Ceratitis nigribasis, Enderlein, 1920

Meyer, Marc De, 2006, Systematic revision of the fruit fly genus Carpophthoromyia Austen (Diptera, Tephritidae), Zootaxa 1235, pp. 1-48 : 18-19

C. nigribasis ( Enderlein, 1920)

Ceratitis nigribasis Enderlein, 1920: 346 .

Carpophthoromyia nigribasis: Bezzi 1924 b, Cogan & Munro 1980.

Diagnosis

Arista medium long pilose; three frontals; scutum with one transverse band; postpronotum white to yellow; scutellum completely pale (at most small brownish patch between apical scutellars); anterior margin of wing with one indentation, at sc; S­band and inverted V­band separate.

Description

Head. Antennal segments red­brown. Arista medium long pilose, longest rays about half width of first flagellomere. Frons dark yellow. Apparently three frontals (broken and frons largely greased in type, bases of frontals not clear; non­type specimens three frontals on oblique line, with anterior frontal 2 times as far from the inner eye margin than posterior frontal); two orbitals. Face white to yellow, gena brown.

Thorax. Scutum shining brown; with apparently black setulae in holotype rubbed off; in non­type material black setulae, except for one transverse band with silvery setulae, anteriorly of transverse suture. Postpronotum white to yellow. Anepisternum with white to yellow band with lower margin reaching posteroventral corner; setulae in holotype rubbed off, in non­type specimens white to yellow band reaching lower fourth of posterior margin, pale setulae, along lower fourth few black setulae; two anepisternals. Katatergite and anatergite white to yellow. Scutellum completely white to yellow, in non­type specimens ventrally with small brownish patch between apical scutellars. Subscutellum black­brown.

Legs black­brown, tibiae and tarsal segments yellow.

Wing. Similar to pattern observed in C. pseudotritea (see Fig. 9 ). Hyaline indentation near junction of vein C with apical part of vein R1, reaching R4+5. S­band and inverted Vband separate (in non­type material touching basally in cell cu2); S­band with subapical tooth. Crossvein DM­Cu slightly sinuous (in non­type material more strongly so). R­M ratio 1.33­1.65.

Abdomen. Shining brown, tergite 2 along posterior half to two­thirds yellow to yellow­orange, tergites 4 and 5 posteriorly more orange­brown; with black setulae, apparently tergite 2 silvery setulae and microtrichosity along yellow­orange band. Female terminalia, oviscape shining black­brown; about as long as abdominal tergites; cylindrical. Aculeus not dissected, hidden in holotype.

Body length: 6.40 (6.24­6.50)mm; wing length 6.80 (6.60­6.90)mm

Material examined

Type material: Holotype Ψ: [ EQUATORIAL GUINEA], Uelleburg, June­August. 1908, S. Tessmann (MNHU).

Other material (tentatively placed here): GHANA, 2ɗɗ 2ΨΨ, Tafo, 19.VI.1957, V.F. Eastop (BMNH).

Distribution

Equatorial Guinea, Ghana

Comments

The holotype of C. nigribasis is in poor condition and a number of important characteristics, such as setulae of thorax, are missing or obscured. Given the fragile nature, the aculeus was not dissected. The species is, however, different from all other taxa with a hyaline indentation near junction of vein C with apical part of vein R1, by the largely white scutellum (other representatives in this group usually have three apical spots). The above description is based on the holotype and supplemented by a series of specimens from Ghana except for some small differences as indicated above. Because of the unique combination (white scutellum and single indentation near junction of vein C with apical part of vein R1) they are considered, for the time being, conspecific with the type, despite the small differences in wing­venation. Further material is, however, needed in order to establish the exact identity of this material.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 9. Wing. — 7. Carpophthoromyia dimidiata. — 8. C. vittata. — 9. C. pseudotritea.