Research Article

Two new species of Euphranta Loew (Diptera, Tephritidae, Trypetinae, Adramini) from India

Karamankodu Jacob David^‡, David Lawrence Hancock^§, Elizabeth Alex Reshma^|, Padmanabhan Saroja Jothish^|, Kennedy Ningthoujam^¶, Bihari Mohapatra Niladri^¶, Venkateshaiah Abhishek^‡, N. R. Noor Mahammed^‡

‡ ICAR- National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru, India

§ Unaffiliated, Cumbria, United Kingdom

| Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, India

¶ College of Post-Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, CAU (Imphal), Umiam, Shillong, India

Corresponding author: Karamankodu Jacob David ( davidkj.nbaii@gmail.com )

Academic editor: Alexssandro Camargo

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Citation: David KJ, Hancock DL, Reshma EA, Jothish PS, Ningthoujam K, Niladri BM, Abhishek V, Mahammed NRN (2025) Two new species of Euphranta Loew (Diptera, Tephritidae, Trypetinae, Adramini) from India. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 72(2): 367-375. https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.72.165084

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:737EF25D-2766-4E5A-AFC1-CB03EC9530E3

Abstract

Two new species of Euphranta Loew are described from India, namely Euphranta goniothalami David & Hancock, sp. nov. reared from seeds of an endemic shrub, Goniothalamus keralensis E.S.S. Kumar, Shaju, Roy & Raj Kumar, in Valara, Idukki district (which is a part of the Western Ghats mountains), and Euphranta undulata David & Hancock, sp. nov. from Meghalaya, Northeast India. An updated key to all Euphranta species known to occur in India is also provided.

Key Words

Idukki, Kerala, Meghalaya, Northeast India, Valara, Western Ghats

Introduction

Euphranta Loew belongs to Adramini, a tribe of Trypetinae (Diptera, Tephritidae) with 112 described species worldwide (Norrbom et al. 1999; Hancock and Drew 2004; David et al. 2013, 2020, 2021; David and Singh 2015; Hancock and Whitmore 2015). The genus is primarily distributed in the Oriental and Australasian Regions with a few representatives in the Palearctic and Nearctic Regions (Norrbom et al. 1999). The larvae are generally frugivorous and mostly monophagous (Hancock and Drew 2004) with a few species like Euphranta dysoxyli David, 2013 and Euphranta haldwanica Hancock & Goodger, 2013 reported attacking seeds (David et al. 2013). Some of the distinctive features of the genus are that the body is often elongate, the frons with two to three frontal setae, the wings banded, the anatergite with fine erect hairs, the epandrium bulbous with elongate surstyli much narrower than the epandrium, the proctiger hyaline, narrower than epandrium, the elongate oviscape, and the relatively short aculeus (David et al. 2021). Sixteen species were recorded in India by Singh et al. (2025). The objective of the present work is to describe two new species of Euphranta to the Indian fauna and provide an updated identification key.

Material and methods

The specimens examined in this study were deposited in the National Insect Museum (NIM) of the ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The images of the external structures were obtained using a Leica K3C camera attached to a Leica M205A stereozoom microscope whereas images of postabdominal structures were acquired using a Nikon DS Fi-3 camera attached to a Nikon Eclipse Ci phase contrast microscope. Images of postabdominal structures were stacked using Combine ZP (Hadley 2011). Terminology follows White et al. (1999) and Cumming and Wood (2017).

Taxonomy

Euphranta Loew, 1862

Euphranta Loew, 1862: 28. Type species: Musca connexa Fabricius, 1794: 350 (by monotypy).

Diagnosis.

Slender bodied flies with two or three frontal setae, single orbital seta, ocellar seta reduced; wing hyaline with or without transverse bands; anatergite with fine erect hairs, midfemur without stout ventral spines, abdomen with elongate oviscape 1.5 to 2.0 times longer than aculeus, three spermathecae, aculeus short, epandrium often bulbous with lateral surstylus narrower than epandrium and 2−3 times longer than epandrium, and proctiger hyaline, narrower than epandrium, sparsely setose, without thick tuft of hairs/setae.

