Bengalia racovitzai ( Lehrer, 2005 )

Rognes, Knut, 2011, Revision of the Bengalia spinifemorata species-group (Diptera, Calliphoridae), Zootaxa 2835, pp. 1-29 : 10-12

2. Bengalia racovitzai ( Lehrer, 2005)

Figs. 11–19 .

Maraviola racovitzai Lehrer, 2005: 161 , 163 fig. 72. Holotype male (MRAC, examined), by original designation. Type locality: Democratic Republic of Congo, Lubumbashi [as “Cubumbus”].

Note. Rognes (2006) by error synonymised racovitzai and smarti . Lehrer (2005: 162) miscited the locality on the label as “Cubumbus”.

Bengalia spinifemorata: Zumpt, 1956: 169 , specimens from “Elisabethville … CH. SEYDEL”, “Katanga: Kakinga … leg. H. J. BRÉDO” and “Thysville; 1929 … leg. M. DIDIER”, 169 fig. 97 (lower right?). Examined. Misidentifications, not spinifemorata Villeneuve.

Diagnosis. Male. Length: 11–13mm (mean 12.1mm, n=5). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.304–0.317 (mean 0.311, n=5). ST5 flap not sunk deeply into main part of ST5, its lateral tips projecting well beyond hind edge of main part of ST5. ST5 flap deeply excavated, excavation V-shaped, the inside of the V is straight or even convex towards the midline and its bottom narrow ( Fig. 18 ). The tip of the lobes (“horns”) is somewhat pointed, rounded and not flattened from side to side. Surstylus slightly broadening distad, with a low conspicuous bulge middorsally, very strongly concave on inside. Bacilliform sclerite process forming a very low protuberance. Semicircular sclerotisation of distiphallus with no particular characteristics except for being narrow at apex. Tip of beak far behind level of junction of veil and veil process. Right and left parts of veil large, vertical, very weakly sclerotised and transparent, with a rib on anterior side along middle. Upper margin smooth and without serrations. Distal end of veil process flattened and denticulate along edge and on flat surface. Posterior half of the hypophallic lobe half as wide as the anterior part as seen in ventral view. Dentate process evenly narrowing distally, appearing rather acute in exact profile view, and denticulate laterally and ventrally.

Female. Unknown.

Discussion. Bengalia racovitzai can be separated from B. smarti on the characters given in the key. Lehrer’s (2005: 172) lectotype designation for Bengalia spinifemorata Villeneuve, 1913 has restricted the name to the apparently very rare species having the hind end of the “horns” of the ST5 flap not projecting beyond the posterior edge of ST5 ( Fig. 50 ) (known only from the lectotype; see below for a treatment of B. spinifemorata ). The figures of the ST5 flap by Malloch (1927) and Zumpt (1956) all show the tip of the horns of the ST5 flap to project well beyond the hind of the main part of ST5. Thus the species from which these figures have been made do not belong to B. spinifemorata . Malloch’s material belongs to Bengalia smarti (Lehrer) , see below under that species.

Some of the specimens listed from the “Collection Musée du Congo ” (MRAC) by Zumpt (1956) have been seen by Lehrer and have status as paratypes of Maraviola racovitzai Lehrer.

Zumpt (1956: 168) thought for some time that two species were involved under his “ B. spinifemorata ”, but came to the conclusion that there “is really only one, the hypopygium of which is subject to a slight variability”. His first opinion was correct: at least his material from Congo consisted both of B. racovitzai (specimens from “Elisabethville … CH. SEYDEL”, “Katanga: Kakinga … leg. H. J. BRÉDO” and “Thysville; 1929 … leg. M. DIDIER”) and B. seniorwhitei (see below, under holotype and paratype of Maraviola congoliana , for misidentified Zumpt material from “… Rutshuru … leg. LIPPENS” and “Mulungu près Shabunda … leg. HAUTMANN”). Comparing the list of material in MRAC below, and the corresponding list for M. congoliana (under B. seniorwhitei , below) it seems that I have examined males from all the localities that Zumpt (1956) mentions for his “ B. spinifemorata ” from the “ Belgian Congo ”. From other Congo localities only females are mentioned.

Lehrer (2005) has misidentified some of his own paratypes of racovitzai , i.e., those from South Africa (3 specimens) in MRAC and those from South Africa and Zimbabwe (3 specimens) in BMNH, see below under B. smarti .

Distribution. Democratic Republic of Congo (Bas-Congo, Katanga), Kenya.

