Anastrepha magnifica Hernandez-Ortiz 2025, new species
Creators: name: Hernández-Ortiz, Vicente
name: Fuente, Laura Navarro De La
name: Covarrubias, Rodrigo Lasa
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tephritidae
Anastrepha
Anastrepha magnifica

description: Anastrepha magnifica Hernández-Ortiz, new species
(Figs. 5A–F; Figs. 6A–H; Figs. 7E–F)
Diagnosis. The basal colour of the scutum is mostly yellow in this new species; black submedial longitudinal stripes are present, which always fuse posteriorly to form a single stalk that joins the scutum-scutellar mark; the post-sutural lateral stripe is absent. Pleuron predominantly yellow, with a diagonal stripe on the anterior anepisternum, one on the anepimeron and one on the anatergite, plus a spot on the anterior katepisternal margin and another on the meron. Scutellum is mostly yellow, with only a black basal margin and a blackish stripe from the basal margin and along the entire apical margin. Females with aculeus tip gradually tapering towards the apex, with numerous small lateral teeth (> 40 per side), which extend for about 38-47% of the length of aculeus tip. The new species shows similarities to A. recurcauda and A. littoralis but differs in the presence of numerous teeth on the aculeus tip (>40 teeth per side), as opposed to a few minute teeth on the aculeus tip of A. littoralis or a non-serrated tip of A. recurcauda.
Description. Head: (Figs. 5 A-B,E): Macrosetae black, most weak and short; 2-3 frontals, 1 orbital; 1 medial vertical; ocellar, postocellar, and lateral vertical setae absent; head mostly yellow; facial carina broad, straight in lateral view, antennal groove with longitudinal black stripe ventrally; gena with black spot below eye, almost reaching oral margin; frons dark brown anteriorly, brown mark not reaching to ocular margins; vertex with interocular black spots joined to ocellar triangle, rather projected anteriorly.
Thorax (Figs. 5 C-E): Mesonotum 4.4–4.8 mm long, 2.4–2.7 mm wide (Ms-ratio= 2.8–3.1x in males; 2.9–3.4x in females); 2 notopleurals, 1 supra-alar postsutural, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, and 1 apical scutellar setae present; postpronotal, dorsocentral, acrostichal, and basal scutellar setae absent; scutum largely yellow, setulose yellow; two submedial stripes separate at anterior margin, often narrowly connected along transverse suture, connected posterior to medial brown mark on posterior margin of scutum, extending across scuto-scutellar suture slightly onto disc of scutellum; two presutural sublateral spots, both connected separately to notopleural markings, posterior one longer and distant from postpronotal lobe; postsutural sublateral stripe separate from submedial stripe; scutellum mostly yellow with black band from sides to apical margin; subscutellum with lateral marks, separated medially; mediotergite with lateral black stripes, rarely with additional diffuse medial spot; pleuron mostly yellow with oblique stripe along mid-upper of anepisternum; slender anepimeral stripe from wing base to upper margin of katepisternum; anatergite stripe present; meron spotted; basalare spot present.
Wing (Figs. 7 E-F): Length of 9.9–13.5 mm, 3.1–4.4 mm wide (W-ratio= 3.1–3.2x in males; 3.0–3.2x in females); pterostigma elongate in females (Pt-ratio= 5.4–6.6x) than males (Pt-ratio= 4.3–5.2x); costal band mostly yellowish from base to apex of wing, between Costal and R 4+5 veins, besides other diffuse coloration on cell bm-cu extended to basal mid-length of cell CuA 1; veins R 1 dorsally setulose in all length; R 4+5 dorsally setulose approximately to level of crossvein R-M; vein M apex weakly curved anteriorly; cell cua with inferior apical extension nearly as long as body length of cell; alula bare. Costal vein of male with compressed short setulae reaching vein R 1 at least; vein R 4+5 strongly sinuous to level of crossvein R-M, almost touching vein R 1, usually with 1-2 accessory-veins. W/M-ratio= 2.8–3.1x in males; 2.9–3.4x in females.
