Otites grata (Loew)

Morgulis, Elizabeth, 2013, Review of Otites Latreille (Diptera: Ulidiidae) from Israel with two new species and notes on biology and behavior, Zootaxa 3619 (5), pp. 541-553 : 544-545

Otites grata (Loew)

( Figs 2 , 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20)

Ortalis grata Loew 1856: 50 .

Otites grata: Hennig 1939: 31 ; Soós 1984: 48.

Material examined. ISRAEL: Har Hermon: Har Hermon [Hermon], 12.v.1998, J. Atlani (1Ƥ), [Mt. Hermon] 23.iv.1973, D. Furth (23, 1Ƥ), [Mt. Hermon] 800 m, 27.iv.1978, D. Furth (2Ƥ), 23.iv.1973 (13, 3Ƥ), 3.v.1979 (1Ƥ); Majdal Shams, 9.vi.1992, A. Freidberg (13), 12.v.1998, A. Freidberg (13); Majdal Shams [Magdel Shames], 12.v.1998, N. Yaacov (1Ƥ); Mezudat Nimrod [Golan Qala'at Nimrod], 19.v.1983, I. Yarom (13); Mezudat Nimrod [Qala'at Nimrod], 6.v.1987, A. Shlagman (1Ƥ); Golan Heights: Panyas [Banias], 19.iv.1977, D. Simon (13), 12.iv.1983, A. Freidberg (1Ƥ); Upper Galilee: Metula, 6.v.1987, A. Freidberg (1Ƥ); Kefar Gil'adi, 11.iv.1956 (13); Ma'ayan Barukh [Mayan Baruch], 17.iii.1973, D. Furth (13), 26.iv.1974, D. Furth (1), 1.v.2006, L. Friedman (1Ƥ), [HaTanur], 13.iv.1983, A. Freidberg (223, 13Ƥ), I. Yarom (53, 7Ƥ); Nahal 'Iyyon Nature Reserve [Tanur], 6.v.1987, F. Kaplan (1Ƥ); Nahal 'Iyyon, haTanur, 430 m, 33º16.064'N 35º34.500'E, 15.iii.2011, A. Freidberg (13), L. Bodner (13); E. Morgulis (63, 4Ƥ); Qiryat Shemona, 3.v.1990, J. Halperin (13); Emeq haHula, 17.iii.1981, A. Freidberg (13); Avivim, 18.v.1981, A. Freidberg (133, 13Ƥ), 18.iv.1981 (1Ƥ); Goren, 8.iv.1987, I. Nussbaum (13); Nahal Dishon [N. Dishon], 14.iv.1983, Y. Zvik (2Ƥ); Nahal Dalton [Dalton], 25.iv.1974, D. Furth (23, 2Ƥ); Upper Nahal Keziv [Up. N. Cziv], 3.v.1983, Y. Zvik (1Ƥ); Upper Nahal Keziv [upper N. Keziv], 3.v.1983, A. Freidberg (13); Ma'alot-Tarshiha, 26.iv.2005, M. Meir (1); Ga'aton [Gaaton], 25.iv.1961, B. Galil (1Ƥ); Nahal Keziv [N. Keziv], 4.iv.1978, D. Furth (13); Har Meron, 17.v.1967, J. Kugler (1Ƥ); Har Meron [Meiron], 20.iv.1972, J. Kugler (33); Har Meron [Meron], 31.iii.1958, J. Kugler (13); Har Meron reserve, camping under Kefar Meron, 600 m, 32°58'N 35°26'E, 25.iv.2002, A. Freidberg (113, 15Ƥ), L. Friedman (13, 3Ƥ); Har Gilon [Har Gilon], 15.iii.1969, J. Kugler (13); Jordan Valley and Southern Golan: Kare Deshe, 22.iii.1974, D. Furth (13, 1Ƥ); Huqoq Huquq, 17.iii.1981, A. Freidberg (43, 3Ƥ), T. Furman (1Ƥ); 'En Ravid, 8.iii.1969, J. Kugler (13), 19.iv.1969 (23), 3.iv.1978 D. Furth (13), 3.v.1983 I. Yarom (13); Ginnosar, 15.iii.1958 (2Ƥ); Carmel Ridge: Haifa, 1.iv.1972, J. Kugler (23); Karmel [Carmel], 28.iv.1992, A. Shahar (1Ƥ); Nahal Oren [n. Oranim], 21.iv.1959, J. Krystal (13); Nahal Oren [N. Oren], 3.iii.1979, D. Furth (13), 3.iv.1978 (23, 4Ƥ); Nahal Yoqne'am [N. Yokneam], 22.iii.1974, D. Furth (13), 6.iv.1968 J. Kugler (13, 1Ƥ); Lower Galilee: Qiryat Tiv'on [K. Tivon], 25.iii.1955, L. Fishelsohn (13); Qiryat Tiv'on [Tivon], 22.iii.1956, J. Kugler (1Ƥ), 2.iv.1975, F. Kaplan (2Ƥ), M. Kaplan (13, 1Ƥ); Yizre'el Valley: Nahalal, 17.iv.1941, Ch. Bytinski-Salz (1Ƥ).

