Pseudebenia argyrosoma Shima & Tachi

Shima, Hiroshi, Han, Ho-Yon & Tachi, Takuji, 2010, Description of a new genus and six new species of Tachinidae (Diptera) from Asia and New Guinea, Zootaxa 2516, pp. 49-67 : 52-54

Pseudebenia argyrosoma Shima & Tachi , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1−5 , 11 , 35 )

Male. Head black in ground color, gena below eye reddish brown, fronto-orbital plate and parafacial with dense brownish pruinosity; face, postorbit and occiput with grayish brown pruinosity; frontal vitta dark brown; antenna blackish brown; palpus black. Frons strongly narrowed on posterior 1/2−1/3; parafacial narrowed below, about 1/2 as wide as 1st flagellomere at middle height; face about 3/4 as long as frons in profile, widened below, about as wide as high at level of vibrissae; gena slightly more than 1/5 of eye height. Inner vertical seta fine and long, about 2/5 as long as eye height; outer vertical seta indistinct; ocellar seta fine, about 2/3 as long as inner vertical seta; 5−6 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly level with base of scape, several fine and long hairs present among strong setae; genal dilation with 2 rows of 3−4 rather long and strong setae; postocular setae fine and closely set, longer and close to posterior margin of eye on upper portion. Antenna with pedicel bearing a long seta almost 3/5 as long as 1st flagellomere; 1st flagellomere about 2.5 times as long as wide and 3.5 times as long as pedicel; total width of arista including plumosity nearly as wide as 1st flagellomere. Palpus nearly as long as 1st flagellomere.

Thorax black in ground color, with thin grayish brown pruinosity on posterodorsal portion of postpronotal lobe, notopleuron, subscutellum and pleura. 1 pre and 0−1 postsutural acrostichal setae; basal scutellar seta about 1.5 times as long as scutellum; subapical scutellar setae about 2 times as long as scutellum, distance between their bases almost twice that between basal and subapical setae of corresponding side; apical scutellar seta slightly shorter than subapical seta.

Wing evenly tinged with brown, narrowly whitish hyaline on upper portion of subcostal cell along subcosta, distal area of basal medial cell along bm-cu crossvein and cell cua2 along CuA2, the brownish tinge dense on basal portion and slightly fading marginally; calypteres translucent brown, lower calypter with rather long brownish fringe. Costa between subcosta and vein R1 about 1/4 as long as that between veins R1 and R2+3; bend of vein M about 2 times closer to wing margin than to dm-cu crossvein; last section of vein CuA1 about 2/5 as long as dm-cu crossvein.

Legs black, coxae with thin grayish brown pruinosity; pulvilli pale brown. Fore tibia with 2 long posterior setae; mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal and 4−5 posterodorsal setae; hind tibia with 4−5 long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae and 3 ventral setae. Claws and pulvilli very long, longer than 5th tarsomere.

Abdomen dark brown in ground color, with silvery white, somewhat pale yellowish, pruinosity on dorsum of posterior 3/4 of syntergite 1+2 to anterior 2/3 of 4th tergite. Abdominal dorsum with rather sparse long and erect hairs; syntergite 1+2 with 2−3 rather fine lateral discal and 1−2 strong lateral marginal setae; 3rd tergite with 2 strong median discal, 1 lateral discal and a row of marginal setae; 4th and 5th tergites each with regularly set rows of strong discal and marginal setae.

Male terminalia: Pregonite with 2 marginal setae, apical one very long, longer than phallus; epiphallus straight, slightly inclined posteriorly; surstylus in lateral view weakly narrowed to blunt apex, slightly curved dorsally, without hair on outer surface; cerci in dorsal view weakly narrowed to apex, median longitudinal suture distinct, narrowly separated on apical 1/4.

Female. Differing from male as follows: Head with dense silvery white pruinosity on lower fronto-orbital plate, face and parafacial, upper fronto-orbital plate blackish; gena with grayish white pruinosity and occiput with dark grayish pruinosity. Vertex about 1/5 of head width; frontal vitta widened anteriorly, about 1/2 as wide as fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial strongly narrowed below, about 1/4 as wide as 1st flagellomere at middle height. Inner vertical setae crossed, strong, about 3/5 as long as eye height; outer vertical seta about 2/3 as long as inner vertical seta; ocellar seta short, slightly less than 1/2 length of inner vertical seta; 1 outwardly directed prevertical seta, slightly longer than inner vertical seta; 2 proclinate orbital setae, anterior one slightly stronger and subequal in length to inner vertical seta; 4−5 inclinate frontal setae. Pedicel with a long seta at most as long as its own length; 1st flagellomere about 4.5 times as long as pedicel. Eye more sparsely haired than in male. Thorax with thin grayish white pruinosity on posterior 1/2 of postpronotal lobe, notopleural area, proepisternum, posterior portion of anepisternum, posterior portion of katepisternum and anatergite. Calypteres white, lower calypter with whitish fringe. Mid tibia with a strong ventral seta; claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomere. Abdomen with silvery white pruinosity on dorsum of posterior 3/4 of syntergite 1+2 to anterior 1/2 of 4th tergite.

Body length: 5.8−6.5 mm.

Holotype male, Wau, 1700 m, Nami Creek, Papua New Guinea, 19.vi.1982, S. Shinonaga (BPBM).

Paratypes: 2 males, same data as holotype except date, 30.xii.1981; 1 female, Wau, 1300 m, Papua New Guinea, 22−31.xii.1973, H. Shima (BLKU); 2 males, Nengian Vill., Torricelli Mts., New Guinea NE, 17−24.xi.1958, W.W. Brandt (BPBM).

Distribution. Papua New Guinea.

Etymology. The species name is taken from the silvery pruinose abdomen of this species.

Remarks. This species is very characteristic in the silvery pruinosity on its abdominal dorsum.

Figures

FIGURES 1 − 5. Male terminalia of Pseudebenia argyrosoma sp. nov. 1. Epandrium, cerci and surstylus in dorsal view. 2. Same in lateral view. 3. Hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite and phallus in lateral view. 4. Distiphallus in dorsal view. 5. 5 th sternite in ventral view. Scale, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 11 − 15. Female terminalia. 11. Female terminalia of Pseudebenia argyrosoma sp. nov. in lateral view. 12. Female terminalia of P. epilachnae sp. nov. in lateral view. 13. Epiproct and cerci of P. epilachnae sp. nov. in dorsal view. 14. Epiproct and cerci of P. t ris etos a in dorsal view. 15. Female terminalia of P. trisetosa in lateral view. Scale, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 35 − 40. 35. Habitus of male Pseudebenia argyrosoma sp. nov. in lateral view. 36. Male head in profile of P. fulvipalpis sp. nov. 37. Same, P. f u s c a t a sp. nov. 38. Same, P. nepalensis sp. nov. 39. Same, P. trisetosa sp. nov. 40. Habitus of male P. t r i s e t o s a sp. nov. in lateral view.