Tanzanimyia reticulata, Freidberg & Zonstein & Friedman & T. & T., 2020

Freidberg, Amnon, Zonstein, Irina, Friedman, Ariel-Leib-Leonid, T., T. & T., T., 2020, Tanzanimyia, a new Afrotropical genus of Schistopterini with four new species (Diptera: Tephritidae: Tephritinae), Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 50 (1), pp. 19-39 : 32-34

Tanzanimyia reticulata n. sp.

( Figs 3, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE2EC416-7874-4C58-B62A-379ED54A6784 .

Etymology: From Latin reticulata (reticulated), referring to the relatively reticulate wing pattern, especially at the apical fourth.

Diagnosis: Compared with other congeners the wing pattern of this species, especially on the distal quarter, is more reticulate, including many oval hyaline spots and the dark rays shorter and less well-defined (rather than hyaline spots elongate and separated by long rays in the other species). The anterior frontal seta is short, only 0.4–0.6× as long as middle frontal seta (versus about 0.8× in T. ugandaensis ).

Description: Head. Structure and coloration: 1.06–1.15× as high as long; fronto-facial angle about 100°; eye 1.08–1.27× as high as long; frons 1.00–1.19× as wide as long; face 0.9–1.0× as high as frons length; antenna ( Fig. 3): 1 st flagellomere semireniform, 1.00–1.05× as long as face, pointed dorsoapically; arista 1.90–2.24× as long as 1 st flagellomere, with short dark rays, basal 0.25 wider, yellowish, apical 0.75 blackish; pedicel about 1.1× as high as long; palpus yellow. Chaetotaxy: Orbital setae brownish, anterior orbital seta 1.75–2.20× as long as posterior orbital seta; anterior frontal seta white, short, 0.41–0.61× as long as middle frontal seta; posterior frontal seta brownish, 1.05–1.33× as long as brownish middle frontal seta; ocellar seta whitish, 0.67–0.74× as long as posterior frontal seta; preocellar seta present, 0.35–0.44× as long as ocellar seta; postocellar seta whitish, 0.84–1.00× as long as ocellar seta; medial vertical seta brown, 1.55–1.83× as long as posterior frontal seta; lateral vertical seta black, 0.25–0.33× as long as medial vertical seta; paravertical seta white, 0.6–0.8× as long as postocellar seta; genal seta brownish or blackish, 1.17–1.33× as long as anterior frontal seta; gena and postgena with several whitish or brownish setulae about 0.75–0.95× as long as genal seta.

Thorax. Structure: Scutum 1.13–1.19× as long as wide; scutellum about 0.32– 0.37× as long as scutum, slightly convex. Coloration and vestiture: Predominantly blackish including anepisternum and katepisternum, only postpronotal lobe, great posterior part of notopleuron, and area of greater ampulla somewhat brownish yellow; median vitta on scutum narrow, sometimes indistinct; scutellum mostly blackish, usually only apex and margin partially yellowish to brownish yellow. Chaetotaxy: Dorsocentral seta aligned about 0.29–0.42 distance between transverse suture and level of postsutural supra-alar seta; acrostichal setulae in about 6–8 irregular rows, only 2–4 rows at level of acrostichal setae; anepisternum centrally with 2 whitish, lanceolate, somewhat erect setulae; scutellum with whitish erect dorsoapical seta about 0.30–0.55× as long as apical scutellar seta, and basal scutellar seta 2.85–3.30× as long as apical scutellar seta.

Legs. Coloration: All femora with blackish preapical rings, midfemur and hindfemur with incomplete (only ventral) dark basal rings, some rings often pale and indistinct; hindtibia with dark subbasal ring. Chaetotaxy: Forefemur with posteroventral row of long, brownish, more or less acuminate setae; with posterior row of shorter acuminate brownish yellow setae, and with posterodorsal row of shorter mixed setae, mostly slightly lanceolate, white, but progressively darker and more acuminate toward apex of femur.

Wing ( Fig. 9). Length 2.3–3.0 mm. Length/width ratio about 2.1. Venation: Pterostigma about 1.3× as long as wide; vein R 1 dorsally with 27 setulae, 19 basal to wide gap opposite bend of subcosta and 9 distal to this gap, and ventrally with 3–5 setulae along distal margin of pterostigma; vein R 4+5 dorsally with 5–8 setulae and ventrally with 3 setulae, all basal to crossvein R–M. Pattern: Dark area in cell r 2+3 medially with 4–14 transparent spots, larger at perimeter area; rays reaching vein C, especially anterior to R 2+3, usually generally elongate, narrow, dark with well-defined borders; 4 rays on and between veins R 2+3 and R 4+5, pale, somewhat blurred; rays beyond vein C to posterior wing margin considerably wider and generally pale with somewhat blurred borders; very short apicomedial ray, unconnected to adjacent rays; basal half of cell br with three hyaline spots, apical half with 1–2 hyaline spots; anal lobe with 4 transverse brownish bands; alula centrally with 1 brownish transverse band. Bullae: Large oval black bulla in cell r 4+5, opposite crossvein DM–Cu; brown bullae: elongated large bulla in cell r 4+5 along vein R 4+5; large wide oval bulla along vein M, ranging from approximately opposite to crossvein R–M and distally to slightly more than halfway to crossvein DM–Cu; cell m with small conspicuous more or less round bulla near anteroproximal corner.

