Ptilona confracta David & Hancock, 2024

David, K. J., Hancock, D. L., Salini, S., Ningthoujam, Kennedy, Khemrajji, Hatwar Nikhil, Abhishek, V., Gracy, R. G. & Sushil, S. N., 2024, New species and new records of fruit flies of tribe Acanthonevrini (Diptera: Tephritidae: Phytalmiinae) from India, Zootaxa 5506 (3), pp. 301-321 : 304-306

Ptilona confracta David & Hancock , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A4F1A56E-42FA-4445-B523-D874177500CE

( Figures 1–14)

Material examined: Type: Holotype ♀: INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, Sika Tode, Sille Oyan , 28.ix.2022, David, K. J. ( NIM).

Paratypes: 1♂, INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, Namsing , 27.9258ºN, 95. 4887ºE, 03.x.2022, David, K. J ., 1♀, INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, COHF , 28.0785 ºN, 95.3236 ºE, 03.x.2022, David, K. J., 1♀, INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, Sika Tode, Sille Oyan , 28.ix.2022, David, K. J ., 1♀, INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, East Siang, Siluk , 28.2113 ºN, 95.5334ºE, 3.x. 2022, David, K. J. ( NIM) .

Diagnosis: Ptilona confracta ( Fig. 1) most resembles P. conformis Zia in the hyaline indentation at base of the stigma only narrowly crossing vein R 2+3 but differs in the spot in cell r 4+5 being transversely elongate and aligned with that in cell dm. It can be further differentiated from P. confinis (Walker) by the presence of an interrupted hyaline band from cell r 1 to dm, absence of a yellow prescutellar patch, lateral surstylus broad and shorter than epandrium, and posterior lobe of lateral surstylus with a prominent thumb-like projection; from P. continua Hardy by the interrupted hyaline band from cell r 1 to dm and smaller size (4.90 mm) and from P. malaisei Hering by the absence of a yellow band from postpronotal lobe to wing base.

Description (female): Head ( Fig. 2) higher (1.32 mm) than long (0.81 mm), frons as wide as long, fulvous with 1 pair of frontal and orbital setae, ocellar triangle black with ocellar setae vestigial, lateral and medial vertical setae well developed, postocellar setae black, vertex and occiput fulvous, gena dark brown with genal seta, postgena bulbous, postocular setae thin, black; scape, pedicel and first flagellomere fulvous, arista plumose; combined length of antennal segments less than half vertical length of face; face grey without any prominent fuscous markings.

Thorax ( Fig. 3) grey with well developed chaetotaxy, without any prominent fulvous prescutellar marking except yellow postpronotal lobe and notopleuron; anepisternum and katepisternum black, anepimeron, anatergite (with fine erect hairs), katatergite dark fuscous to black, subscutellum grey, mediotergite shining black. Chaetotaxy (in pairs): 2 scapular setae, 1 postpronotal seta, 1 anterior notopleural seta, 1 posterior notopleural seta, 1 postsutural supra-alar seta, 1 postalar seta, 1 dorsocentral seta aligned to postalar, 1 anepisternal seta, 1 katepisternal seta, 2 scutellar setae. Scutellum with several short, black submarginal setulae between basal and apical setae.

Legs ( Fig. 4) fuscous. Forecoxa dark fuscous, trochanter fulvous, forefemur dark fuscous laterally with dorsal setae (12–14) and 3 strong ventral setae and 3–4 weak setae; mid and hind coxa, trochanter fulvous, 0.80 of mid femur fuscous, fulvous basally, 0.60 of hind femur fuscous, rest fulvous, all tibiae fuscous, tarsal segments and pretarsus fulvous.

Wing ( Fig. 6) elongate (5.20 mm), predominantly fuscous/brown with hyaline indentations; cell sc as long as cell c; basal one-fourth of wing hyaline, base of cell br fuscous, cell bc hyaline; cells c and sc hyaline, fuscous apically; hyaline indentation in cell sc extending to cell r 2+3, hyaline indentation in cell r 1 reaching vein R 4+5, cell r 4+5 with an elongate hyaline indentation before the level of crossvein dm-cu, extending to cell dm, cell m with a prominent hyaline indentation, cell cu 2 with elongate hyaline indentation and three marginal hyaline spots; vein R 2+3 with slight undulation beyond r-m crossvein, cell cua with acute apical extension.

Abdomen ( Fig. 5) predominantly black, tergites 1 and 2 yellow/fulvous, tergites 3–5 black. Oviscape black, dorsoventrally flattened.

Female genitalia: Oviscape ( Fig. 10) dark brown to black (0.76 mm); eversible membrane shorter than oviscape (0.57 mm); spicules on distal end of eversible membrane with 3–4 elongate conical projections ( Fig. 13), aculeus (0.55 mm) with conical aculeus tip and three pairs of elongate preapical setae and two pairs of short preapical setae ( Figs 12, 14); three spermathecae black, rounded ( Fig. 11).

Male: similar to female except for the absence of ovipositor.

Male genitalia: Epandrium ( Figs 7, 8) well sclerotised, with broad lateral surstylus, shorter than epandrium, posterior lobe of surstylus with a finger-like projection; proctiger hyaline, smaller than epandrium with two prominent setae. Phallus ( Fig. 9) 1.39 mm long excluding glans (0.43 mm).

Etymology: The specific name is derived from the Latin word "confractus" meaning irregular; here refers to irregular/uneven hyaline bands, but with a feminine ending to conform with the gender of the genus.