Platypygus limatus Séguy

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

Platypygus limatus Séguy

( Fig. 10 )

Platypygus limatus Séguy, 1963: 254 . Hull, 1973: 262. Zaitzev, 1989: 45. Evenhuis, 1983: 478; 2002: 25. Gharali et al., 2011: 25.

Material examined. NEPAL: 1 female, 22 km NW Pakhara [Pokhara] Tikhedunge, 1600 m, grass and buttes near stream, 24 March 1985, R. Hall (MZLU). THAILAND: 1 male, Chaing Mai Province, Doi Inthanon National Park, 750 m, 26 December 2001, P. Schwendinger (MHNG).

Notes on types. Séguy (1963: 254) based his description of P. limatus on a single male holotype from “Paita”, [in Guangdong] China. We were unable to examine the type in MNHN but have at hand a male from Thailand and female from Nepal that fit the description perfectly and use them for the diagnosis. In his original description, Séguy indicated that the genitalia were small (“ Appareil copulateur petit ”). This small size is more indicative of a female, which have exposed sclerites that can be confused as a minute hypandrium. It could be that Séguy had a female and not a male specimen. The Thai specimen is clearly a male and has very large and distinct genitalia that are well exposed as is typical for species of Platypygus examined in this study.

Diagnostic features. Face yellow; frons yellow on basal half, black on upper half; vertex black, yellow behind where joining occiput; occiput black with white hairs ( Fig. 10 a); mentum yellowish white; antennae completely black; mesonotum ( Fig. 10 b) yellow with large contiguous black pattern extending to base of scutellum, interhumeral marks, postpronotal lobes and postalar calli yellow; scutellum yellow; halter stem yellow, knob yellow ventrally, dark brown dorsally ( Fig. 10 a); vein Sc incomplete, not ending in costa; r-m crossvein before middle of cell dm; cell br slightly longer than cell bm; abdominal tergites ( Fig. 10 a and b) black except posterior margins narrowly yellow, broader yellow laterally.

Distribution. China, Nepal (new record), Thailand (new record).

Remarks. Because specimens from Thailand and Nepal are based on a single example from each locality, we have refrained from dissecting them for genitalic study.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Platypygus limatus, male specimen from Thailand: a — adult male (lateral view), b — adult male (dorsal view).