Rhochmopterum malaviyai Nikhil, David & Hancock 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hatwar, Nikhil Khemrajji
name: David, Karamankodu Jacob
name: Hancock, David Lawrence
name: Raghuraman, Mahadevan
name: Gracy, Ramasamy Gandhi
name: Srinivasa, Narayana
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tephritidae
Rhochmopterum
Rhochmopterum malaviyai

description: Rhochmopterum malaviyai Nikhil, David & Hancock, sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 54578259-BE4D-45E5-8339-1B0C5E6E6B19
(Figures 1−21)
Diagnosis: Rhochmopterum malaviyai Nikhil, David & Hancock, sp. nov., is similar to Rhochmopterum parvum (Hardy) (Figs 22, 23), in possessing black abdominal tergite 5 in male, wing with faint reticulate pattern, prominent bulla in cell dm and the shape of lateral surstyli (Hardy, 1974). It can be differentiated from Rhochmopterum parvum by the presence of three radiating rays in cell r 1, last ray in cell r 1 brown with hyaline base and from R. venustum by the curved ray in cell r 2+3 separated from third ray in cell r 1 by a distance of 2.75× the width of crossvein r-m, apical longitudinal band in cell r 4+5 strongly connected to band along vein M and prominent hyaline spot in the bulla in cell dm (Figs 1, 2, 6, 7). It can be differentiated from both species by the bifid apex of glans of phallus (Figs 13, 13a).
Description
Head (Fig. 3): as high as long (0.45−0.50 mm high; 0.36−0.43 mm wide), scape and pedicel fulvous; first flagellomere conical, pointed at apex; arista short plumose, longer than first flagellomere. Face fulvous, concave without carina. Frons fulvous, wider than long (0.18–0.21 mm high, 0.32–0.34 mm wide) with 3 pairs of frontal setae (1 st pair short and white; 2 nd pair 1.5× longer than 1 st, black basally, brownish apically; 3 rd pair lanceolate, stubby and black), 2 pairs of orbital setae placed obliquely to frontal setae (1 st pair brown to black, 2 nd pair white, shorter than first), 1 pair of white interfrontal setae. Ocellar triangle black with 1 pair of white ocellar setae adjacent to ocellar triangle. Vertex fulvous with 1 pair of black, elongate medial vertical setae, 1 pair of short lateral vertical seta, 1 pair of postocellar setae, 2 pairs of short, stubby white paravertical setae and well-developed white and black post ocular setae. Gena fulvous with all white setae except one prominent black seta.
Thorax (Figs 1, 2, 4, 5): Scutum (0.71−0.73 mm long; 0.65−0.70 mm wide) grey pollinose with rows of white stubby setulae and well-developed chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal lobe, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural (black), 1 postsutural supra-alar, 2 dorsocentral, 1 presutural acrostichal, 1 postalar, 1 intraalar. All setae yellowish white except black posterior notopleural seta. Scutellum (0.21−0.22 mm long, 0.49−0.54 mm wide) golden yellow with long brown basal scutellar setae and small white apical scutellar setae (often crossed), 1 pair of white erect setae present dorsally between basal and apical scutellar setae. Anepisternum grey-brown with yellow tomentum from postpronotal lobe to notopleuron and along anepisternum. Anepisternum with four setae (first two black, third stubby white, fourth black in male, all setae black in female); anepimeron grey-brown to black with two black setae and 1 white seta, katepisternum with a prominent white seta dorsally, anatergite, katatergite and subscutellum grey brown to black, mediotergite grey brown to black with glossy black patch in the posterior margin of mediotergite.
Legs (Figs 1, 2): Coxa and trochanter fulvous, fore femur with a single preapical black marking and 6 ventral setae (2 black anterior and 4 white posterior) and 3 small black setae ventrally near the black marking; mid femur with 2 black rings (preapical and basal); hind femur with glossy black ring apically and basally, wider than midfemur; fore tibia fulvous, mid and hind tibia each with black marking in basal quarter (glossy on hind tibia).
Wing (Figs 1, 2, 6, 7): Length (2.08−2.26 mm), oval, hyaline, with dark brown area in the centre with seven radiating rays and surrounding pale reticulated pattern; all the veins and rays ending in dark transverse marking on costal and subapical region; cell bc hyaline, cell c with narrow brown streak in the centre, humeral cross vein dark brown; cell sc very short, half of cell c, with a single ray, subcostal cleft prominent, guarded by 2 black setae; vein R 1 setulose, vein R 4+5 setulose upto just beyond the r-m cross vein; cell r 1 with a dark spot basally, three prominent rays reaching costal margin; 1 st ray reaching costa along apex of vein R 1 obliquely, rays 2 and 3 straight; cell r 2+3 with 4 independent irregular white spots in the dark central patch, basal ray curved, reaching along the apex of vein R 2+3 and two subapical rays reaching costa obliquely; distance between first ray in cell r 2+3 and third ray in r 1 is approximately 2.75× the width of crossvein r-m; cell br with a medial white spot; cell r 4+5 with a brown, elongate oval, bulla bracing vein R 4+5 adjacent to crossvein r-m, a white spot beneath bulla, a brown transverse line connected to the basal ray in cell r 2+3, a V-shaped brown marking in distal half and apical longitudinal band in cell r 4+5 strongly connected to band along vein M. Cell bm hyaline; cell dm with dark-brown, oval shaped bulla with prominent hyaline spot on its proximal end and 4−5 hyaline spots adjacent to bulla; cell m, cu and anal lobe with faint reticulate pattern, cell bcu hyaline without acute extension.
