Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti, 1923

Woodley, Norman E., 2012, Revision of the southeast Asian soldier-fly genus Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti, 1923 (Diptera, Stratiomyidae, Pachygastrinae), ZooKeys 238, pp. 1-21 : 3

Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti, 1923 Figs 1-30

Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti 1923: 67. Type species, Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides Brunetti, by original designation.

Diagnosis.

This genus can be separated from all other genera of Stratiomyidae by its long antennae that have the bases widely separated, the sockets being closer to the eye margin than their diameter (Figs 1-5). This is certainly an apomorphic character state. The pair of bluntly conical processes on the lower face is also an apomorphic feature of this genus (Figs 9, 10).

Slender, elongate, wasp-mimicking flies generally about 10-12 mm in length (Fig. 1). Head: Eyes bare, strongly holoptic in males with upper ommatidia enlarged, females with eyes smaller, dichoptic with uniform ommatidia; lower margin of face with a pair of bluntly conical tubercles, each near the intersection of the face with the gena; antenna about three to four times length of head, cylindrical, scape about three times as long as pedicel, flagellum with eight flagellomeres, first six subequal in length, seventh and eighth slightly more elongate; palpus small, two-segmented, nearly cylindrical, second segment two to three times as long as first.

Thorax: Scutum convex; scutellum moderately convex, rounded, without spines; post-tegula with some short hairs; legs unmodified, hind femur very slightly clavate, tibiae without spurs; wing infuscated subapically in all known species; mostly set with microtrichia, with noticeable bare areas in cells c, br, bm, and cup and at base of wing; costal vein extending just beyond apex of R5, ending before wing apex; R2+3 originating beyond r-m by about or slightly more than length of r-m, ending in costa; R4 present; discal cell angular, about twice longer than wide; M3 absent; crossvein dm-cu absent; alula ovoid, posterior margin rounded, gradually widening distally.

Abdomen: Longer than thorax, very strongly clavate, second segment very narrow, almost cylindrical, dorsum of segments 3-5 nearly flat.

Remarks.

The four species treated in this revision are very similar in coloration and in morphological details. However, the male terminalia are strikingly different between the species. The terminalia are large and protrude from the end of the abdomen, so some details, particularly the structure of the gonostyli, can be viewed without dissection.

Key to the species of Parastratiosphecomyia