Key to species of Euphranta from India (modified from David et al. 2021)

1	Thorax with medial anepisternal seta anterior to phragma; wing largely dark in apical half with broad hyaline indentations and no dark transverse bands [zeylanica group: a similar species from Sri Lanka, E. zeylanica (Senior-White), lacks the broad subapical hyaline indentation in cell r₁]	2
–	Thorax without medial anepisternal seta anterior to phragma; wing variably patterned	4
2	Wing with apical dark area connected to pterostigma, the hyaline indentation at apex of pterostigma in cell r₁ extending only to vein R₄₊₅; oviscape almost as long as abdomen (David et al. 2013: fig. 72)	E. notabilis (Wulp)
–	Wing with apical dark area separated from pterostigma, the hyaline indentation at apex of pterostigma in cell r₁ extending to posterior margin; oviscape almost as long as abdominal tergites 3–6	3
3	Subcostal band weak, with a prominent fuscous spot on vein R₂₊₃ at the level of pterostigma, spicules on distal end of eversible membrane conical, spermatheca hyaline (David et al. 2021: figs 1–9)	E. flavothoracica David, Hancock & Sachin
–	Subcostal band well developed, without a prominent fuscous spot on vein R₂₊₃ (Fig. 7), spicules on distal end of eversible membrane flat with 2–3 blunt projections (Fig. 9), spermatheca tubular, curved and densely covered with fine hairs (Fig. 10)	E. goniothalami David & Hancock, sp. nov.
4	Wing with 2 prominent dark transverse bands from pterostigma, including subcostal band from base extending to apex of cell m₄, and discal band extending to r-m and beyond (David et al. 2021: figs 25, 35)	5
–	Wing without transverse bands from pterostigma (David et al. 2013: figs 23, 65; David et al. 2021: figs 14, 15) or at most one prominent dark transverse band from pterostigma (David et al. 2021: fig. 15); if with an isolated subcostal band, then band from pterostigma interrupted and misaligned along vein R₄₊₅ (Bezzi 1913: fig. 35) or with well- developed costal submarginal band leaving a hyaline margin in cells r₂₊₃ and r₄₊₅ (David et al.2013: fig. 71)	9
5	Wing with a medial hyaline V-shaped marking extending from anterior margin to cell m₄ that does not reach posterior margin (David et al. 2013: fig. 70) [lemniscata group]	E. lemniscata (Enderlein)
–	Wing without a medial hyaline V-shaped marking, the hyaline band from cell r₁ at apex of pterostigma reaching posterior margin	6
6	Wing with a large apical brown patch with an isolated longitudinal hyaline band in cell r₂₊₃ (David et al. 2013: fig. 56; David et al. 2021: figs 34, 35) [klugii (formerly signatifacies) group]	E. klugii (Wiedemann)
–	Wing with a complete or interrupted subapical hyaline transverse band, not with an isolated longitudinal hyaline band in cell r₂₊₃	7
7	Head with 2 frontal setae; face pale and unspotted; wing with subapical hyaline band strongly kinked or interrupted; apical hyaline area large, extending across cell r₄₊₅ into cells r₂₊₃ and m₁; pterostigma fuscous with a fulvous apical tip (David et al. 2013: figs 66–69; David et al. 2021: figs 24–25) [crux group]	E. crux (Fabricius)
–	Head with 3 frontal setae; face with 2 black spots; wing with subapical hyaline band broad and continuous at least from vein R₂₊₃ to posterior margin; apical hyaline area narrow and confined to cell r₄₊₅; pterostigma fulvous with a dark oblique medial band [mikado group]	8
8	Face with two elongate black marks along antennal foveae; dorsocentral setae vestigial or absent; wing with dark transverse band over crossvein dm-m quadrate and vertical in cell r₁; apex of aculeus with preapical indentations (David et al. 2013: fig. 7)	E. dysoxyli David
–	Face with two subtriangular black spots; dorsocentral setae well developed; wing with dark transverse band over crossvein dm-m narrow and oblique in cell r₁; apex of aculeus acute and without preapical indentations (David et al. 2013: fig. 48; 2020: fig. 18)	E. haldwanica Hancock & Goodger
