Ulidia wasimi Morgulis and Freidberg, n. sp.
Creators: name: Morgulis, E.
name: Freidberg, A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Lonchaeidae
Ulidia
Ulidia wasimi

description: Ulidia wasimi Morgulis and Freidberg n. sp.
(Figs. 28, 38, 62, 68, 85, 99, 109)
Material examined. ISRAEL: Type Material: Holotype ♀: Har Hemet, near Makhtesh Ramon, 14.iv.1992, A. Freidberg; Paratypes: same data as holotype (26♂, 29♀); Southern Coastal Plain: Shoval [shuval], 5.iv.1964 (1♂); Northern Negev: Bor Mashash, 25.iii.1987, F. Kaplan (1♂), Y. Zvik (1♂); Mash'abbe Sade, 14.iv.1992, A. Freidberg (1♂); Central Negev: Yeroham [Jerucham], 9.iv.1967, M.P. Pener (1♂); Yeroham [Jeruham], 21.iii.1971, J. Kugler (1♀); Yeroham [Yeruham], 22.iii.1971, J. Kugler (1♂); 'En 'Avedat [Avdat], 11.iv.1975, A. Freidberg (6♂, 5♀); Sde Boqer [Sedé Boqér], 30.iii.2004, L. Friedman (4♂, 2♀); 'En Mor [Ein Mor], 22.iv.1986, A. Freidberg (1♀); 'En Mor, Nahal Hawarim, 30°50.7'N 34°46.6'E, 4.iv.2010, A. Freidberg (1♂); Har Horesha, 17.iii.1995, A. Freidberg (1♂)(TAUI).
The holotype is double mounted (minuten in a plastic block), and deposited in TAUI. Paratypes will be deposited at SIZK, USNM and NHM.
Description. Head (Fig. 28): Structure: 1.09–1.26 times as high as long. Frons of same width posteriorly and at lunule level, 1.45–1.54 times as wide as long, smooth or dimpled, sometimes posteriorly concave. Gena 0.37– 0.57 times as high as eye, slightly strigose posteriorly. Eye 1.07–1.24 times as high as long. Fronto-orbital plate at antenna insertion level 0.25–0.33 times as long as eye, smooth. Color and vestiture: Head mostly black. Frons sometimes medially reddish-brown. Fronto-orbital plate at antenna insertion level with small white microtrichose triangular spot at eye margin. Occiput medially inconspicuously white microtrichose. First flagellomere reddishbrown, silvery microtrichose. Arista with microscopic rays. Setae and setulae: Medial vertical seta as long as lateral vertical seta; ocellar and postocellar setae each 0.50–0.62 times as long as medial vertical seta; 2 orbital setae of about same length as ocellar seta. Frons and vibrissal angle sparsely setulose. 1–2 genal setae; gena and postgena moderately short setulose. Palpus with long black setulae; labellum with mixed black and white setulae.
Thorax: Subshiny black, shagreened. Setae and setulae: 1 supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral, 1 acrostichal, 3–6 anepisternal and 1 katepisternal setae present. Postpronotal lobe, anepisternum and scutum long setulose; setulae 0.5 times as long as major setae.Scutellum bare.
Legs: Entirely blackish-brown. Hindfemur not widened, as wide as midfemur in both sexes.
Wing (Fig. 38): Pattern: wing with basal-cubital cell and basal half of cubital cell brown, and with apical brown spot, extending from costa at apices of cells r1, r2+3 and mid-apex of r4+5; pterostigma mat brown; otherwise, wing hyaline. Venation: Veins mostly yellow in basal 0.4, brown in apical 0.6; vein A1+Cu2 yellow. Crossvein R-M aligned with apex of vein R1. Ratios: Cell r4+5 0.28–0.33; vein Cu2 0.58–0.66. Calypteres white. Halter dark brown.
Abdomen: Tergites setulose and slightly shagreened.
Male terminalia: Epandrium (Fig. 62) 1.3–1.4 times as high as wide; cerci triangular, deeply separate; lateral surstylus apically pointed. Phallus (Fig. 68) with 1 caecum; caecum extending along apical half of phallus and with basal elongation. Phallus with 3 setulae present on distal 0.33. Glans (Fig. 85) elongate, with apical hook.
Female terminalia: Aculeus 6.8–7.0 times as long as wide at widest point and 2.4–2.5 times as wide as immediately anterior to cercal unit. Cercal unit (Fig. 99) oval, apically pointed. Sensilla: BV apical to BD. Spermathecae (Fig. 109) globulose with long rays.
Measurements (mm): Body length 3.4–3.8, wing length 3.2–3.4.
Adult activity in Israel: Middle of March to middle of April.
Distribution. Israel.
Etymology. The species is named after Mr. Wasim Biroumi, a dear friend of the first author.
Diagnosis. This species greatly resembles U. salonikiensis Hennig, but differs from it (and from all other known Ulidia species) in the presence of a few setulae on the phallus.
Comments. This species has not been collected since 1995, though collecting trips to the relevant localities were carried out since then. This observation may result from the short and early season of activity (17.iii–22.iv) and the lack of sufficient excursions to the distribution area in the last two decades. Unlike in the case of T. fallax n. sp., we do not think that global warming and desertification are important factors affecting the population size of this species.
description: Published as part of Morgulis, E. & Freidberg, A., 2014, The Ulidiini (Diptera: Tephritoidea: Ulidiidae) of Israel, with a key to the world species of Ulidia and description of five new species, pp. 201-247 in Zootaxa 3780 (2) on pages 233-234, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3780.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/228269