Acroceratitis sachini David, Hancock & Noor 2025, sp. nov.

Acroceratitis sachini David, Hancock & Noor, sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 62BB1BD3-863E-49B3-B2B9-86FABCF8C465 (Figures 1−16) Acroceratitis striata: David & Ramani, 2011: 12, 28, figs 52, 78; David et al., 2014: 418, fig. 26. Misidentifications. Description: Female (Fig. 1). Large-sized (9.46 mm including oviscape), predominantly orange with dark-brown/ black markings (Figs. 1, 3); wing length (7.14 mm). Head (Fig. 5): Frons fulvous with 3 pairs of frontal, 2 pairs of orbital, 1 pair of ocellar, 1 pair of postocellar, 1 pair of medial and lateral vertical setae. Occiput fulvous with row of black postocular setae, gena fulvous with diffused brownish subocular marking and well-developed genal seta. Face flat without prominent concavity, devoid of any markings. Scape, pedicel fulvous, first flagellomere fulvous with dorsoapical point, arista long plumose; combined length of antennal segments shorter than face. Thorax (Fig. 6): Scutum predominantly orange with black markings as follows; a medial black vitta from scapular seta (basal portion faint in preserved specimens) broadened posteriorly near level of dorsocentral seta to a broad bulbous spot ending at prescutellar acrostichal setae; broad vitta from postpronotal lobe to anterior notopleural seta and just beyond transverse suture to postalar seta; three broad quadrate patches laterally, one before transverse suture and two beyond transverse suture. Yellow lateral poststutural vittae present and posterior margin of scutum with U-shaped xanthine, arms extended anteriorly to dorsocentral setae. Postpronotal lobe with a broad black spot, notopleuron black with narrow fulvous area including the posterior notopleural seta. Chaetotaxy (all setae black): 2 scapular, 1 postpronotal, 1 anterior and 1 posterior notopleural, 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 1 dorsocentral (aligned with postsutural supra-alar) and 1 prescutellar acrostichal setae. Pleura entirely fulvous with 2 anepisternal, 1 anepimeral and 1 katepepisternal setae. Scutellum predominantly black with broad basal white band extended to basal setae and 2 pairs of scutellar setae, subscutellum black, mediotergite yellow, haltere fulvous. Legs (Fig. 7): all segments fulvous, forefemur with 6−7 stout ventral setae, hind femur with 5−6 dorsal setae and 8−9 ventral setae. Wing (Fig. 9): Hyaline with broad, costal band (orange basally, brown apically) extending from apex of cell sc to wing apex with hyaline submarginal area in cells r 1 and r 2+3, discal band fused with costal band, subapical band and posterior apical band separated from costal band. Crossvein r-m placed before middle of cell dm in posterior margin of discal band, cell cua extension shorter than cell. Abdomen: Tergites fulvous in fresh specimens (Figs. 1−4), grey-brown in preserved specimens (Fig. 8); tergites 3−5 without narrow basal black band. Oviscape (Figs 1, 13) concolorous with abdomen, as long as or slightly longer than abdomen; aculeus tip (Fig. 14) pointed with 4 preapical setae, of which two distal setae longer than the proximal one, spicules on the eversible membrane with 8−10 conical projections (Fig. 15), spermathecae (Fig. 16) dark brown, tightly coiled. Male (Figs. 2, 4): Similar to female except smaller (total body length, 6.49 mm; wing length, 6.45 mm). Male genitalia (Figs. 10, 11) with fulvous epandrium shorter than lateral surstylus and not demarcated from surstylus; posterior lobe of surstylus as long as anterior lobe. Proctiger concolorous with epandrium, setose, much larger than epandrium and densely covered with fine hairs. Phallus elongate (5.44 mm) with well-developed glans (0.49 mm) and a basal lobe (Fig. 12). Material examined: Holotype ♀, INDIA, Karnataka, Uttarakannada, Halamaddi, 27.viii.2021, Sachin, K. Paratypes: 1♀, 7♂♂, same data as holotype; 1♀ INDIA, Karnataka, Shimoga, Shettihalli, 06.i.2006, Naveen Kumar (NIM). Etymology: The species is named after the collector, Sachin, K. Diagnosis: Resembling A. striata (Froggatt) and A. parastriata David & Hancock in having a large black spot on postpronotum; scutellum mostly black with yellow basal area and elongate oviscape, but can be differentiated from A. parastriata by the yellow mediotergite, entirely fulvous abdominal segments, absence of apical spots on the scutellum, wing with subapical and posterior apical band not fused with costal band, and from A. striata by the oviscape longer than the abdomen and absence of yellow apical scutellar spots. It also resembles A. tenmalaica Hancock & Drew in scutellar and wing markings but can be separated easily by postpronotal lobe with fuscous/ black marking and abdominal tergite 3 fulvous/ yellow without black markings.