Tanzanimyia, Freidberg & Zonstein & Friedman, 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 : 20-29

Genus Tanzanimyia n. gen.

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:69E75B12-D473-4950-A5FC-2B926CD72783 .

Etymology: From Tanzania and Greek μυῖα (a fly). Three of the four species belonging to this genus occur in Tanzania. The gender is feminine.

Type species: Tanzanimyia ugandaensis n. sp.

Diagnosis: In Freidberg’s key (2002: 5) Tanzanimyia would reach couplet 11, which splits between Melanopterella Freidberg and the three genera, Schistotephritis Freidberg , Heringomyia Hardy and Clematochaeta Hering. Melanopterella differs from these three genera in the generally black or blackish body and in the three or more bullae in the wing pattern, whereas the other three genera are characterized by a brownish, yellowish or whitish (in some Heringomyia ) body and by no more than two bullae in the wing pattern. Other significant characters encountered while examining Tanzanimyia through the key are: 2 orbital and 3 frontal setae; posterior frontal seta acuminate; preocellar seta minute or lacking; face without carina; apical scutellar seta relatively long, 0.33–0.50× as long as basal scutellar seta; body, especially thorax and abdomen, blackish gray; wing length-to-width ratio 2.1–2.4; wing pattern rayed, not Eutretosoma type; all dark rays in wing pattern extend to wing margin; pterostigma about as long as wide. The combination of all these characters is unique for Tanzanimyia . Setoides Zonstein & Freidberg has a ventral pedicel seta about as long as the 1 st flagellomere, whereas it is about 0.33× as long as the flagellomere in Tanzanimyia .

Tanzanimyia differs from the other genera of Schistopterini primarily in the following combination of characters: preocellar seta lacking or very short, hair-like, at most 0.25–0.33× as long as ocellar seta; frontal setae distinctly decreasing in length anteriorly, the posterior two darker (blackish or brown) than the whitish anterior frontal seta; anterior orbital seta transversely aligned with posterior frontal seta; wing rather elongate, with large blackish brown central area, and wing pattern usually distinctly rayed, with about nine narrow rays on anterior half, between pterostigma and end of vein M; costal cleft shallow, extending to about 0.15–0.25 of width of pterostigma; cell bcu lacking distinct posterodistal lobe.

Specific differences from each of the other 15 named genera of Schistopterini are noted below. Based on host-plant relationships Tanzanimyia (hosts within Vernonieae) differs readily from Bactropota , Brachiopterna and Schistopterum (hosts of all four genera within Plucheae), Rhabdochaeta (with a single exception hosts within Inuleae) and Calloptera (hosts within Heliantheae). All six of those genera also differ from Tanzanimyia in morphological characters. Tanzanimyia differs from Bactropota , Brachiopterna and Schistopterum in the wing pattern with the dark area in the center (while in the aforementioned genera the dark area is in the basal part of the wing) and from Calloptera in more than 9 wide rays of the wing pattern (7 narrow rays in Calloptera ). Based on cephalic chaetotaxy Tanzanimyia differs from both Rhabdochaeta and Rhochmopterum by having acuminate posterior frontal seta (posterior frontal seta lanceolate in these two genera). All other genera of Schistopterini have hosts within the Vernonieae, or host associations are unknown ( Pararhabdochaeta ). Of these, Eutretosoma , Microtreta , Clematochaeta , Heringomyia and Schistotephritis have short preocellar setae but clearly different wing patterns that are not rayed. Cordylopteryx , Melanopterella and Setoides have similar wing patterns but well-developed preocellar setae. The wing pattern of the Oriental and Australasian Pararhabdochaeta is superficially similar to that of Tanzanimyia , but clearly differs in the arrangement of the bullae.

A new couplet (11a) is to be added in Freidberg’s key (2002) to accommodate Tanzanimyia :

11(10) Generally darker species: body and wing pattern usually black or blackish; wing apex with 4 more or less similar, narrow, discrete rays; 3 or more bullae present (fig. 2K); preocellar seta usually as long as or slightly longer than ocellar seta (Afrotropical) ...................................................................... Melanopterella

11a(10) Generally grayish species: body and wing pattern grayish; wing with dark central area, distinctly rayed, with 5–6 bullae; preocellar setae minute or lacking (Afrotropical)................................................................................... Tanzanimyia

– Generally paler species: body and wing pattern usually brownish, yellowish or whitish; wing pattern usually more reticulate and without such discrete rays, with 0±2 bullae (fig. 2L–N); ocellar and preocellar setae variable, but preocellar seta not longer than ocellar seta..............................................................................12