Legs mostly yellow; fore-femur brown spotted apically, tibia and tarsus with blackish pilosity on outer margin; mid- and hind-femora dark brown spotted basally and apically, tibiae and tarsi orange reddish; hind-coxa and trochanter brown.
Abdomen (Fig. 5F): Length of terga 7.5–8.2 mm, yellow setulose; syntergite 1+2 dark brown on middle, yellow on sides and posterior margin; T3-T5 brown, apical margins yellow; T5 of male brown; T6 of female mostly yellow, sometimes with diffuse lateral markings.
Female terminalia (Figs. 6 D-F): Oviscape yellow basally and dark brown dorsally, U-shaped abruptly arched beyond basal third, 23.4–35.8 mm long (X= 28.4 mm); spermatheca distinctly oblong, about 4 times longer than wide, surface strongly roughened resembling a conglomerate; aculeus tip length 0.34–0.37 mm, basal width 0.10– 0.12 mm (Ac-ratio= 3.1–3.4x), with a serrate section 0.13–0.17 mm long, occupying approximately one third of the aculeus tip length.
Male terminalia (Figs. 6 A-C): Epandrium yellow, often with two anterior and posterior dark stripes; lateral surstylus stout basally, shortly elongated, with a sharp pointed projection posteriorly at apical end; medial surstylus somewhat shorter than lateral surstylus, with two well-developed rounded prensisetae; glans elongate, weakly sclerotized internally, T-shaped sclerite present, plus other weak sclerotization both at the base of glans, and along the apical duct.
Material Examined. Holotype (male IEXA) MEXICO. Veracruz: Xalapa, Parque Natura 1300m, 27/XII/2017, V Hernández & S Guillén, ex-larvae Gonolobus erianthus.
Paratypes. MEXICO. Veracruz: Xalapa, Parque Natura 1300m, 27/XII/2017, V Hernández & S Guillén, ex-larvae Gonolobus erianthus (9♂, 11♀ IEXA, mtDNA).
Estación de Biología Los Tuxtlas UNAM, 10/II/1991, V Hernández & J Valenzuela, ex-larvae Gonolobus fraternus (55♂, 26♀ IEXA); same locality: 08/X/1985, V Hernandez-Ortiz (1♀ IEXA); 29/I/1986, A Ibarra (1♀ IEXA); 09/IV/1987, C Mayorga & L Cervantes (2♀ IEXA); 09/I/1990, R Pérez (1♀ IEXA); Xalapa, Jardín Botánico FJ Clavijero, 02/ VI /1989, V Hernandez (1♀ IEXA); 26/IV/1991, V Hernández (1♂ IEXA); 30/VII/1993, L Delgado (1♀ IEXA); Coatepec, Briones, 16-VIII-2021, R Lasa, ex-larvae Gonolobus erianthus (mtDNA). Tamaulipas, Gómez Farías, Km 6 Alta Cima 850m, 03/XII/2003, L Cervantes & B Campbell, ex-larvae Gonolobus niger (15♂, 7♀ IEXA, mtDNA).
Etymology. The term “ magnificus ” belongs from the Latin word for beauty or splendour, in reference to the splendid appearance of this fly. The female has an exceptionally long oviscape compared to any other species of the curvicauda group.
Host plants. Gonolobus fraternus Schltdl.; Gonolobus erianthus Decne.; and Gonolobus niger (Cav.) Schult. (Apocynaceae).
description: Published as part of Hernández-Ortiz, Vicente, Fuente, Laura Navarro De La & Covarrubias, Rodrigo Lasa, 2025, A review of the taxonomy and phylogenetics of the curvicauda species group within the genus Anastrepha in Mexico including descriptions of new taxa, pp. 241-261 in Zootaxa 5613 (2) on pages 249-253, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5613.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/15216417