Platensina rabbanii David & Hancock, 2022

David, K. J., Hancock, D. L., Sachin, K., Gracy, R. G. & Salini, S., 2022, Two new species of Platensina Enderlein (Diptera, Tephritidae, Tephritinae, Dithrycini) from India, ZooKeys 1092, pp. 123-146 : 123

Platensina rabbanii David & Hancock sp. nov.

Type locality.

India: Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills, Laitsopliah.

Type data.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: "INDIA: Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills, Laitsopliah, 17.iii.2021, Rabbani M. K." (NIM).

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to P. alboapicalis Hering from Burma in the presence of an apical hyaline band extending from cell r2+3 to cell m1 but can be differentiated by the presence of a single hyaline indentation in cell r2+3, versus two hyaline indentations and spot in P. alboapicalis ; the apical hyaline band restricted to the apical one-third of cell r2+3, versus the whole of apex of cell r2+3 in P. alboapicalis ; and the hyaline indentations in cell cua ending well before vein CuA, unlike in P. alboapicalis where they almost reach vein CuA.

Description.

Male. Medium-sized fly (4.03 mm long) with broad, dark brown wing with hyaline apex.

Head (Fig. 2 ): nearly as high as long; frons fulvous with three pairs of frontal setae and two pairs of orbital setae (posterior one white); ocellar triangle fuscous, with well developed ocellar setae; medial vertical seta black; lateral vertical seta, paravertical seta and postocellar seta lanceolate and white; postocular setae black interspersed with prominent, white lanceolate setae. Face fulvous without any markings. Scape and pedicel fulvous, first flagellomere less than half length of face, concolorous with frons, arista short pilose. Gena narrow, with prominent genal seta, subvibrissal setae present.

Thorax (Figs 3 , 5 ): Scutum uniformly grey microtrichose, with creamy-white setulae. Chaetotaxy well developed: 1 postpronotal, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral placed in line with postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, and 1 prescutellar acrostichal seta. Scutellum brown with two pairs of scutellar setae; apical one less than half length of basal one. Anepisternum grey, with single seta near phragma; anepimeron grey, with single seta, katepisternum fulvous, with single seta; anatergite dark brown; katatergite and meron fulvous. Legs predominantly fulvous without any black/dark markings except basal, brown longitudinal streaks present on ventral surface of mid and hind femora; forefemur with single row of 4 ventral setae.

Wing (Fig. 6 ) broad, with posterior margin evenly rounded, length 4.47 mm; length/width ratio-2.10, predominantly dark brown, with hyaline indentations and spots; cell bc hyaline, cell c predominantly moderate brown, with narrow basal and broader medial hyaline areas, pterostigma entirely moderate brown without any hyaline markings, cell r1 with one trapezoidal basal hyaline indentation not extending beyond vein R2+3, cell r4+5 with elongate subbasal hyaline spot, cell dm with large hyaline spot at basal third, cell cua with two short hyaline indentations not reaching vein CuA, and apical hyaline band extending from apex of cell r2+3 to cell m; anal lobe and alula dark brown.

Abdomen (Fig. 4 ): Entirely black with yellowish orange patches laterally on tergites 1-2.

Male genitalia (Figs 7 , 8 ). Epandrium broad, lateral surstylus as broad as epandrium and connected at acute angle to epandrium (Fig. 7 ); apex of lateral surstylus blunt (in lateral view); proctiger short, smaller than epandrium; epandrium elongate oval in posterior view, medial surstylus with well developed prensisetae (lateral one broader than medial one).

Female. Unknown

Distribution.

Meghalaya (Northeast India).

Habitat.

Marshy grasslands.

Etymology.

The species is named after the collector, Rabbani Mehaboob K. It is a noun in apposition.

Figures

Figures 2 - 8. Platensina rabbanii David & Hancock, sp. nov. 2 head (lateral view) 3 thorax (dorsal view); 4 abdomen (dorsal view) 5 thorax (lateral view) 6 wing 7 epandrium (lateral view) 8 epandrium (posterior view).