Anastrepha curvicauda flavigaster Hernández-Ortiz, 2025

Anastrepha curvicauda flavigaster Hernández-Ortiz , new subspecies

( Figs. 3A–F View FIGURE 3 ; 4A–H View FIGURE 4 ; 7C–D View FIGURE 7 )

Anastrepha curvicauda View in CoL ( Castrejón-Ayala 1987; Jiménez-Pérez & Villa-Ayala 2009). Specimens reared in Jacaratia mexicana View in CoL . Anastrepha curvicauda ( Castrejón-Ayala & Camino-Lavín 1991) View in CoL . Specimens reared in Gonolobus sororius View in CoL .

Anastrepha curvicauda ( Aluja et al. 1997) View in CoL . Specimens reared in Carica papaya View in CoL belonging to Morelos.

Diagnosis. Scutum with separate submedial stripes along entire length, often narrowed or blurred at transverse suture; black spot on the posterior margin of scutum is extended anteriorly just before to mid-length of postsutural scutum; presutural sublateral spot ovoid, separated anteriorly from dark posterior line to postpronotal lobe, but largely merging posteriorly with notopleuron mark. Pleuron is predominantly yellow with dark brown markings on the anepisternum, anepimeron and meron, but anatergite stripe is always absent. Abdominal tergites entirely yellow to orange with no brown or black markings. Oviscape arcuate ventrally at about 50-60°; aculeus tip 0.43-0.47 mm long, tapering gradually to apex, with finely serrate lateral margins bearing about 44-53 teeth per side, covering 41–46% of apical tip length. This new subspecies closely resembles A. curvicauda (sensu stricto), from which it differs in having all tergites yellow to orange, never with black bands on any of abdominal segments, and in having the presutural sublateral spot typically entire, forming a compact mark. In addition to breeding papaya fruits, this subspecies also feeds on Jacaratia mexicana and Gonolobus sororius , both native Mesoamerican host plants.

Description. Head ( Figs. 3A–B,E View FIGURE 3 ): Macrosetae black, short and weak; medial and lateral vertical setae conspicuous, 1–3 frontal setae weak, ocellar and orbital setae absent; frons yellow with scattered long yellow setulae; narrow diffuse brown spot, near lunule, often covering 1/5 of anterior margin, sometimes absent. Ocellar triangle and vertex entirely black forming band connecting both eyes, widening on lateral edges; face yellow with dark marking along lower margin, sometimes extending onto facial carina; occiput yellow with diffuse brown marking extending from occipital foramen about 2/3 of height; edges of occipital sutures with diffuse brown markings.

Thorax ( Figs. 3 View FIGURE 3 C-E): Mesonotum 3.2–4.5 mm long, 2–2.7 mm wide (Ms-ratio= 1.5–1.8x in males; 1.4–1.8x in females), covered by yellow setulae, except on anterior margin and partially on postpronotal lobe; macrosetae small and weak, reddish brown, 1 supra-alar postsutural, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 1 dorsocentral, 1 apical scutellar, and 2 notopleurals stouter than all the above; postpronotal, acrostichal and basal scutellar setae absent; scutum with submedial brown stripes separated lengthwise, faint or blurred at transverse suture; sublateral presutural mark ovoid, almost touching notopleural mark anteriorly, and joined posteriorly to it; notopleural mark extending over posterior border of postpronotal lobe; sublateral postsutural brown mark outwardly curved at posterior end, passing almost below intra-alar seta; posterior scutal mark triangular-shaped, extending slightly onto base of scutellum dorsally and on lateral margin along basal scutellar margin and basal sides, posterior margin of scutellum yellow medially; subscutellum with black lateral markings separate medially; mediotergite with black lateral markings. Pleuron mostly yellow, with anepisternal brown stripe anterior to suture; anepimeral stripe from wing base to ventral margin; katepisternum and anatergite entirely yellow; meron brown spotted close to hind coxa. Legs mostly yellow to orange, foretibia reddish brown, including 1-2 tarsomeres coated by brown pilosity.

Wing (7C-D): Measurements 10.1–12.6 mm long, 3.4-4.4 mm width (W-ratio= 2.5–2.9x in males; 2.6–3.2x in females); pterostigma elongate in females (Pt-ratio= 5.5–7.7x), and strongly expanded in males (Pt-ratio= 4.1–4.6x); vein R 2+3 sharply sinuate at level of R-M and R 1, with 1-3 accessory veins running anteriorly or posteriorly; wing hyaline with Costal band yellow, broad and unbroken from base to apical wing margin, often with semi-hyaline patches at apex of cells r 1 and r 2+3; cell br yellow basal to level of bm, more distally coloration confined to posterior border entire vein R 4+5; cell bm hyaline; cell cua yellow, continuing to base of cell cu 1, and along vein Cu 1. W/Mratio= 2.5–2.9 in males; 2.7–3.4 in females.