Description: Head ( Fig. 1). Structure: 1.03–1.15× as high as long; fronto-facial angle about 100°; eye 1.04–1.33× as high as long; frons 1.00–1.38× as wide as long; face slightly concave, slightly carinate, ventral margin slightly protuberant; face 0.5–0.9× as high as frons length; 1 st flagellomere ( Figs 2–5) about as long as face, obclavate, or semireniform, usually pointed dorsoapically; arista 2.2–2.7× as long as 1 st flagellomere, with distinct short whitish pubescence, basal 0.20–0.33 wider, yellowish, apical 0.67–0.80 white or brownish; pedicel 1.1–1.7× as high as long; proboscis capitate, short; palpus ( Figs 6, 7) 2.5–3.0× as long as wide, with black setae anteriorly, anterolaterally, and about 5 longer and thinner, somewhat curved setae; white setulae present mostly posteroventrally; occiput slightly concave dorsally and distinctly convex ventrally. Coloration and vestiture: Ground color of head predominantly yellowish; orbital plate translucent black; ocellar triangle and dorsal half of occiput predominantly blackish; head covered by dense whitish microtrichia; face brownish yellow; frons yellow to brownish yellow; antenna yellowish, brownish or brownish yellow; palpus usually yellow, sometimes with brownish areas, shiny, but surface with very fine and short scattered whitish microtrichia. Chaetotaxy: 2 reclinate orbital setae, anterior orbital seta usually dark brown to black, about 1.3–1.8× as long as whitish, slightly lanceolate posterior orbital seta; 3 frontal setae, anterior frontal seta whitish, slightly mesoclinate to mesoreclinate, 0.41–0.83× as long as middle frontal seta; middle frontal seta usually brownish (but color varies, sometimes whitish), mesoclinate; posterior frontal seta pale brownish to black (color varies between species), mesoclinate, 1.05–1.50× as long as middle frontal seta; ocellar seta whitish, slightly lanceolate, proclinate and slightly lateroclinate, inserted lateral to ocellar triangle, aligned with anterior ocellus; 0 or 1 short, fine, white preocellar seta, only about 0.25–0.44× as long as ocellar seta, slightly proclinate; postocellar setae slightly converging but not crossing, whitish, more or less acuminate but slightly lanceolate, slightly mesoclinate and proclinate, length varies between 0.67–1.00× as long as ocellar setae; medial vertical seta brownish to blackish, acuminate, reclinate, 1.7–2.0× as long as posterior frontal seta; lateral vertical seta black, acuminate, reclinate, about 0.2–0.4× as long as medial vertical seta; 1–2 short black paravertical setae, acuminate, mesoclinate, 0.3–0.8× as long as postocellar seta; postocular row mixed short blackish and acuminate setae, with longer, whitish and lanceolate setae; genal seta brown to blackish, slightly shorter than, or subequal to, anterior frontal seta; gena and postgena densely covered by whitish setulae about 0.67× as long as genal seta.

Thorax. Structure: Scutum squarish, slightly convex, about 1.1–1.2× as long as wide; scutellum 0.32–0.37× as long as scutum, slightly convex. Coloration and vestiture: Ground color predominantly blackish, covered by dense grayish microtrichia, leaving small blackish spots at base of most major setae; scutum usually with distinct brownish microtrichose spot in dorsocentral row, anterior to transverse suture, and some species with single narrow brownish median vitta, sometimes irregular or indistinct; postpronotal lobe, most of notopleuron, anepisternum posterior margin (usually posterior to anepisternal phragma) and dorsal margin, anepisternum–katepisternum suture, and area of greater ampulla often mostly yellow to brownish yellow with white microtrichia; scutellum mostly blackish and densely microtrichose basally, progressively paler and somewhat less densely microtrichose apically, margins and apex usually brownish to yellowish. Chaetotaxy: Full set of setae present; major setae on scutum and scutellum brown, darker at base; apical scutellar seta paler, mainly yellowish; acrostichal setulae short, black, brown and whitish, acuminate, in about 4–10 irregular rows; scutum, mostly along margins and transverse suture, with several whitish and somewhat lanceolate setulae, although their density and size variable, and pair of longer, erect, median scapular setae; anepisternum mostly with whitish to light brownish hair-like setulae, mixed with darker setulae, mostly along dorsal and posterior sutures; anepisternum posteriorly with dorsalmost seta longest, brown to black, acuminate, with much shorter, whitish seta more ventrally; katepisternum posterodorsally with long whitish seta and short whitish setulae scattered along dorsal and anterior margins; anepimeron usually with long, whitish or yellowish anterodorsal seta, about twice as long as 1–2 white, hair-like anteroventral setulae, sometimes with several hair-like setulae; 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supra-alar seta, and 1 intra-alar seta; scutellum with short, erect, whitish dorsoapical seta, 0.30–0.67× as long as apical scutellar seta, and pair of shorter whitish setae basolaterally; basal scutellar seta 2.85–4.00× as long as apical scutellar seta.

