Platypygus melinoproctus Loew

Gharali, Babak, Evenhuis, Neal L. & Almeida, Jorge, 2013, World synopsis of described species of the genus Platypygus Loew (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae: Platypyginae), Zootaxa 3745 (2), pp. 199-242 : 216-220

Platypygus melinoproctus Loew

( Figs. 11 , 12 )

Platypygus melinoproctus Loew, 1873: 203 . Becker et al., 1903: 192. Kertész, 1909: 97. Verrall, 1909: 14. Bezzi, 1926: 260. Paramonov, 1926: 90; 1929: 202, 224; 1934: 17. Austen, 1937: 181. Zaitzev, 1966: 142; 1989: 45. Hennig, 1969: 59. Hull, 1973: 262. Evenhuis, 1983: 480; 2002; 25. Contini et al., 1995: 6. Popescu-Mirceni & Pârvu, 2009: 431. Gharali et al., 2011: 27, 35.

Material examined. Non-types: IRAN: 5 females, 2 males, Ghazvin province, Shami Dasht, Tarom region, N36°35'28.5" E49°06'78.9", 2591 m, white pan traps, 22 July 2009, Babak Gharali (TMUC); 2 females, Keredj [= Karaj], 40 km W Tehran, 13–19 May 1936, Brandt (KBIN). TURKEY: 1 male, Van, Gevaş, 2000 m, 16 July 2004, J. Dils, J. Faes (J. Dils)

Notes on types. Loew (1873) described Platypygus melinoproctus based on an unknown number of male and female specimens from Fan, Tajikistan collected by Fedschenko who explored the area in 1870 [see above under P. lativentris for more details]. The ZMHB accession register from 1858–1884 has 5 specimens logged in under no. 9648 (all from “Fan”). Evenhuis (2002) examined these 5 syntypes in ZMHB.

Diagnostic features. Face yellow, with scattered long and white hairs; frons yellow; postgena slightly extended posteriorly as a blunt process; lower one-third of occiput yellow, remainder black with long white hairs; vertex black (11b, f); scape yellow, pedicel blackish brown, first flagellomere black; pronotum yellow with blackish brown mark dorsomedially; mesonotum yellow, with dense long white hairs throughout, with three longitudinal black stripes; lateral stripe extends from level of anterior spiracle to posterior margin of postalar calli, median stripe extends from anterior margin of mesonotum triangularly to three-fourths length of mesonotum with straight posterior margin ( Fig. 11 d); scutellum yellow with black mark basomedially, with dense long white hairs ( Fig. 11 a); halter yellow; r-m crossvein about the middle of cell dm ( Fig. 11 g).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 12 c–f). In lateral view, epandrium rectangular, longer than high, with two small acute processes ( Fig. 12 c), length about half that of epandrium; gonocoxites fused, apically round, gonostyli rod-shaped, acute apically, deeply inserted in gonocoxites, medially with well sclerotized denticles ( Fig. 12 d); in lateral view, basal aedeagal apodeme subrectangular, extending forward as long process ( Fig. 12 f).

Female genitalia ( Figs. 12 a, b). Furca U-shaped, sclerotized, lateral arms strongly sclerotized; with two sclerotized plates next to vaginal opening, common oviduct very short, brown, sclerotized; each spermathecal duct divided into two sections, a striated, shortly sclerotized and broad basal duct, and a narrow, long and smooth apical duct; without distinct sperm pump or valves; basal duct of median spermathecal duct narrower than that of lateral ducts, twisted spirally in median section, gradually broadened apically; apical duct narrower than basal duct, very long, 3.5 times basal duct; width of lateral spermathecal ducts about 2.5 times that of median duct; basal section of lateral spermathecal duct subequal to apical section; spermathecal reservoirs pear-shaped, about 2 times longer than greatest width, sclerotized with a small cap and a few long canaliculi ( Fig. 12 b).

Distribution. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan.

Remarks. Neither Efflatoun (1945) nor Steyskal & El Bialy (1967) treated P. melinoproctus in their work on the Egyptian bombyliids and El Hawagry (2011) did not include it in his checklist of Egyptian species of Mythicomyiidae . We have thus deleted Egypt from the current known range.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Platypygus melinoproctus: a — adult male (lateral view), b — head (anterolateral view), c — female abdomen (dorsal view), d — female mesonotum (dorsal view), e — male abdomen (dorsal view), f — female head (anterior view), g — wing.

FIGURE 12. Genitalia of Platypygus melinoproctus: a — female genitalia (furca and tubes), b — spermathecal reservoir, c — epandrium (anterolateral view), d — gonocoxite (dorsal view), e — phallic complex (dorsal view), f — phallic complex (lateral view).