Abdomen ( Fig. 3F View FIGURE 3 ): Length 6.3–8.52 mm; all tergites entirely yellow to orange in both males and females, covered by yellow pilosity; tergites with apical margins pale yellow or whitish; T6 of female pale yellow, oviscape mostly yellow, somewhat broader on basal one-fifth of length.

Female terminalia ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 F-H): Oviscape arched ventrally approximately 50-60°, length 11.3–23.6 mm (X= 17.3 mm); spermatheca almost globular in shape, surface with small lobes giving crowded appearance; aculeus tip tapering gradually to apex, 0.43–0.47 mm long, and basal width 0.13–0.18 mm (At-ratio= 2.6–3.3x); lateral margins finely serrate with approximately 44–53 teeth per side, occupying 0.18–0.22 mm of aculeus tip; width 0.11–0.12 mm at beginning of serrations (occupying 41-46% of tip length).

Male terminalia ( Figs. 4 View FIGURE 4 A-D): Epandrium rounded above, lateral surstylus broad basally, oblong with blunt apical end in lateral view; medial surstylus about as long as lateral surstylus, with two large, stout prensisetae; glans elongate semi-translucid, with conspicuous basal sclerite and large basal lobe, apically with slightly sclerotised stripe.

Material examined. Holotype male ( IEXA) MEXICO. Morelos: Tepoztlán, Santo Domingo , 16/II/1991, L Quiroz, ex-larvae Gonolobus sororius .

Paratypes: Morelos: same data as holotype (32♂, 35♀ IEXA) ; Ocotitlán , 16/II/1991, L Quiroz (3♂ IEXA) ; 8.5 Km S Yautepec 1060m, 3/X/1990, F Castrejón, ex-larvae Gonolobus sororius [error as G. sorodius ] (5♂, 8♀ IEXA) ; same data, 7-9/XI/1990 (2♂, 4♀ IEXA) ; Yautepec , 00/ V /2007, P Villa Ayala, ex-larvae Carica papaya (11♂, 13♀ IEXA) ; San Isidro 1100m, 16/X/2007, P Villa Ayala, ex-larvae Carica papaya (15♂, 22♀ IEXA) ; Coatlán del Río , 17/X/1988, P Galindo (2♂, 3♀ IEXA) ; Xoxocotla , 24/IX/1987, G Hernández (1♂ IEXA) ; San Rafael Zaragoza , 01/X/2021, R Lasa, ex-larvae Carica papaya (mtDNA) . Guerrero: Iguala, finca Aurora ; 12/XII/1987, Z Figueroa (2♂, 1♀ IEXA) , same locality: 13/II/1987, Z Figueroa (2♂, 2♀ IEXA) ; Leonardo Bravo, Chichihualco, Rancho La Herradura 1341m, 09/X/2011, tr McPhail, Y Torres (1♂ IEXA) ; Chilapa de Alvarez, Atzacoaloya 1044m, 09/ VI /2012, tr McPhail, ML González (1♂ IEXA) ; Chilpancingo, Acahuizotla 820, 10/ V /2011, Ernesto LH (1♀ IEXA) . Jalisco: La Huerta, La Concepción, 15/IV/1999, R Rodríguez (1♂, 1♀ IEXA) ; Est Biol Chamela UNAM, 8/VII/1991, E Ramírez (1♂, IEXA) ; same data, 1-8/ V /1992 (2♂, 1♀ in poor condition IEXA) . Michoacán: Ziracuaretiro, huerto San Rafael , 3/XI/2001, tr McPhail (1♀ IEXA) ; same locality, 21/III/2002 (2♀ IEXA) ; Ziracuaretiro, Las Mesas , 26/ VI /2001 (1♀ IEXA) .

Additional records: MEXICO. Morelos: Puente de Ixtla , 27/ VI /1981, CPE-266, t. McPhail (2♀ USNM); Yautepec , 17/VIII/63, MW McFadden (1♂ USNM); San Isidro, 20/IX/1991, AL Norrbom & L Quiroz (3♂, 4♀ USNM); Cocoyoc , 10/X/1956, CM Yoshimoto (2♀ USNM); Cuautla , IX/1974, CC Montalvo, “host papaya” (1♂, 1♀ USNM); Cuernavaca , AC Baker (1♂, 1♀ USNM) ; Guerrero: Iguala, finca Aurora , 17/XI/1987, Z Figueroa (2♀ IEXA); same data, / VII/1987 Z Figueroa (2♂, 2♀ IEXA) .

Etymology. The specific name of this subspecies stems from the combination of two words: the Latin adjective flavus = yellow; and from Greek noun gaster = abdomen, in reference to the abdominal tergites entirely yellow, a distinctive feature from all other known species in the curvicauda species group.

Host plants. Carica papaya L. ( Caricaceae ); Jacaratia mexicana A.DC. ( Caricaceae ); Gonolobus sororius A.Gray ( Apocynaceae ).