Legs. Coloration and vestiture: Predominantly yellow, sparsely white microtrichose; femora often with pale to dark brown spots and bands varying in size and color intensity; midtibia and hindtibia with dark brownish basal band, midtibial band often inconspicuous. Chaetotaxy: Forecoxa with several short, white, hair-like setulae and 2 long setae preapically; forefemur with posterodorsal, posterior, and posteroventral rows of long setae and with short brownish setae scattered in between; hindfemur preapically with 1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal brown setae; midtibia apically with ventral spur.

Wing ( Figs 8–11). Length/width ratio 2.1–2.4. Venation: Costal cleft conspicuous but shallow, extending to 0.15–0.25 of width of pterostigma; pterostigma 1.06–1.50× as long as wide; vein M divides wing into more or less equal (in area) anterior and posterior parts; terminal section of vein M relatively long, about as long as anterior border of cell dm, moderately to strongly arcuate over proximal part of cell m, forming angle with penultimate section; cell bcu elongate without obvious posterodistal lobe; vein R 1 dorsally with 18–27 setulae, with wide gap opposite bend of subcosta (13–19 setulae proximal to gap; 5–8 distal to gap), and with 1–5 setulae ventrodistally (along posterodistal margin of pterostigma); vein R 4+5 sparsely setulose dorsally, with 6–9 setulae proximal to crossvein R–M, 0–3 setulae distal to crossvein R–M, 3–5 setulae ventrobasally, seldom with 1 setula distal to crossvein R–M. Pattern: Dark pattern extending over most of wing, including dark central area, containing bullae, and dark rays extending from dark central area to wing margin; rays reaching vein C generally elongate, narrow, dark and well-defined; rays reaching posterior wing margin considerably wider and generally less well-defined; apicomedial ray in cell r 4+5 short and not fused with adjacent rays; base of wing proximal to costal cleft and basal crossveins mostly hyaline, with 2 ill-defined brown rays: 1 ray connected to dark central area in cell br, anterior to crossvein BM–Cu, extending toward middle of costal cell, although weak or missing between veins R 1 and Sc, and 1 ray connected to dark central area in posterodistal corner of cell bm, extending more or less interrupted to base of costal cell; anal lobe with 3 or 4 transverse brownish bands or spots; alula centrally with 1 brownish transverse band. Bullae: 5–6 distinct bullae; black bulla in cell r 4+5, opposite crossvein DM–Cu, large, oval, about 1.2–1.9× as long as crossvein R–M, with 2 bordering hyaline spots, 1 basal and 1 distal, hyaline spots comparable in size to adjacent hyaline spots, such as in cell r 2+3; cell r 2+3 with 1 inconspicuous and doubtful bulla distal to crossvein R–M (usually distinct but still doubtful in some T. ugandaensis and T. reticulata ); cell r 4+5 with 1 large, elongate brown bulla anterior and adjacent to black bulla; cell dm with large, oval, conspicuous brown bulla at base, and about twice as large oval bulla (the largest of all wing bullae) along vein M, extending from proximal to crossvein R–M to beyond half way between crossveins R–M and DM–Cu; cell m with large, conspicuous, more or less round bulla near anterobasal corner. Calypter and haltere yellowish.

