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Anastrepha pallens Coquillett

Recognition
Anastrepha pallens belongs to the daciformis species group, which differs from other species of Anastrepha in having the basal third of the scutellum brown, the male phallus extremely short (less than 0.30 mm long) and with the glans absent (as in the dentata group), and with the female eversible membrane dorsobasally with a single, medially interrupted row of very stout scales. It differs from other species of the daciformis group in having a hyaline basal marginal area in cell r₁ and the S-band interrupted along vein R₄₊₅ and in cell dm along vein Cu₁. The other species lacking the hyaline area in cell r₁ have the S-band complete. The brown posterior markings on the scutum are also useful diagnosic characters.

Description
Body predominantly orange to orange-brown.

Head: Mostly yellow. Frons with brown transverse dorsal band, rectangular or often narrowed between ocellar tubercle and orbital plate, at most moderately broad, not extended anteriorly beyond orbital seta. Gena with brown spot below eye, sometimes faint, especially in teneral specimens. Occiput yellow. Posterior orbital seta absent (of 39 specimens examined by Norrbom 1998 with intact head setae, present only on 1m (BMNH)).

Thorax: Scutum posteriorly with 2-3 brown spots or usually with trilobed brown band. Medial pale stripe bilobed posteriorly, lobes relatively stout, usually with distinct anterolateral corner, not extended to dorsocentral seta. Presutural dorsocentral pale stripe connected anteriorly to pale area on postpronotal lobe and connected, or rarely narrowly separated from, pale sublateral stripe. Presutural lateral pale stripe well differentiated, complete, including posterior part of notopleuron. Scutellum with lateral brown spot or complete transverse brown band bordering apical white area. Pleuron without brown markings; orange except following white areas, often not well differentiated: all of propleuron; anteroventral corner and posterodorsal half of anepisternum; dorsal band or 2 spots on katepisternum; katepimeron; anterior 1/4 of meron; anterior 2/3 of katatergite; and most of anatergite. Subscutellum and mediotergite entirely orange. Scutum nonmicrotrichose except lateral margin lateral to postsutural supra-alar seta; notopleuron partly microtrichose; scutellum microtrichose except extreme base of disc and most of side.

Wing: Bands yellow to orange and pale brown. C- and S-bands entirely separated or connected in cell R₁ along vein R₂₊₃ (but not along vein R₄₊₅; most of cell r₂₊₃ hyaline basal to r-m); cell r₁ with marginal hyaline mark, although sometimes small. S-band interrupted along vein R₄₊₅ and in cell dm along vein Cu₁; middle part extended anteriorly to vein R₄₊₅ along r-m; subapically narrow, hyaline area in cell r₂₊₃ extended to vein R₂₊₃; apically relatively narrow, but usually extended to apex of vein M. V-band extended anteriorly to vein R₄₊₅, connected to or occasionally narrowly separated from apical part of S-band; distal arm absent. Vein M strongly curved apically; M ratio 1.27-1.95.

Wing.

Abdomen: Tergites each with complete broad orange or partially red-brown band that broadens laterally.

Male terminalia: Lateral surstylus very short, barely extended beyond prensisetae. Phallus extremely short, less than 0.30 mm long; glans absent.

Female terminalia: Oviscape length 2.91-3.70, 0.95-1.17 times as long as mesonotum. Eversible membrane, on expanded basal part, with most dorsal scales weakly sclerotized, but with one, medially interrupted row of large, strongly sclerotized, hooklike scales. Aculeus slender, no more than 0.05 mm wide, except at base, length 2.66-3.05 mm; tip needlelike, nearly circular in cross-section, finely serrate apically, length 0.12-0.14 mm, width 0.02-0.04 mm.

Aculeus tip, ventral.

The egg and third instar larva were described by Phillips (1946), Norrbom (1985), and Steck et al. (1990).