Timia ritae Morgulis and Freidberg, n. sp.
Creators: name: Morgulis, E.
name: Freidberg, A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ulidiidae
Timia
Timia ritae

description: Timia ritae Morgulis and Freidberg n. sp.
(Figs. 12, 18, 32, 41, 53, 76, 103)
Material examined. ISRAEL: Type Material: Holotype ♂: 'Ani'am [Aniam], 18.v.1983, I. Yarom; Paratypes: Same data as Holotype, (7♂, 7♀), F. Kaplan (1♀), A. Freidberg (8♂, 10♀); Har Hermon: Har Hermon, 1600 m, 17.vi.1999, H. Ackerman (1♀), [Mt. Hermon], 1400–1600 m, 24.v.1983, I. Yarom (1♂); Ghajar, 2.v.1986, I. Nussbaum (1♂); Nahal Senir, 33°15'N 35°37'E, 7.v.2007, L. Friedman (1♀); Golan Heights: Ma'agar Bental, 33°08'N 35°47'E, 31.v.2008, A. Freidberg (1♀); Horeshat Tal [Hurshat Tal], 4.v.1979, D. Furth (1♂); 5 km N. zomet Wasset, 13.vi.1996, A. Freidberg (1♀); Ma'ale Gamla, 27.iv.1988, I. Yarom (1♀); zomet Shiryon, 5kmW, Rt. 91, 530 m, 33°02.9'N 35°42.3'E, 22.v.2011, E. Morgulis (1♂, 1♀); Qazrin [Golan Qazrin], 14.v.1996, A. Freidberg (1♂, 1♀), 20.v.1997 (4♂, 4♀), 4.v.1999 (4♂, 4♀), [Qatzrin], 29.v.1984, I. Yarom (1♂, 1♀), 16.v.1995, A. Freidberg (1♂); Qazrin, 32º59N' 35º41E', 1.vi.2004, A. Freidberg (2♀), 11.v.2011, H. Golan (1♂); Qazrin, 320 m, 32°59.2'N 35°41.8'E, 18.iv.2010, A. Freidberg (2♂, 2♀), E. Morgulis (2♂, 2♀), 335 m, 22.v.2011, A. Freidberg (2♀), Jordan Valley and Southern Golan: Park haYarden, 27.iv.1984, A. Freidberg (1♂, 1♀); 'En Gev ['En Gev], 7.v.1997, A. Freidberg (6♂, 8♀); Hammat Gader [Hamat Gader], 7.v.1997, A. Freidberg (1♀); Peza`el [Fazael], 28.iv.1976, A. Freidberg (3♀); Lower Nahal Tirza, Jiftlik [Jiftlik], 11.iv.1981, A. Freidberg (3♂, 14♀); Judean Desert: Nu'eima, 5.iii.1983, T. Furman (1♂); Yeriho [Jericho], 7.iv.1970, J. Kugler (1♂), 6.iv.1971 (1♂, 1♀), 11.iii.1973, D. Furth (1♂); Nahal Perat [W. Kelt], 25.iii.1975, A. Freidberg (1♀); Dead Sea Area: Qalya [Kalia], 8.iii.1976, M. Kaplan (1♂)(TAUI).
The Holotype is double mounted (minuten in a plastic block), is in excellent condition and deposited in TAUI. Paratypes will be deposited in SIZK, USNM and NHM.
