Cyaforma chayuica Chen 2024, sp. nov
Creators: name: Chen, Xiaolin
name: Wang, Yong
name: Huangfu, Ning
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tephritidae
Cyaforma
Cyaforma chayuica

description: Cyaforma chayuica Chen, sp. nov
(Fig. 1 A–G)
Diagnosis. Medium sized, body length 8.0 mm, wing length 9.5 mm. Head with 3 pairs of frontal setae, scutum with 3 postpronotal setae. Scutum largely yellow brown with 2 narrow submedian black vittae, scutellum yellow brown. Wing with large pale brown medial area in cells br, r 4+5, and dm; cell dm 3/4 brown and 1/4 pale brown, having 1 small unclear hyaline spot at apex cell dm (Fig. 1D). Female oviscape completely black or almost so, and with large dorsoapical opening (Fig. 1 FG).
Description (female). A medium sized predominantly yellow to yellow brown species (Fig 1. AB). Body length 8.0 mm; wing length 9.5 mm.
Head (Fig. 1 HI). Completely yellow except black ocellar triangle. Head with receding face and swollen postgena. Head almost as wide as thorax in dorsal view and higher than long in lateral view. Frons about 1.3 times as long as wide, and wider than eye width in dorsal view. Antenna yellow (missing 1st flagellomere and arista). Occiput convex, swollen ventrally. Head setae black: 3 inclinate frontal, 2 reclinate orbital, 1 medial vertical and 1 lateral vertical setae. Postocellar and genal setae present. Paravertical seta much larger than postocellar seta. Postocular setae poorly differentiated from postgenal setulae.
Thorax (Fig. 1C). Completely yellow to yellow brown. Scutum about 1.4 times as long as wide, with transverse suture shallow and not complete, largely yellow brown with 2 narrow submedian black vittae, scutellum yellow brown. Thoracic chaetotaxy (some setae broken or missing): 3 postpronotal, 1 dorsocentral, 1 acrostichal, 3 scutellar (apical pair crossed), 3 notopleural, 3 anepisternal, 1 anepimeral, 1 katepisternal, 1 presutural and 2 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 1 intrapostalar setae present. Dorsocentral seta nearly aligned with posterior postsutural supra-alar seta. Wing (Fig. 1D) Cells bc, c and pterostigma dark-brown, cell r 1 dark brown with large hyaline spot distal to pterostigma; cell r 2+3 largely dark brown with large hyaline spot at apex; cell br hyaline; cell r 4+5 approximately half hyaline basically and half dark brown apically; cell dm 3/4 brown and 1/4 pale brown, having 1 small unclear hyaline spot at apex cell dm; cell m with the hyaline area in apical half and brown area in basic half; cell m 4 mostly hyaline, but with dark brown band along vein m 4. Cell cup and anal lobe hyaline. All dark brown areas in cells r 1, r 2+3, r 4+5, dm, m and m 4 connected. Crossvein r-m distal to middle of cell dm; cell cua with posterodistal lobe short. Legs completely yellow; mid tibia with 2 large black apicoventral spurs.
Abdomen (Fig. 1E). Predominantly black with medial vitta extending from anterior margin of abdomen to posterior margin of fifth tergite. Oviscape completely black or almost so, about length of tergites 5+6, having a large dorsoapical opening (Fig. 1 FG); aculeus strongly dorsally curved (Fig. 1G); tip completely fused to main part of aculeus. Eversible membrane with large ventral area of dark scales.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution: China (Xizang).
Type data: Holotype ♀, China: Xizang, Chayu, Chawalong, Longcun Agakezhan, 8–11.IX. 2014, Qingtao Wu (Malaise trap) (IZCAS).
Etymology. This species is named after the type locality.
Biology. Unknown.
Remarks and discussion. This species is similar to C. macula generally, but differs from the latter by its wing with cell dm 3/4 brown and 1/4 pale brown, and having 1 small unclear hyaline spot at apex cell dm (wing with cell dm 1/2 brown and 1/2 pale brown, and having 1 oblong unclear hyaline spot at apex cell dm in male C. macula, and wing with cell dm almost wholly brown, and having 1 large clear hyaline spot at apex cell dm in female C. macula). In addition, the scutum pattern of this species (only female found) is generally like that of male C. macula (all largely yellow brown with 2 narrow submedian black or black brown vittae), but very different from the scutum of female C. macula, which is predominantly dark brown to black, with a single broad medial yellow stripe extended from the anterior margin of scutum to posterior margin.
Only female of this species was found, the male was unknown. It is currently uncertain whether C. chayuica is dimorphic or not. If the species is sexually dimorphic (but corresponding biological information unavailable), then how to distinguish its male will be a challenge. On the other side, the female C. chayuica is similar to C. macula (especially its male), but it can be distinguished from C. macula by different wing patterns as well. We have checked variations within the female C. macula and found no indications that it is conspecific with C. macula. We also have obtained COI barcode of C. chayuica, and got the molecular evidence that it is a different species. This point will be included in a comprehensive phylogenetic study paper on Ortalotrypetini that will surely be completed next year.
description: Published as part of Chen, Xiaolin, Wang, Yong & Huangfu, Ning, 2024, A review of Cyaforma Wang (Diptera: Tephritidae), with some biological notes on the genus, pp. 247-256 in Zootaxa 5543 (2) on pages 248-250, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5543.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/14386100