Abdomen. Coloration and chaetotaxy: Mostly brownish black, tergites predominantly subshiny, with moderately dense microtrichia, with median grayish to yellowish vitta on tergites 1–5, with scattered dark acuminate setulae on most of surface, and with 1–2 irregular rows of whitish lanceolate setae at posterior margins; posterior margin of sternites sometimes yellowish or rufous; sternites with whitish lanceolate setulae, mixed with fewer and weaker dark acuminate setulae. Male terminalia (based on two species, Figs 12–15): Epandrium oval in posterior view ( Figs 12, 13), about 0.66× as wide ventrally as dorsally; lateral surstylus with indistinct round apex in lateral view ( Figs 14, 15); medial surstylus with both prensisetae visible in posterior view, not, or only slightly superimposed on each other, normal in shape and size; lateral sclerites of aedeagal apodeme articulated directly to hypandrium; phallapodeme and lateral sclerites relatively slender; glans slightly sclerotized, with short distal troughlike structure ( Figs 16, 17). Female terminalia (based on three species, Figs 18–23): Oviscape conical but usually flattened in dried specimens, subshiny, mostly rufous, except apex and sometimes base black, with predominantly whitish, lanceolate setae, and slight fine brown setulae laterally and near base and apex; tergal-oviscapal measure 2–4, rarely 5; aculeus 5–6× as long as wide ( Figs 18–20), in dorsal view tip more or less pointed, with indistinct preapical constriction; in lateral view slightly ventrally curved, without distinct projections dorsally or ventrally; two spermathecae ( Figs 21–23), elongate oval, about 1.8× as long as wide, moderately wrinkled and tuberculate.

Comments: The relationships of Tanzanimyia with other genera of Schistopterini are not well understood. Tanzanimyia is characterized by a combination of the following characters: reduced preocellar seta, moderately attenuated and pointed first flagellomere, extensive wing pattern, with 5–6 bullae, body blackish gray, and host plants within the Vernonieae. Among the Vernonieae-infesting Afrotropical Schistopterini it is apparently related to Cordylopteryx , which has well-developed cephalic chaetotaxy (including the preocellar seta), strongly attenuated and pointed first flagellomere, and extensive wing pattern, with 6–8 bullae; it is also related to Clematochaeta , which has less developed cephalic chaetotaxy, often with reduced preocellar setae, less attenuated and pointed first flagellomere, and less extensive wing pattern, with only 0–2 bullae. Tanzanimyia may also be related to the Afrotropical genus Melanopterella , containing darker, blackish species, which, however, is less specific in its host choice, infesting also the Heliantheae and Inuleae.

Key to species of Tanzanimyia

1 Preocellar seta absent; dark area in cell r 2+3 with 6 smaller dot-like hyaline spots (half as wide as dark rays across cell r 1) in addition to about 8 (rarely 7 or 9) larger spots (diameter about equal to width of dark rays across cell r 1) ( Fig. 8); oviscape almost entirely yellow, with narrow brown base and apex; ocellar seta 1.18 times as long as posterior frontal seta; 1 st flagellomere 1.7–1.8 times as long as high at base, strongly narrowed towards tip, mostly yellowish, but with distinct brown band dorsally ( Fig. 2); tergal-oviscapal measure 2 ..................... .................................................................................................. flavicauda n. sp.

– Preocellar seta small (compared with other setae), but present; dark area in cell r 2+3 with smaller number of hyaline spots, usually with 5–8 spots, spots usually large, although 2–3 sometimes small ( Figs 9–11); oviscape with base and apex widely brown to black, usually with only central third yellow or brownish yellow; ocellar seta shorter than, or about as long as, posterior frontal seta; 1 st flagellomere less than 1.7 (about 1.3–1.6) times as long as high at base, slightly or not narrowed toward tip, entirely yellowish or brown dorsally ( Figs 3–5); tergal-oviscapal measure variable .....................................................................2

2 Wing: cell m and subapical portion of cell r 4+5 with isolated oval hyaline spots, appearing reticulate; rays along veins R 4+5 and M short ( Fig. 9); anterior frontal seta short: less than 0.63 (0.41–0.61) times as long as middle frontal seta......... .................................................................................................... reticulata n. sp.

– Wing: cell m and subapical portion of cell r 4+5 with elongate, cuneiform or Yshaped hyaline spots, not appearing reticulate; rays along veins R 4+5 and M long ( Figs 10, 11); anterior frontal seta longer: more than 0.63 (0.65–0.83) times as long as middle frontal seta.................................................................................3

3 Generally paler species: 1 st flagellomere entirely yellow ( Fig. 4); posterior frontal seta brownish, brown bands on legs less conspicuous; wing pattern pale brown ( Fig. 10), with brown bullae, and with apical part of cell r 4+5 with U-shaped hyaline spot isolated from subapical oval or round spots ......... tanzaniaensis n. sp.

– Generally darker species: 1 st flagellomere usually darker dorsally ( Fig. 5); posterior frontal seta blackish; brown bands on legs, especially on midfemur, more conspicuous; wing pattern dark brown ( Fig. 11), with blackish brown bullae, and with apex of cell r 4+5 with long Y-shaped hyaline spot.......... ugandaensis n. sp.