Description. Head (Figs. 12, 18): Structure: 1.28–1.45 times as high as long. Frons posteriorly 1.19–1.30 times as wide as long and at lunule level 1.42–1.51 times as wide as long. Eye 1.33–1.54 times as high as long. Gena 0.20–0.28 times as high as eye, slightly strigose. Fronto-orbital plate at antenna insertion level 0.24–0.33 times as long as eye. Color and vestiture: head mostly black in male, reddish brown to orange in female. Occiput silvery microtrichose; ocellar triangle slightly silvery microtrichose. Frons with medial longitudinal white microtrichose line, laterally silvery-white microtrichose, punctuate at setae and setulae bases. Parafacial and gena silvery-white microtrichose, punctuate at setae and setulae bases. First flagellomere gray microtrichose. Arista mostly brown except basally golden, with microscopic rays. Palpus brownish black, silvery microtrichose. Setae and setulae: all setae and setulae (except setulae on labellum) black. Medial vertical seta as long as lateral vertical seta; ocellar seta 0.40–48 times as long as vertical setae; postocellar seta 0.34–0.40 times as long as vertical setae; 0–3 orbital setae, when present, as long as ocellar seta. Frons setulose, setulae 0.4–0.5 times as long as ocellar seta. Gena and postgena with long setulae; gena with 1–2 setae. Palpus with long black setulae; labella with long yellowish setulae.
Thorax (Fig. 41): Color and vestiture: black. Scutum mostly silvery-white microtrichose except nonmicrotrichose spots at setae and setulae bases and 4 main areas: (1) medial longitudinal stripe from pronotum to scutellum, between intra-alar and dorsocentral rows, (2) along transverse suture, (3) lateral presutural triangular spot and (4) lateral postsutural longitudinal stripe. Setae and setulae: all setae and setulae black. 2 supra-alar, 1 acrostichal, 1–3 anepisternal, 1 katepisternal and 2 scutellar setae present. Postpronotal lobe, scutum, anepisternum and katepisternum with long setulae about 0.33 times as long as major setae; scutellum with setulae about 0.5 times as long as major setae.
Legs: Coxae black, slightly white microtrichose; femora yellow; foretibia mostly black, except dorsally and anteriorly brownish; midtibia and hindtibia mostly yellow, except dorsoapical 0.2 often brownish; foretarsus black; midtarsus and hindtarsus with 3 basal tarsomeres yellow and apical 2 tarsomeres brownish to black.
Wing (Fig. 32): Hyaline, no pattern present; pterostigma mat yellow. Venation: Veins yellow. Crossvein R-M aligned proximal to apex of vein R1. Ratios: Cell r4+5 0.25–0.34; vein Cu2 1.5–1.9. Calypteres white. Halter base and stem brown, knob yellow.
Abdomen: Color and vestiture: tergites 3–6 subshiny brown-black; tergites slightly shagreened. Setae and setulae: syntergite 1+2 densely setulose laterally on basal half, setulae 0.1 times as long as major setae on scutum. Syntergite 1+2 lateroapically, tergite 4 posteriorly and tergite 5 entirely with setulae 0.4–0.6 times as long as major setae on scutum. Tergites 3 and 4 laterally with setulae 0.1–0.2 times as long as major setae on scutum. Remaining parts bare or with fine shorter setulae.
Male terminalia: Epandrium (Fig. 53) 1.45–1.50 times as high as wide; cerci triangular, separate; lateral surstylus apically bilobate, anterior lobe apically oval, posterior lobe medially bent and pointed apically. Phallus with caecum; caecum extending along apical half of phallus. Glans (Fig. 76) elongate, with apical widening.
Female terminalia: Aculeus 5.6–6.2 times as long as wide. Cercal unit (as in Fig. 90) oval, apically rounded to slightly pointed with well pronounced lateral groove. Sensilla: BV apical to BD. AD seta situated somewhat basally, nearly aligned with AV. Spermathecae (Fig. 103) globulose with smooth surface.
Measurements (mm): Body length 3.7–5.2, wing length 2.9–4.1.
Adult activity in Israel: March to June.
Distribution. Israel.
Etymology. This species is named after Rita Morgulis, the first author’s younger sister.
Diagnosis. This species is similar to T. libani Gregor, differing from it by the microtrichia pattern on the scutum, the leg coloration and abdomen pubescence; T. ritae is widely distributed in Israel, whereas T. libani is restricted to Mt. Hermon.
Comments. The resemblance of this species to T. libani Gregor in the structure of both epandrium and glans is striking, considering that no such similarity has been observed in any other examined species of Timia. Nevertheless, based on other characters we consider it to be a separate species (see diagnosis).
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 219-220, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3780.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/228269