Semicallantra, Drew, 1989

Hancock, D. L., Drew, & R. A. I., 2025, A review of subgenus Bactrocera (Bactrocera) Macquart, 1835 (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 73, pp. 73-109 : 74

SYNONYMY OF SUBGENUS SEMICALLANTRA

Semicallantra Drew , which includes seven species from Indonesia ( Maluku) and New Guinea, is currently defined by the presence of elongate antennae and, when present, lateral postsutural yellow vittae that are narrower anteriorly than medially ( Hancock & Drew, 2018). However, re-examination of the type-species of Bactrocera , B. longicornis Macquart, 1835 (which also has elongate antennae and anteriorly narrowed lateral postsutural yellow vittae) by Drew & Romig (2022), plus the description of B. malasaitiae Drew & Romig, 2022 from Papua New Guinea, show that neither character is a reliable indicator of subgeneric separation. With the removal of Semicallantra from the subgeneric key in Drew & Romig (2022), its component species run to either subgenus Bactrocera or, in the case of B. cerberae Drew & Romig, 2022 , imperfectly to subgenus Calodacus ; it has a short cell bcu extension on the wing and lacks the male pecten on abdominal tergite III. Elongate antennae also occur in B. ( Tetradacus) splendida ( Perkins, 1938) and B. ( Tetradacus) superba Drew & Romig, 2013 (transferred from Semicallantra by Hancock & Drew, 2018) and in the Dacus subgenera Callantra Walker, 1860 and Mellesis Bezzi, 1916 and this character is evidently homoplasious. Furthermore, the long-antennae species appear to belong in separate complexes and do not form a monophyletic entity. Hence, we do not recognise antennal length as a subgeneric character and regard Semicallantra Drew, 1989 as a new synonym of subgenus Bactrocera Macquart, 1835 . Consequently, all species with short antennae currently included in subgenus Bactrocera are retained there, with no resurrection of subgenus Strumeta Walker, 1856 required.