Megaselia floccicauda, Disney, R. Henry L., 2006

Disney, R. Henry L., 2006, Eight new species of Megaselia Rondani (Diptera: Phoridae) from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen, Zootaxa 1371, pp. 1-21 : 4-6

Megaselia floccicauda sp. nov.

( Figs 5 – 7 )

In Beyer’s (1965) keys this species runs to couplet 26 on page 50, but is immediately distinguished by the lack of posterior or ventral processes of the epandrium. The male fails to run down in the keys to British species ( Disney, 1989) and its hypopygium differs from other Palaearctic species running to the same points in the key.

Etymology

Named after the conspicuously hairy rear end of the male abdomen and hypopygium.

Male

Frons brown, a little broader than long, with 60 – 74 hairs and dense but very fine microsetae. SAs robust but lower pair clearly shorter. Upper SAs about level with antials which are clearly closer to anterolaterals, which are very slightly higher on frons. Preocellars further apart than upper SAs but closer together than either is from a mediolateral bristle, which is at about the same level on frons. Cheek with 2 – 4 bristles and jowl with 2 longer ones. Postpedicels subglobose, brown, and without SPS vesicles. Palps pale straw yellow to lightly tinged brown, with six bristles and as many hairs. Labrum yellowish brown, but darker than palps and about 0.7x as wide as postpedicel. Labella coloured as palps, and each with>10 short spinules below. Thorax brown, being a little paler on sides. Mesopleuron with 5 – 7 hairs. Three notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Scutellum with an anterior pair of hairs (shorter than hairs at rear of scutum) and a posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites brown with the hairs on T6 longer than rest ( Fig. 5 ). Venter brown, and with hairs below segments 3 – 6, those at the rear of 5 and 6 being stronger. Hypopygium mainly brown, but with lighter brown anal tube and an almost colourless left lobe of hypandrium, and as Fig. 5 . Right lobe of hypandrium vestigial. With two rectal papillae. Legs brown with pale tarsi. Fore tarsus with posterodorsal hair palisade on segments 1 – 3 or 1 – 4, and 5 a little longer than 4. Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia typically extends 0.5 – 0.6x the length, but is sometimes only 0.3x (in one specimen it is 0.3x on one leg and 0.5x on the other). Hairs below basal half of hind femur shorter than those of anteroventral row of outer half and little, if any, longer than the adjacent hairs of the anterior face. Hind tibia with 12 – 18 differentiated, but not strong, posterodorsal hairs. Spinules of apical combs simple. Wings 0.9 – 1.5 mm long. Costal index 0.31 – 0.34. Costal ratios 4.5 – 6.0: 0.8 – 1.2: 1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.07 – 0.11 mm long. Hair at base of vein 3 small. With two axillary bristles, both being at least as long as costal cilia. Sc not reaching R1. Veins with pale costa, light brown radial veins, 4 – 6 grey and 7 very pale. Membrane sarcely tinged grey (not evident to naked eye when viewed against a white background). Haltere brown.

Female

Frons similar to male. Labrum about as wide as diameter of postpedicel and as Fig. 7 . Otherwise head similar to male. Thorax as male, but hairs on mesopleuron number 5 – 9. Abdominal tergites brown. T5 – T7 as Fig. 6 . Venter brownish grey, and with a few hairs below segments 3 – 6. Sternite 7 triangular, with four hairs at rear margin and a few smaller ones in front of these. Posterolateral lobes at rear of sternum 8 not protruding but lightly coloured brown and with three long hairs at rear margin and some shorter ones in front. The hairs at tip of hypoproct about as long as those at rear of S7. Cerci brown and about 2.6x as long as broad. With two rectal papillae. Furca not evident. Dufour’s crop mechanism rounded behind and about twice as long as greatest breadth. Legs similar to male. Wing as male except CI may be as low as 0.29. Otherwise it and haltere as male.

Material

Holotype male, Ye m e n, Ta’izz, light trap, viii.1999, A. van Harten ( CUMZ, 2 – 144). Paratypes, 3 males, 12 km N.W. Manakhah, Malaise trap, 3.vii – 2.viii.2001, A. v H. ( CUMZ, 2 – 160); 2 males, 15.ix.2003 ( CUMZ, 32 – 123, 124). 1 female, United Arab Emirates, Sharjah Desert Park, light trap, 9 – 21. iii.2005 ( CUMZ, 32 – 131); 1 male, 5 females, Wadi Maidaq, water traps, 28.xi – 1.xii.2005 ( CUMZ, 32 – 142). 1 male, 2 females, Wadi Safad, light trap, 20.xii.2005 – 2.i.2006 ( CUMZ, 32 – 147).

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 7. Megaselia floccicauda. (5) male, left face of hypopygium; (6) female, abdominal tergites 5 – 7; (7) female, labrum (with tips of hypopharynx and glossa). Scale bars = 0.1 mm.