Bactrocera (Javadacus) barakzaii 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 : 187-192

Bactrocera (Javadacus) barakzaii Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov.

( Figures 9–12 )

Bactrocera (Javadacus) watersi : Maneesh et al., 2022b, not Hardy, 1954; misidentification.

Diagnosis: A large (9.12 mm) fulvous brown species, with 2 elongate facial spots in female and 3 in males, shiny black lunule, yellow postpronotal lobes, prescutellar acrostichal setae present, apical scutellar black spot, broad anepisternal stripe and broader yellow spot on katepisternum. Legs fulvous, broad yellow-brown costal band darkest in pterostigma and cell r 1, very pale in cell r 2+3 and apically extended into a broad black oval spot on either side of vein R 4+5. Abdominal tergite II largely whitish posterolaterally and posteriorly, tergite III with narrow transverse black band on anterior margin, a medial black longitudinal vitta present on tergites IV & V confluent with the paler vitta on tergite III, tergites IV & V with broad black lateral patches, slightly paler sublaterally, oviscape short, aculeus trilobed.

Head: Yellowish fulvous, 1.62 mm high, frons yellowish, black over basomedial hump, frontal setae with black base, ocellar triangle and area around it fulvous brown. Rows of yellowish setulae present between orbital seta to inner vertical on both sides (fig. 10A). Lunule shiny black, antennae fulvous brown, 1.69 mm long, scape and pedicel darker than flagellum, latter 0.88 mm long and apically blackish, arista bare with basal 25% fulvous, the rest black. Face yellowish fulvous with two oval black spots in the antennal furrows, narrowing basally like teardrops and dark fulvous subocular spot present. Palpi and proboscis covered with yellowish setulae. Setae: 3 frontal (basal two closely spaced and 4 in some specimens (fig. 11B), 1 orbital, 2 vertical, 1 genal, 2 yellow postocellar and 7-8 small postocular.

Thorax: Scutum reddish brown, with inverted Y-shaped medial black marking alongside medial postsutural vitta (fig. 10C), postpronotal lobe yellow, dark fuscous on dorsoapical margins, thorax slightly darker behind postpronotal lobes, oval yellow spot over suture, yellow postsutural medial and lateral vittae present, latter 0.132 mm wide, ending on or slightly beyond intra-alar seta. Medial postsutural vitta 0.22 mm wide, confined within inverted Y-shaped black mark on scutum. Scutellum yellow, subquadrate with narrow fulvous basal band, apical black spot covering slightly more than half length. Notopleuron yellowish, triangular, anepisternal stripe yellow, broader than yellow notopleural lobe and basally extended over katepisternum forming a broad oval covering almost apical half of katepisternum. A black band borders the anepisternal stripe anteriorly (arrow indicating in fig. 10B), subscutellum and mediotergite fulvous brown with faint dark specks, anatergite and katatergite yellow with basal 30% reddish brown. Fore femora apical half fulvous, rest yellowish white with a dorsal row of 7-8 setae, mid and hind femora yellowish with apical 33% fulvous brown, all tibiae fulvous brown, tarsomere I in all legs yellowish and rest of tarsomeres fulvous brown (fig. 11A). Mid tibiae with single apical spine. Setae: 2 scapular, 1 postpronotal (weakly developed), 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 prescutellar acrostichal, 1 intra-alar, 1 postalar, 2 scutellar, 1 anepisternal and 1 anepimeral.

Wing (8.3 mm) hyaline, with broad yellow-brown costal band darkest in pterostigma and cell r 1, very pale in cell r 2+3 and apically extended into broad black oval spot (fig. 10E), cell bc hyaline, cell c hyaline with microtrichia in anteroapical corner, cell sc darker than costal band, apical spot not confluent with wing margin at apex of cell r 4+5 and paler brown along costal margin in cell r 2+3, veins R 1 and R 4+5 with setulae on dorsal side, vein R 4+5 sinuous in apical half (fig. 10E), vein Cu 1 slightly tinted at margin, cell bcu tinted except narrow hyaline specks at base. Supernumerary lobe rounded and weak. Anal streak narrow.

Abdomen: Reddish fulvous except tergite II yellowish white posterolaterally and posteriorly. Tergite I with broad transverse black band, tergite III with narrow transverse black band on anterior margin, a medial black longitudinal vitta present on tergites IV & V and meeting a pale longitudinal stripe on tergite III. Medial black vitta on tergite IV uniformly wide but broader basally on tergite V. Tergites IV & V with broad lateral black patches, slightly paler sublaterally. Dense white setulae present on lateral side of tergite II.