Abdomen. Coloration: Tergites subshiny black, mostly densely microtrichose with inconspicuous grayish median vitta, distal half or less of tergite 6 and oviscape of female and distal 0.25 of tergite 5 of male bare and shiny, male terminalia brownish yellow; dark acuminate setulae scattered on tergites, and whitish lanceolate setae arranged in 1 row, with irregular gaps, along posterior margins of tergites; sternites mostly reddish brown to black, posterior margin of several sternites (usually 1 or 2) often lighter brownish.

Male terminalia: Height/length ratio of epandrium and surstyli about 1.1 in posterior view ( Fig. 12); lateral surstylus not separate from epandrium by distinct fold ( Figs 12, 14), with sparse cluster of usually 6–8 brownish setae or less; glans as in Fig. 16. Female terminalia (Figs 18, 21): Oviscape basal 0.22–0.33 and apical 0.33–0.60 dark brown, with central area (0.18–0.27 of oviscape length) brownish yellow, tergal-oviscapal measure 3; aculeus 4.4× as long as wide (Fig. 18), in dorsal view tip pointed, with indistinct, rounded preapical constrictions; in lateral view slightly curved, without distinct projections dorsally or ventrally; two spermathecae ( Fig. 21) as for genus, moderately wrinkled and tuberculate.

Holotype: ♂ Uganda: S[outh] W[est], Ichuya Forest , Kanaba Gap [1°15'S 29°48'E], 2500 m, 28.xii.1995, I. Yarom & A. Freidberg (SMNHTAU). The holotype is double-mounted, on a minutien pin in a plastic block, in good condition.

Paratypes: 29♂ 13♀ same collection data as holotype (23♂ 7♀ SMNHTAU, 1♂ 1♀ NHM, 1♂ 1♀ MRAC, 1♂ 1♀ MHNG, 1♂ 1♀ NMK, 1♂ 1♀ NMSA, 1♂ 1♀ USNM); 8♂ 6♀ same collection data as holotype, but also “ex flower head Botriocline fusca , 10–20.i.1996 ”. Kenya: 1♀ Abardare [sic!], 3000–4000 m, 1.xii.1986, A. Freidberg; 1♀ 10 km N Maralal, 28.xi.1986, A. Freidberg; 1♂ Ngong Hills, 2000–2300 m, 15.v.1991, A. Freidberg & F. Kaplan; 1♂ 4♀ Ngong Hills, 1°22.6'S 6°38.5'E, 7.xi.2007, A. Freidberg (1♂ 1♀), L. Friedman (3♀); 1♀ 40 km NW Nairobi, 31.viii.1983,A. Freidberg; 2♂ Chyulu Range, 1300–1800 m, 2.v.1991, A. Freidberg & F. Kaplan, ex flower head Gutenbergia c. var. cordifolia ; 1♀ Taita Hills, Mwatata–Wundanyi Road, 1000–1400 m, 3°24'S 38°23'E, 18.ix.2005, A. Freidberg. Tanzania: 1♂ 1♀ Usambara Mts: Soni, Rt. B124, 1100 m, 11.ix.1992, A. Freidberg; 1♂ 1300 m, Rt. B124, near Lushoto, 10–15.ix.1992, A. Freidberg; 1♂ View point, 1500 m, 1.ix.1996, A. Freidberg. Malawi: 2♀ Viphya Mts, Chikangawa, 1707 m, 11°50.5'S 23°48.2'E, 26.xii.2009, A. Freidberg. Note: All paratypes are in SMNHTAU unless indicated otherwise.

Distribution: Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda; at altitudes 1000–3000 m.

Biology: The larvae develop in flower heads of the large shrubs Botriocline fusca (S. Moore) M. Gilbert and Gutenbergia cordifolia var. cordifolia Benth. ex Oliv. ( Asteraceae ).

Comments: This is the smallest and the most widespread species of the genus, readily recognizable among its congeners by the more reticulate wing pattern with numerous isolated oval hyaline subapical spots. It has been reared from two host genera, and in one of them, Botriocline fusca , it co-exists with T. ugandaensis .