9	Wing with costal-submarginal band narrow and curved, leaving a hyaline margin in cells r₂₊₃ and r₄₊₅, plus a large and isolated dark discal patch covering both crossveins dm-m and r-m (David et al. 2013: fig. 71) [macularis group]	E. macularis (Wiedemann)
–	Wing without a curved costal-submarginal band and isolated dark discal patch covering both crossveins	10
10	Wing with 3 transverse dark bands and a dark subapical area, the subbasal band not connected to pterostigma and the 2 medial bands interrupted at vein R₄₊₅ and misaligned; face wholly black; scutum and abdomen shiny black (Bezzi 1913: fig. 35) [toxoneura group]	E. nigripeda (Bezzi)
–	Wing with 2 transverse dark bands and broad apical marking or often largely hyaline or with a single short band from pterostigma that does not reach posterior margin; face, scutum and abdomen often not wholly black	11
11	Wing with subcostal band and radial-medial band well separated (Fig. 18), aculeus tip blunt (Fig. 22) with wavy margin [apicalis group]	E. undulata David & Hancock, sp. nov.
–	Wing with either subcostal band and radial-medial fused to form a V-shaped band or predominantly hyaline, aculeus tip not blunt	12
12	Head with 3 frontal setae; wing with an isolated subbasal black patch below apex of cell c, and a V-shaped black band from pterostigma connected with a transverse band over crossvein dm-m and a subapical dark area, leaving a triangular hyaline indentation in cell r₁ at apex of pterostigma (David et al. 2020: fig. 7) [camelliae group]	E. siruvani David, Hancock & Sankararaman
–	Head with 2 frontal setae; wing without an isolated subbasal black patch and largely hyaline or with a complete hyaline crossband between dark bands from pterostigma and over crossvein dm-m	13
13	Wing with transverse band from pterostigma as wide as pterostigma and band over crossvein dm-m connected medially with subapical dark area that leaves a large apical hyaline patch (David et al. 2013: fig. 29) [linocierae group]	E. thandikudi David
–	Wing with transverse band from pterostigma much narrower than pterostigma or absent and band over crossvein dm-m isolated or connected anteriorly with a reduced subapical dark area from posterior part of cell r₄₊₅ and from cell m₁	14
14	Wing with a single transverse dark band from pterostigma that does not reach posterior margin; if confined to cell r₁ then crossvein r-m also infuscated; band over crossvein dm-m connected anteriorly with a subapical dark area that does not reach vein M₁ [cassiae group]	15
–	Wing without a short transverse dark band from pterostigma; band over crossvein dm-m isolated and not connected with subapical dark area	16
15	All femora yellow, wing predominantly hyaline with transverse band from pterostigma reduced to cell r₁ only or narrowed to end at or before an infuscated crossvein r-m (David et al. 2013: fig. 65; David et al. 2021: figs 14, 15)	E. cassiae (Munro)
–	Forefemur with apical one-third black, wing with transverse band from pterostigma reaching cell dm (David and Singh 2015: fig. 15)	E. pseudocassiae David & Singh
16	Face fulvous; apex of wing broadly dark brown without a hyaline apical spot; subapical band over crossvein dm-m fading and merging with anterior yellow-fumose area (David et al. 2013: fig. 16) [chrysopila group]	E. diffusa David
–	Face mostly black or brown or with a large black patch; apex of wing with a large apical hyaline spot or wing largely hyaline to subhyaline and not yellow-fumose [ungrouped species]	17
17	Face fulvous with a large black patch near epistomal margin; wing with a broad and isolated infuscation over crossvein dm-m, a complete subapical dark band and a broad hyaline apical spot in cell r₄₊₅ extending into cells r₂₊₃ and m₁ (David and Singh 2015: fig. 3)	E. wrightiae David & Singh
–	Face mostly black or brown; wing with band over crossvein dm-m faint and extending anteriorly to costa, apex broadly hyaline to subhyaline without a dark subapical band or distinct hyaline apical spot (David et al. 2013: fig. 23)	E. hyalipennis David & Freidberg

