Tephritis himalayae Maneesh and Korneyev 2023, sp. n.
Creators: name: Singh, Maneesh Pal
name: Daroch, Rakesh
name: Korneyev, Severyn V.
name: Sharma, Isha
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tephritidae
Tephritis
Tephritis himalayae

description: Tephritis himalayae Maneesh and Korneyev, sp. n.   
(Figures 1–4)  
 Diagnosis: Tephritis himalayae sp. n., is a medium-sized (5.5 mm female and 4.73 mm male) species. It belongs to the hyoscyami-conura group discussed by Korneyev&Evstigneev (2019) and is almost the same size as T. anthrax Korneyev & Evstigneev, T. conura (Loew, 1844) and T. cardualis Hardy. It can be distinguished from most of the other Palearctic Tephritis species by having dark (usually brown) posterior notopleural setae as in T. anthrax, T. arnica (Linnaeus, 1758), T. conura and T. cardualis.   
 T. himalayae sp. n. looks very similar to T. cardualis in general wing pattern and morphology but can be differentiated by apical black fork between vein R 4+5 and M connected to rest of pattern with single strip, hyaline spot at apex of cell m not circular or not separated from hyaline spot just above it in cell r4+5 (two separate roundish spots in T. cardualis Hardy well surrounded by black reticulation). Since wing patterns are highly variable in the genus Tephritis, T. himalayae sp. n. can be separated from T. cardualis by its bilobed tip of aculeus or its shape like the nib of a fountain pen or conical (figure 5A) (which is very straight in T. cardualis and tip without a notch (figure 5B and Hardy, 1974 fig. 1)). Aculeus seems narrow at the base with a much swollen region in the middle in T. cardualis, whereas it is much more uniform in T. himalayae sp. n. (figure 5B). Male glans is longer and less sclerotized without triangular tubular acrophalus, which is quite different from T. cardualis (Hardy, 1974 fig. 3). The new species has a less sclerotized, thin ejaculatory apodeme, which is very stout and highly sclerotized in T. cardualis. Similarly, the lobe of the lateral surstylus is brownish and blunt or broader at the end, while it is dark black and pointed in T. cardualis (Hardy, 1974 figs 3–4). Tephritis himalayae sp. n. was reared from the composite weed Cirsium falconeri but not Carduus nutans and was recorded from temperate habitat in higher hills of Himachal Pradesh above 2350 m above mean sea level.   
Head: Head dull and fulvous except flagellum, parafacial line and frons appear brighter and reddish yellow. Head 1.14 mm high and 0.99 mm wide. Frons slightly depressed and covered with numerous pale setulae. Parafacial line and lunula with minute black setulae. Face clear fulvous without any spot or line. Antennae (0.57 mm) fulvous, scape (0.15 mm) bears golden stout setulae, pedicel (0.13 mm) distinctly bears numerous black stout setulae, flagellum (0.29 mm) reddish, fringed with golden fulvous minute setulae, arista (0.61 mm) black (except basal 10% golden fulvous) and lightly plumose. The combined length of the antennal segments is less than the head height and width. Post occiput dark black and occiput pale, dull fulvous like rest of head. Post ocular setae both pale (stubby) and dark black arranged alternately, with white setae higher than the black ones. Gena pale fulvous with numerous setulae both black and stubby (different sized) (Figure 1).  
Setae: 2 pairs frontal setae (another third pair minute in size just below the posterior frontal seta) (Figures 1A and 3A), 2 pairs orbital setae (anterior orbital setae pale or stubby white), 2 vertical setae (inner vertical setae pale or stubby and outer vertical setae black, 1 pair ocellar setae, 1 genal seta (with 3–4 smaller setulae). Outer vertical setae 0.77 mm long (longest of the head setae).  
Thorax: Scutum 1.54 mm long and 1.32 mm wide, normal in coloration for the genus and looks dull to light fulvous due to its covering of minute pale yellowish setulae. Scutellum dark black, subscutellum black. Katatergite and anatergite slightly dull or less shiny compared with rest of scutum. Katepisternum black or light black with a fuscous tinge. All legs are pale fulvous or light yellowish without any spot or coloration. All femora similar except fore femora with three distinct rows of setae, lateral outer each having 8–9 setae. Setae of the anterior dorsolateral side are bigger and slightly darker than the others. All tibiae similar and pale fulvous except mid tibia with a distinct apical spine.  
