Bactrocera (Bactrocera) viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock, 2025

Singh, Maneesh Pal & Hancock, David Lawrence, 2025, Two new species of genus Bactrocera Macquart (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae: Dacini) from northern Himalayas and new records of host plants, distribution or variation in three other species in India, Zootaxa 5666 (2), pp. 175-194 : 176-181

Bactrocera (Bactrocera) viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov.

( Figures 1–4A & B )

Diagnosis: A medium-sized (6.62mm)reddish brown species with black to reddish brown scutum, narrow postsutural lateral vittae (0.11 mm), broad but dorsoapically rounded anepisternal stripe, fuscous costal band broadening and darkening apically to form a medium-sized black spot on either side of vein R 4+5, reddish fulvous abdomen without black bands, relatively shallow V-shaped emargination on sternite V of male, medial lobe of aculeus broadly rounded apically, spicules on distal eversible membrane and shape of glans distinctive ( Figs 3F & 4B ).

Head: Yellowish fulvous, area around ocellar triangle brownish, frons yellowish except dark over basomedial hump, each frontal seta with black base, yellowish setulae present on front alongside the frontal and orbital setae. Lunule black, antennae 1.5 mm long, brownish fulvous, scape and pedicel darker than flagellum, latter 0.67 mm long, slightly darker on dorsolateral margins. Face yellow with two small circular black spots in each antennal furrow, dark subocular spot present. All setae yellow except frontal setae black. Setae: 2 frontal, 1 orbital, 2 vertical, 1 genal and row of 4-5 postocular setulae.

Thorax: Scutum black except following: Postpronotal lobe yellow except darker on dorsoanterior margin, notopleuron and anepisternal stripe yellow, postsutural lateral yellow vittae, narrow (0.11 mm) and ending just beyond intra-alar setae. Anepisternal stripe broad, dorsoapically rounded and extended as a broad yellow spot over katepisternum (fig. 2B), katategite and anatergite yellow except basal 30% and 20% black respectively. Scutellum yellow, subquadrate with narrow basal black band. Subscutellum and mediotergite black except anterior and posterior margins slightly dark reddish. Legs fulvous with all femora apically black on ventrolateral side (fig. 3A), fore tibiae with basal black patch on ventrolateral side near to tibia-femoral joint, mid and hind tibiae brownish fulvous without any black patch or spot, basitarsus yellowish white, rest of the tarsomeres brownish. Setae: 2 scapular, 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 intra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 prescutellar acrostichal, 1 scutellar, 1 anepisternal and 1 anepimeral. All thoracic setae brownish as for head.

Wing (5.44 mm) hyaline with a narrow fuscous costal band that broadens and darkens in cell r 2+3 and forms a medium sized apical spot that broadly crosses vein R 4+5 into anterior quarter of cell r 4+5, cell bc hyaline, cell c hyaline except apically fuscous and with microtrichia confined to anteroapical corner, cell sc darker than costal band, veins R 1 and R 4+5 with dorsal setulae, cell bcu dark tinted, broad anal streak present, cell cu 1 lightly tinted on margin (indicated by arrow on fig. 2E). Supernumerary lobe depressed keel shaped and not sharper below vein A 1 +Cu 2 and weak. Anal streak extended to anal lobe and forming a triangular infuscation at apex (fig. 2E).

Abdomen: Abdomen reddish brown without any black bands, tergite II with narrow whitish yellow band on posterior margin, all tergites slightly dark reddish on lateral margins forming light area in middle. Yellowish setulae present on lateral margins of tergites I+II, pecten present on tergite III, ceromata dark reddish brown. Sternite V of male with relatively shallow but V-shaped posterior emargination (fig. 3B). All sternites reddish brown.

Female: Medium sized (body length 6.75 mm and wing length 5.72) as for male except anal streak narrow, abdominal pecten absent and ceromata slightly narrower (fig. 3C).

Variation: Some specimens reddish brown on scutum just above scutellum and some with postpronotal lobe, notopleuron, vittae and scutellum fulvous-brown (fig. 1).

Male Genitalia: Epandrium spherical in posterior view, setose with 3 rows of setae on posterodorsal margin and higher than proctiger (fig. 3D & E), the latter setose only on posteroventral margin. Lateral surstulus longer than medial surstylus and the latter with a row of 5 yellow setulae on inner margin (fig. 3D) and posteriorly terminates in two thick brown striated prensisetae. Posterior lobe of lateral surstylus shorter than anterior lobe and both lobes setulose apically with thick yellow setulae and inner surface of anterior lobe patterned. Aedeagus 2.34 mm long excluding glans (0.57 mm), the latter with well developed elongate acrophallus, subapical and basal lobe. Preputium with two separate openings (fig. 3F), preputial cavity without pattern, vesica broad but open dorsally, subapical lobe capitulate and higher than vesica.

Female Genitalia: Oviscape conical, dark reddish brown, 0.91 mm long, aculeus 1.65 mm long, basally broad and narrowing apically, forming a trilobed tip, medial lobe dome shaped, broadly rounded at apex, lateral lobes evenly curved, preapical setae absent (fig. 4A). Eversible membrane 1.94 mm long, with two types of spicules on distal eversible membrane, irregular shaped globular spicules with blunt posterior projection on lateral side and sharp, triangular sparse spicules in middle (fig. 4B). Spermathecae not dissected.

Type Material: Holotype 1♂, Solan Bait, INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Solan, Nauni , 30°51’47” N 77°10’7” E. 11.ix.2024, Maneesh Leg. In Zoological Survey of India ( High Altitude Regional Centre ( HARC), Solan , Himachal Pradesh) . Paratypes 1♀ & 6♂, same data as holotype (3 Paratype males with first author) .

Etymology: This species is named after Dr. Shashidhar Viraktamath (Emeritus Scientist, Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru), friend of senior author.

Parapheromone: No known response to lures (attracted to Solan Bait sprayed on apple trees).

Remarks: Bactrocera viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. belongs in the B. latifrons group (sensu Hancock & Drew, 2025) and closely resembles B. parvula (Hendel) , B. latifrons (Hendel) and B. prabhakari Maneesh, Gupta & Hancock in general appearance. It can be differentiated from B. parvula and B. latifrons by smaller facial spots, narrower postsutural lateral vittae (0.11 mm), and dorsoapically rounded anepisternal stripe, from B. prabhakari by the reddish fulvous abdomen without any black bands, and from all three by the shallow posterior emargination on sternite V, broadly rounded medial lobe of aculeus, shape of spicules on distal eversible membrane and shape of glans.

Bactrocera parvula (Hendel) is restricted to Taiwan and does not occur in India. Earlier, Bactrocera latifrons was misidentified as B. parvula by Kapoor (1993) from India.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Bactrocera viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. paratype male habitus

FIGURE 2. Bactrocera viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. Holotype; A: Head, B: Lateral thorax, C: Thorax, D: Abdomen and E: Wing

FIGURE 3. Bactrocera viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. Holotype; A: Legs, B: Sternite V, C: Paratype female abdomen; Holotype D & E: Epandrium and F: Glans

FIGURE 4.Bactrocera viraktamathi Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. Paratype A: Tip of aculeus, B: Spicules on distal eversible membrane and C: Bactrocera prabhakari variations in head & legs