Dacus (Leptoxyda) masaicus Munro

White, Ian M. & Goodger, Kim F. M., 2009, African Dacus (Diptera: Tephritidae); New Species and Data, with Particular Reference to the Tel Aviv University Collection, Zootaxa 2127, pp. 1-49 : 22

Dacus (Leptoxyda) masaicus Munro

Dacus masaicus Munro, 1937a: 42 Other synonyms: White (2006: 109)

Material. UGANDA: 1 female, S.W., Rwenzori Mts., 5km W. Kilembe, 2500m., 6.i.1996, I. Yarom & A. Freidberg ( TAU).

Remarks. White (2006) noted that D. masaicus and D. sphaeristicus Speiser, 1910 differ only in size, and the presence or absence of the anterior supra-alar seta; D. masaicus being larger and having the seta. It was suggested that the presence of a seta may be an allometric effect of larger size, and that these nominal species may be synonymous. However, for that to be true we would expect the two species to be regularly found together. This specimen, and the D. sphaeristicus reported below, represents the first known dual record of these species. Evidence that they are distinct has now been provided by a DNA study (Virgilio et al., in press), which indicated a very strong separation of these species, although they are placed together in a polytomy along with other clades of Cucurbitaceae associated species.