Paratype Males: As for female except smaller sized (body length 8.67 mm and wing length 7.79 mm), some with 4 pairs of frontal setae, 3 teardrop-like facial spots (fig. 11B), a narrow black longitudinal band in middle of scutellum connecting basal band and apical spot (fig. 11C). Apical spot on wing slightly narrower in some males and anal streak broad. Abdomen darker in some males and black patches confluent with medial longitudinal black vitta (fig. 11D & E). Pecten present on tergite III and ceromata fulvous to dark brown.

Female Genitalia: Conical oviscape fulvous, 1.48 mm long, aculeus 2.57 mm long, basally narrow and broader apically forming spearhead shape, tip of aculeus trilobed, medial lobe keel shaped but acute at apex and almost as long as broad, lateral lobes acute and slightly incurved, 4 preapical setae, second pair longer than others (fig. 12B). Eversible membrane 4.77 mm long and spicules on distal eversible membrane with 5-8 long projections and medial projection longer and broader than rest (fig. 12D). Two spermathecae dark brownish and highly convoluted (fig. 12C).

Male Genitalia: Epandrium spheropedunculate in posterior view, setose with 4-5 rows of setae on posterodorsal margin and higher than proctiger (fig. 12E & F), the latter setose. Lateral surstylus longer than medial surstylus and latter with a row of 5–6 stout yellow setulae on inner margin (fig. 12E) and posteriorly terminated in two thick brown striated prensisetae. Posterior lobe of lateral surstulus 6 times longer than anterior lobe and both lobes setulose apically with thick yellow setulae (fig. 12F). Aedeagus 1.1 mm long excluding glans (0.44 mm), the latter with well developed acrophallus, subapical and basal lobes. Preputium and anterior wall of acrophallus patterned (fig. 12G), the latter with broad lateral wall in middle, preputial cavity broad, vesica broad but confined over preputium, subapical lobe capitulate and higher than preputium.

Type Material: Holotype ♀, Solan Bait, INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Solan, Nauni , 30°51’47” N 77°10’7” E. 18.ix.2024, Maneesh Leg. In Zoological Survey of India ( High Altitude Regional Centre ( HARC), Solan , Himachal Pradesh) . Paratypes 1♀ & 5♂, same data as holotype (1 Paratype female & 2 males with first author)

Etymology: This species is named after colleague and friend of senior author Dr. Abdul Wakil Barakzai (Vice Chancellor, Laghman University, Laghman Province, Afghanistan).

Host Plant: Unknown.

Parapheromone: Not responding to lures (Attracted to Solan Bait sprayed on apple trees).

Remarks: Bactrocera (J.) barakzaii Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov. belongs to the Bactrocera watersi group in subgenus Javadacus Hardy (sensu Hancock & Drew, 2018). It closely resembles B. (J.) watersi (Hardy) but can be differentiated from it by narrower facial spots, yellow postpronotal lobes, presence of prescutellar acrostichal setae and shape of apical scutellar black spot, broader anepisternal stripe and broader yellow spot on katepisternum, fulvous legs, shorter oviscape, shape of aculeus tip, spicules on distal eversible membrane and shape of glans. Bactrocera (J.) watersi occurs in southern India and has reddish brown postpronotal lobes, katatergite and anategite, rather than yellow as in B. (J.) barakzaii sp. nov., narrow apical black spot on scutellum, lacks prescutellar acrostichal setae,

apical spot on wing confluent with costal margin, broader spicules on eversible membrane, medial lobe of aculeus acute and longer than broad and lateral lobes almost straight. Subapical lobe is also shorter in B. (J.) watersi , being almost as high as preputium (cf. David & Ramani (2019), figs 10I & 14F).

Bactrocera (J.) barakzaii sp. nov. is also similar to B. (J.) fuscoalata Drew & Romig from the Andaman &

Nicobar islands but can be differentiated by elongate facial spots, narrower and shorter postsutural medial vitta,

broader apical spot on scutellum, narrower apical spot on wing, bands on tergites IV & V and medial vitta on abdomen. Bactrocera (J.) fuscoalata has two oval black spots on face, broad and elongate postsutural medial vitta,

narrow apical black spot on scutellum, broader apical spot on wing with infuscation of spot reaching cell cu 1. Tip of aculeus trilobed but medial lobe broadly keel shaped, not elongated chisel shaped or acute at apex as in B. (J.)

barakzaii sp. nov. (cf. David & Ramani (2019), fig. 14C).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Bactrocera barakzaii Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. Paratype male habitus

FIGURE 10. Bactrocera barakzaii Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. HolotypeA: Head, B: Lateral thorax. C: Thorax, D:Abdomen and E: Wing

FIGURE 11. Bactrocera barakzaii Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. Paratype A: Legs, B: Male head. C: Scutellum, D & E: Abdominal variations in males

FIGURE 12. Bactrocera barakzaii Maneesh & Hancock sp. nov. Holotype A:Aculeus, B: Tip of aculeus, C: Spermatheca, D: Spicules on distal eversible membrane; Paratype E & F: Epandrium and G: Glans