Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker)

Meyer, Marc De & Freidberg, Amnon, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the fruit fly genus Neoceratitis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae), Zootaxa 3223, pp. 24-39 : 28-30

Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker)

Figs 2 b, 3b, 4a, 5b, 6b.

Ceratitis asiatica Becker, 1908: 291 .

Neoceratitis asiatica: Hendel 1927 [new combination; redescription]; Woo et al. 1963 [life history]; Korneyev 1994 [ Turkmenistan]; Hancock & Drew 1994 [recognition].

Type material. Syntype, 13, ‘Mitt. Asien’ = CHINA (according to Norrbom et al. 1999): Kurlyk , Baingol East Tsaidam’, 31.V. [18]95, Rob Kozlov, Becker’s ref number 51915 ( MNHU); (female syntype not studied).

Other material. CHINA: Xinjang Province, Hami , 13, presented by X.J. Wang ( BMNH); 27.VI.1955, 13 ( MHNG); 13 1Ƥ, Ma Shijun, Xia Kailin & Chen Yonglin ( IZAS). KAZAKHSTAN: 13, Charyn Valley W Chundza, 43°37’N 79°21’E, 29–31.V. 2001, 650m, M. Hauser ( MHNG). KYRGIZIA : 1Ƥ, Int [=Interior] Tien Shan, Saz, nr [=near] Dzhaman-Davan riv., 1700m, 29.VIII.1998, Milko ( MHNG).

Male. Body length: 3.39 (2.80−3.80) mm; wing length: 3.57 (3.00−3.90) 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 golden microtrichia; setae black. Face yellow-white, occiput dorsal third yellowish, ventral half yellow-white.

Thorax. Postpronotal lobe black-brown, posteriorly with whitish crescent; crescent not extending to postpronotal seta. Scutum ratio 0.90−0.98; shining black-brown, silver microtrichia in typical pattern (cf Fig. 1 c); dark pilosity except where silver microthrichosity with silvery setulae. Pleura dark brown, anatergite usually with whitish spot confined to dorsal half, rarely missing; one black anepisternal seta. Scutellum ( Fig. 2 b) swollen with straight margin near basal seta; black-brown, with white medial spot on disc, white spot neither extending to setae nor to basal margin of scutellum.

Legs. Yellow.

Wing. With discal, subapical, anterior and posterior apical brown bands ( Fig. 3 b), all well developed. Basal brownish part largely confluent with subbasal brown spots and streaks. Subapical band isolated or narrowly touching discal band, not touching anterior apical band. R-M ratio 0.60−0.66.

Abdomen. Shining black-brown. Tergite 2 along posterior 2/5 and tergite 4 along posterior 1/3 with transverse band of silvery microtrichia; anterior part of these tergites with brown microtrichia, laterally reduced. Male terminalia ( Fig. 4 a) with surstyli short.

Female. Body length: 3.80 mm; wing length: 3.85 (3.80−3.90) mm.

As male except following characters: near antennal implant rarely with darker brown spots; femora brown. Oviscape about half as long as abdominal tergites 1–5 jointly, shining black-brown. Aculeus ( Fig. 5 b) five times as long as wide; apically ( Fig. 6 b) tapered, simply pointed.

Distribution. China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgizia. Also reported from Turkmenistan ( Korneyev 1994).

Hosts. Woo et al. (1963) record the berries of Lycium turcomanicum Turcz. ex Miers. as a host in Tibet.

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.