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Rhagoletotrypeta Aczél (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Rhagoletotrypeta rohweri, dorsal habitus, female.

Recognition
Species of Rhagoletotrypeta may be distinguished from other Tephritidae by the following combination of characters: Antenna not extended beyond ventral facial margin. First flagellomere rounded apically. Thorax usually mostly brown. Scutum with medial yellow or white stripe, and with or without white band on transverse suture, sometimes extended to intra-alar seta as sublateral stripe. Dorsocentral seta closer to level of postsutural supra-alar seta than level of postalar seta. Length of vein M from BM-Cu to R-M/ length from BM-Cu to DM-Cu less than 0.60. Aculeus tip either more than half as long as aculeus or deeply trilobed in ventral view. 2-3 spermathecae. Lateral surstylus elongate, with mesal lobe near prensisetae. Medial surstylus short, extended only slightly beyond epandrium.
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Classification and Evolutionary Relationships
Order: Diptera. Family: Tephritidae. Subfamily: Trypetinae. Tribe: Carpomyini. Genus: Rhagoletotrypeta. Author: Aczél.
Rhagoletotrypeta belongs to the tribe Carpomyini, but its exact relationships within this group are not fully understood. It may be most closely related to Cryptodacus, Haywardina, and Zonosemata. The phylogenetic relationships among the species of Rhagoletotrypeta were analyzed by Norrbom (1994). Click here for a fuller discussion of Rhagoletotrypeta phylogeny.

Diversity & Distribution
Rhagoletotrypeta is endemic to the Americas. There are nine currently recognized species, including five from South America (Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) and four from North America (northeastern USA to Costa Rica).
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Click here for list of included species and links to species pages.
Click here for character matrix for species.

Names Used for this Genus
Rhagoletotrypeta Aczél 1951: 313, Type species R. xanthogastra Aczél, by original designation.
Serpentinographa Aczél 1951: 308, Type species S. argentinensis Aczél, by original designation. Synonymy (Foote 1966: 803).
Chaetorhagoletis Aczél 1954: 138 (nomen nudum, attributed to Blanchard).
Click here to link to fly names database for full nomenclatural data.

Biology
So far as known, species of Rhagoletotrypeta breed exclusively in fruits of Celtis species (Ulmaceae). All six of the species that have been reared have Celtis hosts. Other aspects of the biology of Rhagoletotrypeta species are poorly known. Almost nothing is known of their behavior.

Economic Significance
Species of Rhagoletotrypeta are not considered economically important.

Comments
Norrbom (1994) revised and keyed the species of Rhagoletotrypeta and analyzed their phylogenetic relationships. Two species groups, the xanthogastra group and the annulata group, are recognized, each of which is clearly monophyletic. Although further testing is needed to corroborate that they are sister groups (i.e., that Rhagoletotrypeta is monophyletic), this seems likely considering their hosts (they are the only Carpomyini known to breed in Celtis). The name Serpentinographa is available for the annulata group if it should be recognized as a separate genus.

References
Click here to access fruit fly literature database
Aczél, M. L. 1951. Generos y especies de la Tribu "Trypetini". I. Dos generos y tres especies nuevos de la Argentina (Tephritidae, Diptera). Acta Zool. Lilloana (1950) 9: 307-323. [p. 313, description of Rhagoletotrypeta; p. 308, description of Serpentinographa]
Aczél, M. L. 1954. Géneros y especies de la tribus Trypetini 4. El género Rhagoletotrypeta y nuevas especies de Tomoplagia y de Zonosemata (Diptera, Tephritidae). Dusenia 5: 137-164. [p. 138, key, new species]
Foote, R. H. 1966. The genus Rhagoletotrypeta, with a new Nearctic species (Diptera: Tephritidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 59: 803-807. [p. 803, revision, synonymy of Serpentinographa]
Foote, R. H. 1967. Family Tephritidae (Trypetidae, Trupaneidae). In N. Papavero, ed., A Catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. Departmento de Zoologia, Secretaria da Agricultura, São Paulo. Fasc. 57, 91 pp. [p. 41, catalog]
Foote, R. H. 1980. Fruit fly genera south of the United States. United States Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin No. 1600, 79 pp. [p. 46; review]
Foote, R. H., F. L. Blanc & A.L. Norrbom. 1993. Handbook of the Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of America North of Mexico. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 571 pp. [p. 365, U.S.A. spp.]
Norrbom, A. L. 1989. The status of Urophora acuticornis and U. sabroskyi (Diptera: Tephritidae). Entomol. News. 100: 59-66. [relationships, classification]
Norrbom, A. L. 1994. New species and phylogenetic analysis of Cryptodacus, Haywardina, and Rhagoletotrypeta (Diptera: Tephritidae). Insecta Mundi 8: 37-65. [revision, phylogenetic analysis]
Norrbom, A. L., L. E. Carroll, F. C. Thompson, I. M. White & A. Freidberg. 1999. Systematic database of names, pp. 65-251. In F. C. Thompson (ed.), Fruit Fly Expert Identification System and Systematic Information Database. Myia (1998) 9, vii + 524 pp. & Diptera Data Dissemination Disk (CD-ROM) (1998) 1. [p.   , catalog]
Steyskal, G. C. 1981. A new species of Rhagoletotrypeta (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Texas, with a key to the known species. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 83: 707-712. [key, new species]

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