Melaloncha pulchella Brues, 1904

Brown, Brian V., 2006, Revision of the untreated taxa of Melaloncha s. s. bee-killing flies (Diptera: Phoridae), Zootaxa 1280 (1), pp. 1-68 : 13

Melaloncha pulchella Brues

Melaloncha pulchella Brues, 1904, p. 375 , plate IX fig. 62 (♂, ♀; Songo, Bolivia). ­ Brues, 1911, p. 440 (♂; Paraguay). ­ Borgmeier, 1971b, p. 128 (discussion and full description).

Syntypes. 1♂, 1♀, BOLIVIA: Songo [no date given], Kertész (Hungarian Natural History Museum). The specimens were destroyed during the Hungarian Revolt .

Recognition. This species cannot be identified at this time. As clues to its identity we have only the original description and whole body illustration (by Brues 1904), the latter of which was later rendered in color ( Brues 1906). Borgmeier (1971b) doubted that the specimen from Paraguay (mentioned by Brues 1911) was the same species.

Based on the original description of this species, in which Brues states that the midtibia has “no bristles except a single apical spur,” Borgmeier (1971b) inferred that the female of this species lacks dorsal setal palisades and setae, as does the highly unusual female of M. plaumanni . Unfortunately, Brues’s illustration shows at least some dorsal setae present, and Borgmeier pronounced it “incorrect.” Thus, the identity of this species is further confused, and I consider it to be unrecognizable at this time.