928, H.K. Munro ( SANC); Knysna , February 1949, J.McGough 28, 23 2 Ƥ ( USNM); 13 1Ƥ ( SANC); 13 1Ƥ ( TAUI); Maritzburg, 1Ƥ, December 1936, thorny bush, W.E. Marriott, M625 [= reared from fruits of Lycium acutifolium according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 13 1Ƥ, September 1937, thorny bush, H.K. Munro, M641 [= reared from fruits of Lycium acutifolium according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 63 10Ƥ, Middelburg, CP, April 1936, H.K. Munro, M585 [= reared from fruits of Lycium sp. according to Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 13, Mod- der river, 3.5.1906 ( SANC); Mossel Bay , 13, October 1941, R.E. Turner ( SANC); 1Ƥ, April 1933, R.E. Turner ( BMNH); 13, Pietermaritzburg, Ashburton , 3.X.1983, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 1Ƥ, 20km N Pietersburg, RtN1, 24.XII.1994, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 13, Port Elisabeth , February 1931, H.K. Munro, M329 [erroneous reference in Munro’s notebooks] ( SANC); 13, Pretoria , 29.I.1941 ( BMNH); 13 2Ƥ, Simonstown , May 1927, H.K. Munro ( SANC); 33 4Ƥ, St James, C.P., January 1908, C.P. Lounsbury ( SANC); 13 1Ƥ, Uitenhage, February 1931, H.K. Munro, M330 [= reared from fruits of Lycium sp. according to Munro’s notebooks] (2Ƥ with more imprecise dates but same M330 number) ( SANC); 73 12Ƥ, Victoria West 52km Vosburg, Cape , 27.II.1985, reared ex Lycium cinereum berries, PE Hulley ( AMGS); 13, Willowmore, Capland , 20.II.1902, Dr Brauns ( USNM). TANZANIA: 13 1Ƥ, Moshi, 30kmE Rt. B1, 17.IX.1992, ex berry Lycium shawii , pup: 25.IX.1992; adult: 24.XI–10.XII.1992, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); 23 4Ƥ, Himo Rt B1, 8.IX.1996, ex fruit Lycium europaeum , pupa: 15.IX.1996; adult 29.IX- 10.XI.1996, A. Freidberg ( TAUI).

Male. Body length: 2.76 (2.20−3.30) mm; wing length: 2.51 (2.00−3.75) mm.

Head. Antenna yellow, first flagellomere about twice as long as wide; arista short pubescent with hairs shorter than basal width. Frons yellow, dorsal half with greyish to golden microtrichia; setae black. Face yellow-white, gena ventral to eye with darker yellow-brown spot; occiput dorsal third dark brown, ventral half yellow-white.

Thorax. Postpronotal lobe black-brown in anterior half, whitish posteriorly to variable extent, extending to or beyond postpronotal seta. Scutum ratio 0.83−0.87; shining black-brown, silver microtrichia in typical pattern ( Fig. 1 c), sometimes rather reduced (cf Fig. 1 a); dark pilosity except where silver microtrichia with silvery setulae. Pleura brown, anepisternum white except ventral margin; katatergite and anatergite whitish, posteroventral margin of laterotergite narrowly brown; one black anepisternal seta. Scutellum ( Fig. 2 e) swollen with concave margin near basal seta; black brown, subbasally with whitish band, interrupted medially.

Legs. Yellow.

Wing. With discal, subapical, anterior and posterior apical brown bands ( Fig. 3 f); all well developed. Basal brownish part usually well developed but sometimes consisting of partly confluent patches and streaks, partly connected with discal band through dark spots. Subapical band connected with discal and anterior apical bands. Anterior and posterior apical bands connected. R-M ratio 0.80−0.95.

Abdomen. Shining black-brown. Tergite 2 and 4 almost completely covered with silvery microtrichia, only narrow anterior margin with brownish microtrichia. Male terminalia ( Fig. 4 c) with surstyli short.

Female. Body length: 2.94 (2.25−3.70) mm; wing length: 2.82 (2.20−3.20) mm.

As male except for the following characters: frons in the middle sometimes with darker yellow-brown markings along lateral margin. Face below and laterally of antennal implant darker yellow to brownish; gena ventral to eye sometimes with brownish spot. Scutellum with subbasal white band sometimes divided into four spots, as in N. efflatouni . Femora sometimes darker yellow-brown, at least in dorsal half, except apically yellow. Anterior margin of tergite 4 broader, silver microtrichia extending to anterior margin only medially. Oviscape slightly shorter than or equal to half the length of abdominal tergites 1–5 jointly, shining black-brown. Aculeus ( Fig. 5 e) yellow, flattened; at most four times as long as wide; apically ( Fig. 6 f) evenly tapered, simply pointed.

Distribution. Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Hosts. Reared from fruits of Lycium acutifolium E. Mey. ex Dunal , L. afrum L. (but see Munro 1929 on the status of this host), L. campanulatum E. Mey. ex C.H. Wr. , L. cinereum Thunb. , L. europaeum L., L. oxycladum Miers , L. shawii Roem. & Schult. , and unidentified Lycium sp. ( Solanaceae ).

Comments. Neoceratitis minima was originally described as a variety of N. lycii but later elevated to species status ( Munro 1935). Characters to differentiate both taxa were based mainly on the presence or absence of a black spot ventral to the antennal bases and the coloration of the postpronotal lobe. However, study of long series shows that these characters are variable. The black spot ventral to the antennal bases is a character present mainly in female specimens but missing in most (but not all) males. The coloration of the postpronotal lobe varies widely, even among specimens collected at the same collecting effort (cf. material collected at Fort Beaufort or reared from Lycium cinereum , see material examined). Such variation was also observed in material of N. efflatouni . No distinct differences between minima and lycii could be found and it is, therefore, decided to synonymize them. The specimens from Tanzania fall within the morphological variation observed in the southern African specimens and are considered to be conspecific.

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.