Acroceratitis distincta (Zia)

David, K. J., Noor Mahammed, N. R., Hancock, D. L., Gracy, R. G., Ningthoujam, Kennedy & Sushil, S. N., 2025, Taxonomic notes on Oriental bamboo-shoot fruit fly genus Acroceratitis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae: Gastrozonini), with description of a new species from India, Zootaxa 5637 (1), pp. 83-98 : 93-94

Acroceratitis distincta (Zia)

(Figures 18, 23c−28c)

Chelyophora distincta Zia, 1964: 47 .

Phaeospilodes fritilla Hardy, 1973: 199 .

Phaeospilodes distincta : Wang, 1998: 44.

Acroceratitis distincta : Hancock & Drew, 1999: 645.

Material examined: 6♂♂ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, Rani village , 24.5942° N, 73.6653° E, 28.ix.2022, David, K.J ; 7♂♂ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, COHF, 28.0785° N, 95.3236° E, 27.ix.2022, David, K.J ; 1♀ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Upper Siang, Katan , 22.6383° N, 87.7407° E, 29.ix.2022, David, K.J ; 1♀, 4♂♂ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, East Siang, Silluk , 28.2113° N, 95.5324° E, 03.x.2022, David, K.J ; 1♀, 2♂♂ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, East Siang, Namsing , 27.9256° N, 95.4887° E, 03.x.2022, David, K.J ; 1♂ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, East Siang, Raneghat , 23.1745° N, 88.5606° E, 03.x.2022, David, K.J ; 1♂ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, East Siang, Meho , 28.1669° N, 95.4990° E, 03.x.2022, David, K.J ; 1♀ INDIA, Meghalaya, West Garo Hills, Renchagre , 22.iii.2021, Sachin, K ; 1♀ INDIA, Meghalaya, Ri-Bhoi, Barapani , 20.viii.2011, Shakti Singh ; 1♀ INDIA, Tripura, Agartala, Ishan Chandranagar , 16.viii.2011, Shakti Singh ; 1♂ INDIA, Sikkim, Pakyong , 2.xi.2014, Veena Kumari, K ; 1♂ INDIA, Assam, Dhemaji, Dekapam , 6.v.2014, Veena Kumari, K. ( NIM) .

Diagnosis: It is very similar to A. bimacula but can be separated by the presence of heavily sclerotised glans of phallus and rounded aculeus tip. Both species differ from the similar A. hardyi Hancock & Drew in having the transverse hyaline discal wing band extensively interrupted with the hyaline spots out of alignment. Male with epandrium sclerotized, lateral surstylus (less sclerotized) broad, longer than epandrium, proctiger larger than epandrium densely covered with fine hairs ( Figs. 23c, 24c ). Phallus short (1.6 mm long) excluding glans of phallus; glans (0.3 mm) with well developed sclerotisation, preglans lobe prominent ( Fig. 25c ). Oviscape (1.54−1.64 mm) in female brown with apical and basal fuscous markings, 10−12 finger-like projections on distal end of eversible membrane ( Fig. 27c ) (1.65−1.83 mm long), 2 coiled spermathecae ( Fig. 28c ), elongate aculeus tip (1.49−1.64 mm long) with blunt apex ( Fig. 26c ).

Comments: This species was originally described from Yunnan, China by Zia (1964) and recorded from the NE India-Tibetan frontier by Hancock & Drew (1999), who illustrated a specimen from Thailand, and from Bangladesh by Khan et al., 2017. A record of A. hardyi from Bhutan ( Korneyev et al., 2023) is of A. distincta , while a record of A. distincta from Kemmangundi, Karnataka ( Hancock & McGuire, 2002) is likely to be of A. bimacula . Illustrated specimens (Figs. 18, 23c−28c) are from Tripura.

Figures

FIGURES 23−25. Male postabdominal structures of Acroceratitis. 23, Epandrium and surstyli (lateral view). 24, Epandrium and surstyli (posterior view); 25, Glans of phallus (lateral view). a, A. bimacula; b, A. ceratitina; c, A. distincta; d, A. histrionica; e, A. separata; f, A. tomentosa.

FIGURES 26−28. Female postabdominal structures of Acroceratitis. 26, Aculeus tip; 27, spicules on distal end of eversible membrane; 28, spermatheca. a, A. bimacula; b, A. ceratitina; c, A. distincta; d, A. histrionica; e, A. separata; f, A. tenmalaica; g, A. tomentosa.