New species

Euphranta goniothalami David & Hancock, sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/8A4AB95C-2CD1-4DAE-91E9-481BC8BDEFA3

Figs 1–2, 3−7, 8−10, 11–12

Type material.

Holotype : ♀, India: Kerala, Idukki, Valara 10°04'16.81"N, 76°49'04.71"E, 05.i.2025, Reshma Elizabeth Alex (NIM). Paratype: 1♀, same data as holotype (NIM).

Etymology.

The name of the species is derived from the host plant genus name Goniothalamus in genitive.

Differential diagnosis.

This species is similar to Euphranta flavothoracica David, Hancock & Sachin, 2021 and Euphranta laosica Hardy, 1973 in external morphology and wing pattern, but can be differentiated from the former by the presence of a continuous subcostal band, conical apex of aculeus with preapical flange; curved, rod-shaped spermathecae densely covered with fine hairs, and blunt apex of spicules/scales on distal end of eversible membrane. It can be easily distinguished from E. laosica by the shorter oviscape (smaller than the length of the abdomen), and aculeus with preapical steps.

Description.

Female (Figs 1, 2). Medium sized (5.73−5.90 mm). Head (Fig. 3). Slightly higher than long (height: 1.50−1.51 mm; length: 0.98−1.12 mm; length measured from base of scape to occiput); frons light fuscous with medial dark brown longitudinal vitta, three pairs of frontal setae (first two pairs closely placed; third pair placed at twice distance between first two pairs); single reclinate orbital seta; ocellar seta reduced; ocellar tubercle glossy black; medial and lateral vertical setae present; postocellar seta developed; postocular setae thin and black; occiput fulvous; gena narrow. Scape, pedicel and postpedicel fulvous; combined length of antennal segments shorter than face, arista plumose. Face fulvous with medial concavity. Thorax (Figs 4, 5). Scutum (2.48−2.65 mm long; 1.66−1.68 mm wide) light fuscous with a pair of narrow, postsutural dorsocentral stripes; postpronotal lobe and notopleuron fulvous, connected by fulvous/white band. Thorax with well-developed chaetotaxy: 2 scapular setae, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 dorsocentral placed little behind level of postsutural supra-alar seta, 1 intra-alar, and 1 prescutellar acrostichal. Scutellum dark fuscous with 2 pairs of scutellar setae. Anepisternum fulvous with 3 setae arranged in triangular pattern, 1 anterior to phragma; anepimeron fulvous with single seta; katepisternum fulvous with single seta; anatergite dark fuscous with fine, erect hairs; katatergite fulvous; subscutellum and mediotergite light fuscous. Legs (Fig. 5). Fulvous without any dark fuscous to black markings; forefemur with 5−6 ventral setae, two rows of 10 dorsal setae; apex of mid tibia with prominent black spine like seta. Wing (Fig. 7). Medium sized (5.51−5.67 mm long); basal half hyaline, except subcostal band continuous from pterostigma to apex of vein m₄; apical half fuscous with hyaline indentations: hyaline indentation in cell r₁ extending to vein R₄₊₅, cell r₂₊₃ with subhyaline preapical triangular patch, apex of cell r₄₊₅ with narrow lens-shaped hyaline mark, hyaline marking in cell m₄ extending into cell dm, apex of cell m₁ with subhyaline indentation. Abdomen (Fig. 6). Slender (2.29−2.43 mm long; 1.31−1.33 mm wide), predominantly fulvous and black apically; tergites 1−3 fulvous with irregular black markings medially, tergite 4 partly fulvous, tergites 5 and 6 entirely black.

Figures 1, 2.

Habitus of Holotype of Euphranta goniothalami David & Hancock, sp. nov. 1. Lateral habitus; 2. Dorsal habitus.

Figures 3–7.

Holotype of Euphranta goniothalami David & Hancock, sp. nov. 3. Head (frontal view); 4. Thorax (dorsal view); 5. Thorax (lateral view & legs); 6. Abdomen; 7. Wing.

Figures 8–10.

Female postabdominal strucures of Euphranta goniothalami David & Hancock, sp. nov. 8. Aculeus tip; 9. Spicules on distal end of eversible membrane; 10. Spermatheca.

Female genitalia . Oviscape black (1.82 mm), eversible membrane (1.05 mm long) shorter than oviscape with spicules on distal end flat with 5−6 projections (Fig. 9); aculeus distinctly shorter (0.5 times) than oviscape with conical apex and preapical steps (Fig. 8a, b). Spermathecae elongate curved, densely covered with fine hairs (Fig. 10).

Remarks.

This species was collected from infested fruits of Goniothalamus keralensis in Idukki district, Kerala during the studies on reproductive biology of the host plant by one of the coauthors. Goniothalamus keralensis is a rare endemic species of Annonaceae occurring in the Western Ghats. It is a medium-large sized shrub (Fig. 11), found along streams and riverbanks (Riverine/Riparian habitat). After pollination, the fruit development was recorded from May to June. Ripe fruits are observed by the end of August and beginning of September and fruiting season ends by November. Fruits are an aggregate of berries, spindle shaped, and greenish to orange-red in colour on maturation (Fig. 12). Being riverine, most of the seeds are dispersed through water. Seeds are endospermous and typical Annonaceous type. A high rate of seed feeding by larvae of Euphranta goniothalami sp. nov. was recorded in G. keralensis during fruiting seasons in 2022 and 2023 which severely affected the recovery of the species. In 2024, only two larvae were observed in 10 to 11 berries in an aggregate. However, a single larva was present in a single fruit. Two larvae from attacked fruits were collected on 19.11.2024 and two flies emerged on 05.01.2025. It took 42−45 days from the date of collection for the adults to emerge; egg, larval and pupal stage were not observed.

Figures 11, 12.

Host plant of Euphranta goniothalami. 11. Habitat of Goniothalamus keralensis; 12. Fruits of Goniothalamus keralensis.