 Wings very similar to T. cardualis (4.67 mm), hyaline with reticulate light and dark infuscation (Figure 2B). First costal cell (bc) with numerous microtrichia that extend to base of costal cell; costal cell (c) with pale or very light infuscation or a brown line medially. Pterostigma dark brown but lighter than the other dark areas of the wing, the dark area extending as a band across cells r1 and r2+3 and united with the dark apical third of cell br. Cell r1 with two broad hyaline indentations that cross the cell and unite with three hyaline medial spots in cell r2+3, the basal pair either side of line of R-M crossvein crossing or almost crossing cell, the third spot small and rounded. Cell r2+3 hyaline at base, with a small hyaline marginal spot posterior to apex of vein R 2+3 and a narrow subapical indentation crossing cell. Cell r4+5 with a large, round, isolated marginal spot at apex, a small anterior subapical spot united with the subapical indentation in cell r2+3, a posterior row of four spots that reach vein R 4+5 and a pair of small basal spots alongside R-M crossvein, which lies a little more than its own length from apex of cell dm. Dark apical area of cell br with 4–5 small hyaline spots alongside R-M crossvein or posteriorly. Cell m dark, with 5–6 irregular hyaline spots and indentations. Cell dm usually lightly reticulated with three small, round hyaline apical spots just behind the Dm-Cu crossvein and two or three large hyaline spots separated by brown bands in subapical quarter. Cell cu1 dark, with 10 hyaline spots of different sizes and shapes. Cell bcu with an acute apical projection as wide as long. Anal lobe hyaline except for a brown patch in the middle, over the remnants of vein A2. Alula hyaline except for light brown infuscation in the middle.   
 Setae:1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural (posterior black not stubby white), 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral (just behind the suture, 0.99 mm long), 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 prescutellaracrostichal, 1 intra-alar, 1 postalar, 2 pairs scutellar (apicals well developed but shorter than basals), 2 anepisternal (3 rd seta also present but brown and not as long as upper 2 pairs), 1 anepimeral and 1 katepisternal.   
Abdomen oval and highly setose, with minute golden or yellowish microtrichia. Tergites I, II and the anterior portion of tergite III reddish fulvous. Tergite V with lateral 2–3 long black setae, tergite VI with a row of 10–12 long black setae on the outer margin. Tergite IV, V and VI light black in female, darker in male. Posterior margin of tergite VI reddish fulvous. Oviscapt (1.54 mm) reddish fulvous (Figure 1E). All sternites similar in colour and sternite V of male with V-shaped posterior concavity (0.66 mm wide posteriorly) and 8 long setae present (4 each side) on V-shaped concavity at the posterior margin.  
 Female Terminalia: Eversible membrane (1.76 mm long) with numerous spicules. Aculeus 1.65 mm long and 0.26 mm wide (maximum width of aculeus) and the tip resembles a fountain pen nib or conical in shape (slightly broader in the middle and narrower towards the tip). Aculeus tip bilobed having notched apex (figure 4E). Spicules on distal eversible membrane quadrate-shaped, well-spaced not compact, apically thick, and in lateral view appear forked. A similar pattern in the middle of the eversible membrane except for a median row of large triangular spicules (apically sclerotized and forked) (Figs 4B and C). Large triangular spicules not present all over middle of eversible membrane as in most Tephritis. Spicules on proximal part of eversible membrane smaller, irregular to circular in shape (gritted), and dark colored. Spermatheca was not dissected.   
 Male Terminalia: Epandrium elongate-oval in posterior view (Fig. 6A), 0.24 mm long, lateral surstylus 0.24 mm long and median surstylus 0.2 mm long. Overall epandrium anterior to lateral surstylus 0.48 mm long. Lobe of lateral surstylus blunt (not pointed) and brownish, median surstylus with two black, pointed prensisetae (Fig. 5C). Proctiger as high as epandrium and quadrate in shape. Aedeagus 1.47 mm long excluding glans (0.33 mm). Glans weakly sclerotized and almost hyaline (Fig. 2E). Vasica membranous and irregularly quadrate in shape.   
 Type Material: Holotype ♀, [reared ex seeds of] Cirsium falconeri, INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Narkanda, Baghi, 31°11’68”N 77°54’10”. 23.ix.2022, Maneesh. Paratypes: 2 ♂, Cirsium falconeri, INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Narkanda, Baghi, 31°11’68”N 77°54’10”. 23.ix.2022, Maneesh. Holotype and 1 Paratypes (1 female and 1 male along with genitalia) in High Altitude Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India; Paratype (1 male) retained by author, Department of Entomology, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India.   
 Etymology: Particular epithet derived from the name “Himalaya” (Temperate hilly region of India, a masculine name). Host plant: Seeds of Cirsium falconeri (Hook.f.) Petr. (Syn. Cnicusfalconeri Hook.fill.).
description: Published as part of Singh, Maneesh Pal, Daroch, Rakesh, Korneyev, Severyn V. & Sharma, Isha, 2023, A new species of genus Tephritis Latreille and a new distribution record of genus Urophora Robineau-Desvoidy, from India, pp. 336-348 in Zootaxa 5375 (3) on pages 337-345, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5375.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/10199917