Abdomen (Fig. 8−10d): Male (length 0.64 mm, breadth 0.60 mm) female (length 0.63 mm, breadth 0.69 mm). Female with all tergites grey brown except predominantly glossy black in tergite 6. In few female specimens (light form) abdominal tergites predominantly fulvous with fuscous lateral marking, tergite 6 fulvous with broad black markings, oviscape fulvous with apical fuscous band. Abdomen of all males studied were grey-brown with conical glossy black patch covering 0.75 of the tergite 5; all tergites with a pair of dorsomedial yellowish white erect setae.
Male genitalia (Fig. 11−13a): Epandrium (length 0.24 mm, height 0.12 mm) predominantly dark brown, triangular in lateral view and oval in posterior view. Proctiger round (0.02 mm). Epandrial margin continuous with lateral surstylus; lateral surstylus acute apically, median surstylus with stubby, dark brown prensisetae. Phallus short (1.10 mm) with glans (0.20 mm) predominantly hyaline, sclerotized along dorsal margin, with tubular membraneous extension ventrally and patches of sclerotization; apex of vesica lobular, bifid with weak sclerotization.
Female genitalia (Fig. 14−21): Oviscape (0.55 mm) dark brown basally and light brown apically (in few female specimens (light form), oviscape fulvous with apical fuscous band); eversible membrane (0.55 mm) as long as oviscape with conical spicules with round apex at proximal end, elongate conical spicules with acute apex in the middle and nearly flat spicules towards distal end; aculeus (0.52 mm) without apical notch, prominent constriction before apical quarter at both side; Two dark brown spermathecae (0.07 mm), largely round shaped, papillose, but with dorsoapical concavity in few specimens.
Total body length: Male 2.08−2.16 mm; Female 2.04−2.16 mm (without oviscape)-dark form; Female 1.98−2.08 mm (without oviscape)-light form.
Host plant: Collected and reared from Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less (Asteraceae).
Type Material: Holotype ♂, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, CIH, 27.ii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (NIM). Paratypes: 1♂, 2♀♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, CIH, 27.ii.2024, Hatwar, N. K., 6♂♂, 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, ICAR, 28.ii.2024, Hatwar, N. K., 4♂♂, 3♀♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, CIH, 29.ii.2024, Hatwar, N. K., 1♂, INDIA: Odisha, Bhubaneswar, OUAT, 10.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (collected by insect net), 3♂♂, 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, ICAR, 10.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K., 5♂♂, 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, NU, 12.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (reared from Vernonia cinerea) [dark form]; 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, CIH, 29.ii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (collected by insect net), 4♀♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, NU, 10.iii. 2024, Hatwar, N. K., 2♀♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, ICAR, 10.iii. 2024, Hatwar, N. K., 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, CIH, 11.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K., 2♀♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, NU, 12.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (reared from Vernonia cinerea) [light form]. All types deposited at NIM.
Voucher specimens: 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema,CIH, 27.ii.2024, Hatwar, N.K., 1♂, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, CIH, 29.ii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (collected by insect net), 1♂, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, NU, 10.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (reared from Vernonia cinerea) [dark form]; 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, NU, 10.iii. 2024, Hatwar, N. K., 1♀, INDIA: Nagaland, Medziphema, NU, 12.iii.2024, Hatwar, N. K. (reared from Vernonia cinerea) [light form]. All vouchers deposited at NIM.
Distribution: India (Nagaland, Odisha).
Etymology: This species is named after the last name of Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Remarks: Female specimens of R. malaviyai collected from Nagaland had two forms; a dark form with predominantly fuscous oviscape (Fig. 14) and a light form with a predominantly fulvous oviscape with a narrow apical fuscous band (Fig. 15). Dissection of both forms revealed that they are same species, as there were no differences in the shape of the aculeus tip (Figs 16a, 17a) and spicules on distal end of eversible membrane (Fig. 21). Moreover, molecular characterisation of both forms revealed 100% similarity in mt-COI sequences and 28s sequences which confirms that two forms of females do exist for R. malaviyai.
description: Published as part of Hatwar, Nikhil Khemrajji, David, Karamankodu Jacob, Hancock, David Lawrence, Raghuraman, Mahadevan, Gracy, Ramasamy Gandhi & Srinivasa, Narayana, 2025, A new species of Rhochmopterum Speiser (Diptera: Tephritidae: Tephritinae: Schistopterini) from India, pp. 147-160 in Zootaxa 5588 (1) on pages 149-154, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/14896171