Botria Rondani, 1856

Tachi, Takuji, 2013, Systematic study of the genera Phryno Robineau-Desvoidy and Botria Rondani in the Palearctic Region, with discussions of their phylogenetic positions (Diptera, Tachinidae), Zootaxa 3609 (4), pp. 361-391 : 376-378

Genus Botria Rondani, 1856

Botria Rondani, 1856: 68 (as Bothria on p. 203, incorrect original spelling: see O’Hara et al. 2011: 40). Type species: Botria pascuorum Rondani, 1856 , by original designation (= Tachina frontosa Meigen, 1824 ).

See Herting and Dely-Draskovits (1993: 237) for a complete list of synonyms.

Description. Head ( Fig. 2 ). Male with vertex distinctly narrower than in female; inner vertical seta strong, approximately 1.5 times as long as anterior reclinate orbital seta; outer vertical seta weak; ocellar seta strong, subequal in length to anterior reclinate orbital seta; fronto-orbital plate with many fine setulae; anterior reclinate orbital seta situated behind middle of fronto-orbital plate; posterior reclinate orbital seta very weak in male, strong in female; two proclinate orbital setae present in female, absent in male; 7–10 frontal setae, descending to level of lower margin of pedicel; parafacial bare; facial ridge prominent with many short setae on lower half or more; lower facial margin not produced forward beyond level of vibrissal angle; upper occiput with some rows of black setulae behind postocular setae; postgena bulged, with dense fine white pile; compound eye densely setulose. Antenna with first flagellomere nearly rectangular; first aristomere shorter than wide; second aristomere 1.5-2.0 times as long as wide; third aristomere bare, thickened on basal 1/2–3/4. Palpus clavate; prementum approximately three times as long as wide; labella pad-like.

Thorax. Dorsum and pleura black in ground color, with silvery white or grayish white pruinosity; apical part of scutellum yellowish orange. Postpronotal lobe with three basal setae in a straight line and one anterior seta placed anteriorly between middle and inner basal setae; two presutural and three postsutural acrostichal setae, three presutural and four postsutural dorsocentral setae, one presutural and three postsutural intra-alar setae; scutellum usually without a pair of apical setae, if present, then fine and parallel or divergent, subapical setae strong, 2–3 times as long as scutellum, lateral, basal and one pair of discal setae present; proepisternum bare; one proepisternal and one proepimeral setae strong and directed upward; anepisternum with a row of setae along posterior margin; three katepisternal setae, lower seta rather weak, distinctly shorter than upper anterior seta; katepimeron, katatergite and anatergite bare.

Wing. Hyaline, often tinged with pale brown on crossvein r-m; tegula black; basicosta brown or dark orange; lower calypter whitish brown to light brown. Vein R1 bare; R4+5 with 1–3 setae at base dorsally and ventrally; distance of wing vein M between crossveins r-m and dm-cu distinctly longer than that between crossvein dm-cu and bend of vein M.

Legs. Coxae, femora and tarsi broadly black or dark brown; trochanters and tibiae reddish yellow or brown. Mid tibia with two anterodorsal, two posterodorsal and one ventral setae; male claws and pulvilli long, approximately 1.5 times as long as fifth tarsomere, in female shorter.

Abdomen. Syntergum 1+2 excavated to its posterior margin; lateral and median marginal setae present on syntergum 1+2 and third tergum; third and fourth terga each with a pair of median discal setae; fourth and fifth terga each with some strong marginal setae; male fifth sternum more or less U-shaped and bearing some long setae on anterior lobes.

Male postabdomen ( Figs. 22–24 , 26–31 ). Epandrium nearly trapezoidal in lateral view with some long setae; surstylus slightly curved anteriorly on apical half, bearing some setae on outer surface, apex usually with minute spines ventrodistally (but lacking in B. frontosa ), and flattened in dorsal view; cerci narrowly separated on apical portion; hypandrial arms usually separated and extending posteriorly; pregonite rather triangular, with some weak setae on dorsal portion; postgonite not fused with pregonite, nearly square and rounded in lateral view; epiphallus narrow and sometimes weakly sclerotized; distiphallus nearly rectangular, with a deep notched membranous area in lateral view.

Female postabdomen ( Fig. 25 ). Short; sixth tergum usually divided medially into hemitergites, nearly rectangular, with a few long setae on posterior margin; sixth sternum nearly rectangular, subequal in length to fifth sternum, with some long setae; seventh tergum separated into two hemitergites, with some setae on posterior margin; seventh sternum nearly trapezoid, longer than sixth sternum, with short setae; eighth tergum of two hemitergites; eighth sternum absent or strongly reduced; epiproct absent or strongly reduced; spiracles of sixth and seventh segments both on sixth segment.

Egg: Microtype ( Fig. 47 ): Ellipsoid in form, dorsal chorion rather thin and strongly or weakly reticulated, approximately 0.30 mm long and 0.18 mm wide.

Remarks. The genus Botria comprises four species distributed in the Palearctic Region (Herting & Dely- Draskovits 1993; O’Hara et al. 2009). This genus is very similar to Phryno in general appearance, but may be distinguished from it by having the facial ridge bearing short setae on lower half (cf. Fig. 2 ). Based on the results of the phylogenetic analysis, monophyly of the genus is supported by the setose facial ridge and the absence or reduction of female eighth abdominal sternum.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Male heads in profile. 1. Phryno katoi Mesnil (Hokkaido, Japan). 2. Botria frontosa (Meigen) (Saitama, Japan). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. (Abbreviations. comp eye: compound eye; fir flgm: first flagellomere; ped: pedicel; fa rid: facial ridge).

FIGURES 22 – 25. Male and female postabdomen of Botria frontosa (Meigen) (Saitama, Japan). 22. Epandrium, cerci and surstylus in lateral view. 23. Same in dorsal view (setae omitted on left side). 24. Hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite and phallus in lateral view. 25. Female postabdomen in lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 26 – 31. 26 – 28. Male postabdomen of B. japonica Mesnil (Hokkaido, Japan). 26. Epandrium, cerci and surstylus in lateral view. 27. Same in dorsal view (setae omitted on left side). 28. Hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite and phallus in lateral view. 29 – 31. Male postabdomen of B. subalpina Villeneuve (Germany). 29. Epandrium, cerci and surstylus in lateral view. 30. Same in dorsal view (setae omitted on left side). 31. Hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite and phallus in lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 47 – 54. Microtype eggs showing dorsal chorion in dorsal view. 47. Botria japonica (Hokkaido, Japan). 48. Phryno katoi (Iwate, Japan). 49. Cyzenis sp. (Hokkaido, Japan). 50. Sericozenillia albipila (Tokyo, Japan). 51. Allophorocera rutila (Saitama, Japan). 52. Calozenillia tamara (Hokkaido, Japan). 53. Gonia chinensis (Hokkaido, Japan). 54. Pales pavida (Hokkaido, Japan). Scale bars = 50 μm.