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Anastrepha fernandezi Caraballo

Recognition
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Anastrepha fernandezi belongs to the schausi species group, which differs from other species of Anastrepha in having minute spines on the glans of the male, the facial carina weak, the lateral surstylus acute, its lateral margin usually slightly concave, and the male face and/or abdomen with white or brown markings. Anastrepha fernandezi differs from all other species of Anastrepha except A. hermosa and A. schausi by the shape of the face, particularly its angulate lower margin. It differs from both of these species in wing pattern (V-band incomplete) and male facial and abdominal color patterns. Males of A. fernandezi have a white spot on the facial ridge, whereas A. hermosa and A. schausi have broad white or black facial bands. The medial white stripe on the male abdomen is more extensive than in A. hermosa and the dark brown abdominal markings are absent in A. schausi. A. fernandezi also differs from A. hermosa in having broader nonmicrotrichose areas on the scutum. The abdominal microtrichia pattern is also a useful diagnostic characters. Females would probably run to A. aphelocentema Stone, A. nunezae Steyskal, or A. greenei Lima in the key of Steyskal (1977); these species have normally shaped faces with strong carinae, and at least A. aphelocentema and A. nunezae lack the median stripe of microtrichia on the scutum in A. fernandezi.

Classification and Evolutionary Relationships
Order: Diptera. Family: Tephritidae. Genus: Anastrepha. Species: fernandezi. Author: Caraballo.
Relationships among the species of Anastrepha were analyzed by Norrbom et al. (1999) and McPheron et al. (1999). Click here for more detailed discussion of Anastrepha phylogeny. A. fernandezi has been placed in the schausi species group, which includes three other species.

Names Used for this Species
Anastrepha fernandezi Caraballo 1985: 26.
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Type data
Holotype - Female (Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay), VENEZUELA: Aragua, Rancho Grande, 1100 m, 4.vi.1958, F. Fernandez-Yepez.

Distribution
Anastrepha fernandezi is known only from the state of Aragua, Venezuela.
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Biology
The host plants and biology of A. fernandezi are unknown.

Economic Significance
Anastrepha fernandezi is not considered a pest species.

References
Key references are listed below. See fruit fly literature database for additional references.
Caraballo C., J. 1985. Nuevas especies del genero Anastrepha Schiner, 1868 (Diptera: Tephritidae) de Venezuela. Bol. Entomol. Venez. (N.S.) 4: 25-30.
McPheron, B. A., H.-Y. Han, J. G. Silva & A. L. Norrbom. 1999. Phylogeny of the genera Anastrepha and Toxotrypana (Trypetinae: Toxotrypanini) based upon 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA sequences, p. 343-361. In M. Aluja & A. L. Norrbom, eds., Fruit flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and evolution of behavior. CRC Press, Boca Raton. [16] + 944 p. [phylogeny]
Norrbom, A. L. & K. C. Kim. 1988. Revision of the schausi group of Anastrepha Schiner (Diptera: Tephritidae), with a discussion of the terminology of the female terminalia in the Tephritoidea. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 81: 164-173.
Norrbom, A. L., R. A. Zucchi & V. Hernández-Ortiz. 1999. Phylogeny of the genera Anastrepha and Toxotrypana (Trypetinae: Toxotrypanini) based on morphology, p. 299-342. In M. Aluja & A. L. Norrbom, eds., Fruit flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and evolution of behavior. CRC Press, Boca Raton. [16] + 944 p. [classification & phylogeny]