Carpophthoromyia dimidiata, Bezzi, 1924

Meyer, Marc De, 2006, Systematic revision of the fruit fly genus Carpophthoromyia Austen (Diptera, Tephritidae), Zootaxa 1235, pp. 1-48 : 9-11

C. dimidiata Bezzi, 1924

( Figs. 7 , 36 )

Carpophthoromyia dimidiata Bezzi, 1924a: 474 .

Carpophthoromyia dimidiata: Munro 1926 , Munro 1935, Cogan & Munro 1980, Hancock 1987, Hancock 2003.

Trypeta vittata: Loew 1861 (misident.).

Carpophthoromyia vittata: Austen 1910 (p.p.), Enderlein 1920, Bezzi 1918 (p.p.), Bezzi 1923, Bezzi 1924b (p.p.) (misident.), Munro 1935 (misident.), Cogan & Munro 1980 (p.p.), Hancock 1987 (misident.), Hancock 2003 (misident.).

Diagnosis

Arista with medium long rays; three frontals; scutum with one transverse band; postpronotum white; scutellum with distinct apical spot, ventrally reaching halfway between apical and basal scutellar setae; no hyaline wing indentations; S­band and inverted V­band fused basally near vein A1+Cu2 and subapically between veins R4+5 and M.

Description

Head. Antennal segments reddish brown, sometimes darker brown; arista with medium long rays, longest ones slightly more than half the width of first flagellomere. Frons white to yellow, upper third (area in between orbitals to upper margin ocellar triangle) brown. Three frontals placed on oblique line, with anterior frontal 2.5 times as far from the inner eye margin than posterior frontal; two orbitals. Area of antennal base with brown patches. Face white, parafacial area and gena darker brown.

Thorax. Scutum shining orange­brown to black­brown; black setulae, except for one broad transverse band with silvery setulae anteriorly of transverse suture. Postpronotum white. Anepisternum with white band with lower margin usually reaching to halfway posterior margin of anepisternum, sometimes reaching lower; with pale setulae, lower third with black setulae, two anepisternals. Anatergite white, occasionally black; katatergite black, only dorsally slightly white. Scutellum white, ventrally with brown apical spot reaching halfway between basal and apical scutellar, variable in dorsal view, usually apical spots as broad as in ventral view, sometimes reduced but still visible and reaching beyond base of apical scutellars. Subscutellum black.

Legs orange­brown to black­brown, tibia and tarsal segments yellow, at most basal margin of tibiae slightly darkened.

Wing ( Fig. 7 ). Anterior margin without hyaline indentations in cells c or sc. S­band and inverted V­band fused basally near vein A1+Cu2 and subapically between veins R4+5 and M. Crossvein DM­Cu strongly sinuous. R­M ratio 1.17–1.32.

Abdomen. Shining black­brown; with black setulae, tergite 2 reddish brown and with silvery setulae along posterior half; sometimes tergites 4 and/or 5 partly more reddish brown. Spermatheca cylindrical ( Fig. 36 ). Female terminalia, oviscape at least as long as abdominal tergites; shining black brown, with black setulae. Aculeus yellow to orange, cylindrical, about 15 to 20 times longer than wide; aculeus tip darker orange and slightly downcurved.

Body length: 5.84 (4.64–6.40) mm; wing length 6.12 (5.12–7.04) mm

Material examined

Type material: Holotype Ψ: SOUTH AFRICA, Natal, Durban (SAM).

