Synonymy of toxotrypana gerstaecker with anastrepha schiner (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Authors: Norrbom, Allen; BARR, NORMAN - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); KERR, P. - California Department Of Food And Agriculture; MENGUAL, XIMO - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA); NOLAZCON ALVARADO, NORMA - Florida Department Of Agriculture; RODRIQUEZ, E. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; STECK, G. - Florida Department Of Agriculture; SUTTON, B. - Florida Department Of Agriculture; URAMOTO, K. - Universidade De Sao Paulo; ZUCCHI, R. - Universidade De Sao Paulo

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/2018
Publication Date: 9/15/2018
Citation: Norrbom, A.L., Barr, N., Kerr, P.H., Mengual, X., Nolazcon Alvarado, N., Rodriquez, E.J., Steck, G.J., Sutton, B.D., Uramoto, K., Zucchi, R.A. 2018. Synonymy of toxotrypana gerstaecker with anastrepha schiner (Diptera: Tephritidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 12:834-841.

Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies include some of the most important pests of fruits and vegetables worldwide. The majority of the pest species are exotic and are threats to agriculture in the United States. Most of the important pest species that occur in the American tropics and subtropics are classified in a group named Anastrepha, which includes about 300 species in total. Seven species, including a pest of papaya, have been classified in another group named Toxotrypana. These two groups appear superficially distinctive, mainly because the species of Toxotrypana are wasp mimics. Based on a recent molecular based study of the evolutionary relationships of these two groups and previous morphological studies showing their similarity in genitalic characters, it is now clear that Toxotrypana arose within Anastrepha and that these two groups should be combined. In this paper this combination is formally recognized and the species of Toxotrypana are transferred to Anastrepha. Although the former name is older, use of Anastrepha as the valid name is justified by the much greater economic significance of the species currently included in it. This information will be used by APHIS-PPQ and other regulatory agencies responsible quarantine regulations and for detection programs to prevent establishment of pest species in the United States.

Technical Abstract: Based on a recent phylogenetic analysis, Toxotrypana Gerstaecker, 1860 is here placed in synonymy of Anastrepha Schiner, 1868. Although Toxotrypana is the senior name, Anastrepha is recognized as valid because of the much greater economic significance of its species. Changing the names of the many pest species of Anastrepha would cause major nomenclatural instability and confusion in the applied literature, therefore a proposal to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is being submitted to validate this usage. The following nomenclatural changes are proposed: Anastrepha australis (Blanchard, 1960), new combination, Anastrepha curvicauda (Gerstaecker, 1860), new combination, Anastrepha littoralis (Blanchard, 1960), new combination, Anastrepha nigra (Blanchard, 1960), new combination, Anastrepha picciola (Blanchard, 1960), new combination, Anastrepha proseni (Blanchard, 1960), new combination, Anastrepha recurcauda (Tigrero, 1992), new combination (all transferred from Toxotrypana), and Anastrepha nigrina Norrbom, new name for Anastrepha nigra Norrbom & Korytkowski, 2009.