Material examined. Type material. Maraviola racovitzai Lehrer, 2005 . Due to an accident in the mail some of the specimens borrowed from MRAC had lost legs, and in one case an abdomen had come loose. No loose heads were recovered, so the specimens without heads are assumed to have lacked them before the specimens were mailed to me. Holotype male, in MRAC, labelled (1) Zaire / Lubumbashi / 28.I.1972 / col. A B Stam [handwritten]; (2) BENGALIA // SPINIFEMORATA // 3 9 /1981 [?] Vill. [handwritten by Stam]; (3) Coll. Mus. Tervuren / ex.Coll.Dr. A.Stam [printed]; (4) HOLOTYPE [black print on red label]; (5) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr. A.Z.LEHRER / 2004 [pin hole at middle]; (6) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr. A.Z.LEH- RER / 2004 [pin hole at right end of label] ( Fig. 19 ). Note. The specimen lacks the head. Paratypes. BMNH [1 specimen is listed here; the remaining 3 of the 4 original paratypes in BMNH, i.e., those from South Africa (Johannesburg and Ingogo) and Zimbabwe have been misidentified by Lehrer: they belong to B. smarti (Lehrer) and are listed under that species, below]: 1 male labelled: (1) Dr. van Someren / NAIROBI / January 1928; (2) V.G.L. van Someren / Collection / Brit.Mus.1959-468.; (3) same as (2); (4) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n. sp. / Det. Dr. A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. This specimen had the dried genitalia in a big plastic vial, apparently nipped off by Lehrer from the tip of the abdomen where perhaps at least the epandrial complex was in an exerted position already. The left surstylus was a separate loose piece, the right surstylus was absent. ST5 and ST5 flap with associated parts made up a second unit in the vial. The third unit consisted of the cerci and epandrium with aedeagus, gonites and hypandrium. I had an accident with the genital parts during KOH treatment of the dried pieces for purposes of glycerol storage and lost the epandrial complex with the aedeagus. Fortunately, I had taken a stereomicroscope photograph of the distiphallus before the accident. The ST5 with the ST5 flap, and the left surstylus were recovered. The specimen belongs to B. racovitzai both by the shape of the ST5 flap and the dentate process. MRAC [7 specimens are listed here; the remaining 3 of the 10 original paratypes in MRAC, i.e., those from South Africa, have been misidentified by Lehrer: they belong to Bengalia smarti (Lehrer) and are listed under that species, below]: 1 male labelled: (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Elisabethville [now = Lubumbashi] / Dr. M. Bequaert; (2) R. DÉT / U / 4926 [U is handwritten]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. This specimen has the genitalia exerted and clearly visible. 1 male labelled (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Elisabethville / Dr. M. Bequaert; (2) R. DET / 6933 / F. [F. is handwritten]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. The dried genitalia are glued to a piece of card below specimen. 1 male labelled (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Elisabethville / (A. Smaelen) / (Don. Mr. Garpentier) [three last lines handwritten]; (2) R. DET / 6933 / F. [F. is handwritten]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. The dried genitalia are glued to a piece of card below specimen. 1 male labelled: (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Elisabethville R. Lu- / bumbashi) – 1920 / Dr. M. Bequaert; (2) R. DÉT / U / 4926 [U is handwritten]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. This specimen has the genitalia exerted and clearly visible. 1 male labelled (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Elisabethville / II.- 1925 / Ch. Seydel; (2) Bengalia 3 / spinifemorata Vill. / det. Zumpt 55 [folded handwritten label in Zumpt’s hand]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. The dried genitalia are on a card below the specimen. 1 male labelled (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Thysville [now = Mbanza-Ngungu] / 1929 / (Réc. Mr. Didier.) [handwritten]; (2) R. DET / 6933 / F. [F is handwritten]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEH- RER / 2004. Note. This specimen has been dissected by Lehrer. Genitalia transferred to glass microvial with glycerol by KR. Abdomen had got loose but is now glued to card below specimen. 1 male labelled (1) MUSÉE DU CONGO / Katanga: Kakinga / II- 1931 / H. J. Brédo [Kakinga is handwritten]; (2) R. DET. / 6933 / F. [F. is handwritten]; (3) Maraviola 3 / racovitzai Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2004. Note. The dried genitalia are on a card below the specimen. The abdomen is lost, no corresponding abdomen was recovered so it must have been absent before the specimen was mailed to me.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Bengalia racovitzai (Lehrer), male. 19. Labels from holotype of Maraviola racovitzai Lehrer in MRAC.

FIGURES 11 – 18. Bengalia racovitzai (Lehrer), male (11 – 16, 18 from holotype of Maraviola racovitzai Lehrer in MRAC; 17 from male paratype of Maraviola racovitzai labelled “ … Thysville … M. Didier … ” in MRAC). 11. Cerci and surstyli, dorsal view. 12. Cerci and surstyli, left lateral view. 13. Tip of cerci and surstyli, apical view. 14. Distiphallus, left lateral view. 15. Anterior half of distiphallus, dorsal view. 16. Distiphallus, slightly oblique anterior view. 17. Dentate process, hypophallic lobe, beak and opening of ejaculatory duct, left lateral view. 18. ST 5 flap.

FIGURES 44 – 50. Bengalia spinifemorata Villeneuve, male (from lectotype of Bengalia spinifemorata Villeneuve in MRAC). 44. Cerci and surstyli, slightly oblique dorsal view. 45. Cerci and surstyli, left lateral view. 46. Tip of left surstylus, apical view. 47. Aedeagus, left lateral view. 48. Distiphallus, apical view. 49. Distiphallus, ventral view. 50. ST 5 flap.