Other material: KENYA: Karura Forest, 2ΨΨ, June 1936, van Someren (NMK); 1ɗ, 9–13.XII.1970, 5500ft, A.E. Stubbs (BMNH); 1Ψ, Mt Marsabit, 1500ft, February 1946, T.H.E. Jackson (NMK); Nairobi, 1Ψ, I.1921, van Someren (BMNH); VIII.1937, ‘ex Drypetes 70’, van Someren (3ɗɗ 10ΨΨ, NMK); (1ɗ 1Ψ, MNHG); (1ɗ, BMNH); Ngong, 1ɗ, June 1936, bred ex Rawsonia , van Someren (NMK); 1Ψ, II.1941; 4ɗɗ 3ΨΨ, I.1943, both van Someren (BMNH); 13ɗɗ 17ΨΨ, Ngong Rd forest, 6.IV.2001, ex fruits Drypetes gerrardii , USDA collection number 1146, R.S. Copeland (KMMA); 1ɗ, Rabai, August 1937, van Someren, caught on bait (NMK); 1Ψ, Sokoke Forest, 8mi S of Malindi, April 1969, M.P. Clifton (NMK). MALAWI: 1ɗ, Cholo, R.C. Wood (BMNH); 1Ψ, Mt Mulanji, nr Likabula, 26–27.X.1983, A. Freidberg ( TAU). MOZAMBIQUE: Delagoa Bay, 1ɗ 1Ψ; Monteiro (NMHU); 1ɗ, “86–20”, Monteiro (BMNH); Vila Bocage 300, Shire R., 25.XI.1916, R.C. Wood (BMNH); 1Ψ, Vallée du Pungoué, Guéngère, 1906, G. Vasse (MNHN). SENE­ GAL [?, cf comments below]: 1ɗ, “ Senegal Mion.”, 2475 (NMHU). SOUTH AFRICA: 3ɗɗ 3ΨΨ, Dhlinza forest, Eshowe, Zululand, 5–6.IV.1960, B. & P. Stuckenberg (NMSA); Durban, February 1932, 1 ɗ (MNHN); 1Ψ (NMSA); 6.VII–16.VIII.1932, 1ɗ (MNHN); 1Ψ (NMSA); February 1933, 1 Ψ (MNHN); 1ɗ (NMSA); 15–23.VI.1933, 1ɗ 1sex unknown (BMNH); 1Ψ (MNHN); 1ɗ 1Ψ (NMSA); 1ɗ 2ΨΨ (SAM); August 1935, (1ɗ 2ΨΨ, NMSA) all “bait trap”, W.E. Marriott; 1ɗ Ψ East London, 17.VIII.1925, H.K. Munro (SAM); 2ΨΨ, Gwalaweni forest, Ingwavuma distr., Lebombo, Zululand, February 1957, B. Stuckenberg (NMSA); 1Ψ Malvern, Natal, III.1897, G.A.K. Marshall (BMNH); 1ɗ, Ngoya forest, Mtunzini distr., 19–21.III.1968, Potgieter & Goode (NMSA); 1ɗ, Pietermaritzburg, town bush, B. & P. Stuckenberg (NMSA); Port St. John, 1ɗ, September 1916; 1ɗ, October 1916, both H.H. Swinny (NMSA); Port St. John, Pondoland, 1Ψ, 15– 31.VIII.1923; 1Ψ, IX.1923; 7ɗɗ 3ΨΨ, XII.1923, all R.E. Turner (BMNH); 2ɗɗ 1Ψ, Port St Johns, 20–25.XI.1961, B. & P. Stuckenberg (NMSA); 1ɗ 1Ψ, Utumvuna nat. Reserve, Natal, 15.VII.1983, „attracted to jam in river gully (wooded)“, J. Manning (NMSA). TAN­ ZANIA: 1Ψ, Mikese, protein bait trap in mango orchard (SUA­KMMA project T1250 sample), Resta (KMMA); 1Ψ, E. Usambara, Amani, Sigi, 445m, 16.VIII.2003, A. Freidberg ( TAU).

Distribution

South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Senegal [?, see below], Tanzania. The records from Zimbabwe by Hancock (1987) for C. vittata (Gota Gota, Hurungwe district, and Chipinda Pools, Gonarezhou National Park) and C. dimidiata (Mt Selinda) both refer to C. dimidiata , given the characters shown in the illustration (Hancock, 1987: fig. 16). These records were repeated in Hancock (2003).

Host plants

Recent rearings, within the USDA and USAID projects run by Texas A&M University, obtained this species in Kenya from Drypetes gerrardii Hutch. (Euphorbiaceae) . Other material from Kenya in the NMK mentions the same genus as host plant, but also Rawsonia Harv.&Sonder (Flacourtiaceae) . Munro (1926) mentions that the fly was found on leaves of Sideroxylon inerme L. ( Sapotaceae ) but that it was not reared from it.

Comments

This species was confused with Carpophthoromyia vittata and C. amoena in older literature (cf. discussion under C. vittata ). Typical C. dimidiata shows a distinct connection between the S­band and the inverted V­band in the wing, a large apical spot on the scutellum reaching in dorsal view at least to halfway between apical and basal scutellar, and anepisternum with white band with lower margin reaching to halfway the posterior margin of the anepisternum. There is, however, considerable variation with regard to the two latter character states (apical spot more reduced and white band on anepisternum reaching lower). Typical C. dimidiata is mainly found in southern Africa while atypical specimens are from more northern regions, but there is no complete change along a geographical gradient since atypical forms were also found among material from Durban. Two specimens from the Kenyan coastal region (Sokoke Forest and Rabai) have a white scutellum in dorsal view, but are tentatively placed here because of the wing pattern. One specimen in the MNHU collection is labelled “ Senegal ” and referred to as such by Loew (1861) when he described the male sex of C. vittata (see below, under comments of C. vittata ). However, this should be considered unlikely given that the species seems to be restricted to southern to eastern Africa. More material will allow future definition of the exact status of both taxa.

Figures

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

FIGURES 36 – 38. Spermatheca. — 36. Carpophthoromyia dimidiata. — 37. C. schoutedeni. — 38. C. interrupta.