Metasphenisca snehae Maneesh, 2025

Metasphenisca snehae Maneesh , sp. nov.

(figures 14–16)

Diagnosis: A medium sized ( 4.19 mm) species with 3 frontal setae, 2 orbital setae, full complement of thoracic setae, apical scutellar setae smaller than basal, all setae yellowish brownish, wings black with a broad longitudinal basal hyaline band separated from costa by a complete black margin, 2 broadly triangular anterior and 3 narrowly elongate posterior hyaline indentations, apical margin of wing rounded with a slight emargination at apex of vein M. Legs yellowish, mid and hind femora with black rectangular patched ventrally. Oviscape with apical half reddish brown. Glans with tubular preputium at apex and apically curved membranous subapical lobe.

Metasphenisca snehae Maneesh , sp. nov. appears similar to M. reinhardi (Wiedemann) , M. pallidifemur Hancock and M. nigricans (Wiedemann) in general appearance. It can be differentiated from M. nigricans by 3 posterior hyaline indentations on wing and yellow legs, whereas M. nigricans has only two posterior hyaline indentations and black femora, and from M. reinhardi by yellower legs, shorter oviscape and narrower posterior hyaline indentations, whereas M. reinhardi has the oviscape longer than abdomen, generally blacker femora and the basal posterior hyaline indentation on the wing broader and less that its own width from the medial indentation. It can be differentiated from the Madagascan M. pallidifemur by black abdomen, black patches on mid and hind femora and shorter posterior hyaline indentations, whereas the posterior indentations crossvein Cu 1 and the dm-cu crossvein in M. pallidifemur ( cf. Hancock 1991 fig. 1).

Head: Head pale fulvous except front and lunule comparatively darker, ocellar triangle dark, lunule inverted U-shaped, lateral margins of frons with row of yellowish setulae (fig. 14B), antennae 0.55 mm long, flagellum dorsoapically rounded and pubescent, lighter in colour, arista lightly plumose, scape and pedicel with black dorsal setulae. Face yellowish, minute setulae at lateral margins (fig. 14C), Palpi with black setulae and labella with yellowish setulae. Oral fossa margin fringed with black setulae and postocciput with long yellowish setae. Setae: 3 frontal, 2 orbital, 1 ocellar, 2 vertical (inner longer and yellowish, outer short and stubby white), 3 stubby white postocellar (inner longer), 10–12 stubby white postocular (4–5 black setulae between each stubby white seta), 1 genal (genal area with 5–6 small yellow setae around genal seta).

Thorax: Thorax entirely black, dorsally with greyish metallic hue dorsally except postpronotal lobe and area below it, area around posterior notopleural seta and above it, slight portion of post-alar calli, reddish brown. Scutellum greyish black except two small reddish brown spots around basal scutellar setae. Small shiny setulae present on scutellum around each scutellar seta. Subscutellum, mediotergite, katatergite, anatergite and haltere black. Full complement of thoracal setae and apical scutellar setae smaller than basal: 1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 1 prescutellar acrostichal, 2 scutellar, 1 anepisternal, 1 anepimeral and 1 katepisternal seta. All setae yellowish brown.

Legs yellowish, pubescent with black setulae, fore femora slightly paler than others and with 3 rows of 5–7 setae, 2 dorsolateral and 1 ventrolateral (setae longer in ventrolateral row). Mid tibiae with apical black spine surrounded by 4–5 small spines. Mid and hind femora with black rectangular patch on ventral surface (fig. 15D).

Wing 3.68 mm long, black except a basal hyaline band separated from costa by a complete black margin and 5 indentations, 2 broadly triangular in cell r 1, one in front of vein R 1 confluent with cell sc and extending posteriorly to vein R 4+5 and second extending into cell r 4+5 near r-m crossvein and 3 posterior, 2 in cell cu 1 confluent with vein Cu 1 and 1 in cell m confluent with dm-cu crossvein. Basal posterior indentation narrow, separated from smaller medial indentation by more than its own width. Costal band arched in cell c and broader in cells sc and bc. Vein R 4+5 sparsely setose, Y-shaped wing fold present at apex of cell r 4+5 (fig. 15A). Wing rounded apically with shallow emargination or concavity at vein M; 3–4 pairs of argents present, 2 elongate below veins R 2+3 and R 4+5, 2 either side of r-m crossvein, 2 in front of bm-cu crossvein and 1 or 2 below Sc break in cells r 1 and r 2+3.

Abdomen: Urn shaped, shiny black and setose with pale yellowish setulae. Lateral margins of tergites I and II reddish brown, oviscape black except apical half reddish brown, as long as tergites III–VI combined (fig. 15B). Tergite VI longer than V in female. Lateral margins of tergites with moderately sized setae, tergite V of male longer than tergite IV, sternite V of male with V shaped deep posterior concavity (fig. 15E).

Female Genitalia: Oviscape ( 1.06 mm) basally black and apically reddish brown, eversible membrane 1.74 mm long with tightly packed triangular spicules on distal eversible membrane, with 4–5 small projections. Aculeus 1.94 mm long, spear shaped (fig. 16A), tip rounded. Two spermathecae, brownish fulvous, melon shaped with apical rounded papilla and surface of spermatheca rough with rounded, knob like projections (fig. 16F).

Male Genitalia: Epandrium almost circular in posterior view (fig. 16G), setose and higher than proctiger. Both lobes of lateral surstylus equally long and rounded at apex with 5 setae at inner side (fig. 16G). Lateral surstylus longer than medial and latter terminates in dark brown prensisetae. Aedeagus 2.53 mm long excluding glans ( 0.23 mm). Acrophallus with well developed basal sclerite and preputium with narrow tubular opening surrounded by circular sclerite (fig. 16I). Subapical lobe membranous and curved apically, vesica hook like and curved ventrally (fig. 16I).

Type Material: Holotype ♀, ex Barleria sp. , INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Solan, Nauni, 30°51’47” N 77°10’7” E. 30.iv.2024, Maneesh Leg. In Zoological Survey of India ( High Altitude Regional Centre ( HARC), Solan , Himachal Pradesh) GoogleMaps . Paratypes 8 ♀ & 10 ♂ same data as holotype (some of paratypes with first author) GoogleMaps . Paratype 1 ♀, on Barleria sp. , INDIA, Himachal Pradesh , Solan, Nauni, 30°51’47” N 77°10’7” E. 21.iii.2023, Sneha Leg. specimen with first author, Solan , Himachal Pradesh GoogleMaps .

Etymology: Named after first author’s colleague, Sharma Sneha.

Host: Barleria sp. ( Acanthaceae ); infests pods.