Melaloncha concavella, Gonzalez, Lisa & Brown, Brian V., 2004

Gonzalez, Lisa & Brown, Brian V., 2004, New species and records of Melaloncha (Udamochiras) bee­killing flies (Diptera: Phoridae), Zootaxa 730, pp. 1-14 : 4

Melaloncha concavella new species

Fig. 1

Recognition. This species is similar to M. cucharella n. sp. which has a similar concavity, but unlike that species the concavity of M. concavella is lightly colored and almost membranous. In the key of Brown (2004a), this species keys to couplet 38 (once the error in couplet 7 is fixed, see above), where it agrees with M. trua Brown in having a dorsally concave ovipositor. In M. concavella , however, the ovipositor is much more narrow in dorsal view, and the concavity is much more clearly defined.

Description. Female (male unknown). Body length 2.8–3.1 mm. Mean frontal ratio 0.26 head width; range 0.26–0.27. Frons orange except ocellar triangle black; shiny, sparsely punctate with fine, small setulae; median furrow present, broad. Dorsal interfrontal setae absent. Palpus unmodified. Ocular and genal setae yellow, flattened. Forelegs, including foretarsomeres, uniformly brownish yellow. Combined length of foretarsomeres 0.75 tibial length. Mid­ and hind legs brownish yellow; hind femur with dark brown macula at apex. Mean costal length 0.55 wing length; range 0.55–0.56. Abdominal tergites black, with anterior band of silver pollinosity. Venter of abdomen gray; venter of segment 6 with few extremely fine setae. Ovipositor slightly curved ventrally, with only short, fine setae throughout. Dorsum of ovipositor with slight expansion before apex, and apical concavity; integument of concavity extremely thin, light­colored, and inflated in alcohol­preserved specimens.

Host. The flies were attracted to and darted at an aggregation of Trigona branneri Cockerell on rotten bananas in a small banana plantation.

Distribution. Bolivia.

Derivation of specific epithet. Latin concavus, referring to the dorsoapical concavity of the ovipositor.

Holotype. Ψ, BOLIVIA: La Paz: San Lorenzo Valley, 15.81°S, 67.49°W, 14.iv.2003, B. Brown, attracted to T. branneri on rotting bananas [LACM ENT 181149] (CBFC).

PARATYPES. Two Ψ, same data as holotype except 16.iv.2003 (LACM).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Melaloncha (Udamochiras) spp. Ovipositors, dorsal.