Redescription. Head ( Fig. 2 ): Structure: 1.10–1.21 times as high as long. Frons posteriorly 1.02–1.15 times as wide as long, and anteriorly, at lunule level, 1.30–1.55 times as wide as long. Face straight. Carina flattened, about 0.55–0.60 times as wide as antennal groove at same level; carina protrusion about 0.8 times as long as parafacial at narrowest level. Eye 1.32–1.44 times as high as long. Gena 0.51–0.65 times as high as eye. Fronto-orbital plate at antenna insertion level 0.62–0.72 times as long as gena height. Pedicel 0.68–0.82 times as long as high at apex and 0.50–0.65 times as long as 1st flagellomere; first flagellomere 1.26–1.35 times as long as high. Color and vestiture: Occiput black dorsally, brown-orange ventrally, gray microtrichose; vertex orange medially, black laterally, gray microtrichose. Ocellar triangle black, gray microtrichose. Face mostly brown and indistinctly silvery-white microtrichose, except antennal groove brown to black. Gena yellow anteriorly, brownish posteriorly, slightly white microtrichose. Postgena brownish-beige, white microtrichose. Scape and pedicel orange-brown; 1st flagellomere orange, dorsoapically infuscate; arista orange to brown. Clypeus black, gray microtrichose. Palp yellow to orange, apically often infuscate; proboscis dark brown. Chaetotaxy: Medial vertical seta 1.04–1.16 times as long as lateral vertical seta; ocellar and postocellar setae each 0.40–0.57 times as long as medial vertical seta; posterior orbital seta 1.3–1.4 times as long as anterior orbital seta and 0.66–0.76 times as long as medial vertical seta. Frons densely setulose, setulae 0.3–0.4 times as long as posterior orbital seta. Gena with long black setulae and 2–4 setae. Vibrissal angle, postgena and occiput long setulose. Labium with long mixed black and yellow setulae.

Thorax: Color and vestiture: Black. Scutum gray microtrichose except 1 medial and 2 lateral longitudinal stripes (anterior and posterior to transverse suture) with brownish microtrichia: medial stripe extends from anterior margin of scutum to level of anterior dorsocentral seta, anterior lateral stripe triangular, posterior lateral stripe extends from transverse suture to level slightly posterior to anterior dorsocentral seta. Anepisternum, anepimeron and katepisternum subshining, slightly gray microtrichose, remaining pleura silvery-gray microtrichose.

Chaetotaxy: Two supra-alar, 1 postalar, 1 intra-alar, 2 dorsocentral, 1 acrostichal, 1 proepisternal, 2–4 anepisternal, and 1 katepisternal setae present. Scutum, postpronotal lobe, katepisternum and anepisternum setulose.

Legs: Coxae and trochanters brown; femora mostly brown to black, except apical 0.16 yellow; foretibia mostly brown to black, except basal 0.16 yellow, midtibia and hindtibia mostly yellow, except apical 0.25 brown to black; tarsi mostly yellow, except basal fore tarsomere often brown to black. Coxae and trochanters densely gray microtrichose, remaining parts slightly gray microtrichose.

Wing ( Fig. 17 ): Pattern: Brown to black spotted pattern present: SBB extending from costal vein to vein Cu1, narrowed and faded posteriorly; PB as two spots, one at apex of pterostigma and adjacent part of cell r1, and second at crossvein R-M, spots often vaguely connected; SAB present at vein DM-Cu and at apex of cell r1, reaching AB anteriorly. Venation: Veins yellow to orange except sections within dark bands. Cell r4+5 0.58–0.70 times as wide at apex as at widest point. Crossvein R-M aligned proximal to apex of vein R1. Vein Cu2 curved, not forming posteroapical lobe. Calypteres yellowish white. Halter base brown, stem and knob yellow to orange. Wing length 3.92–8.24 mm.

Abdomen: Black. Syntergite 1+2 with transverse, medially widened, stripe of silvery-gray microtrichia; each of tergites 1–5 with medially widened basal stripe of dense silvery-gray microtrichia; remaining parts indistinctly gray microtrichose.

Male terminalia: Epandrium (Fig. 5) as high as wide, slightly rhombic in posterior view; medial surstylus fully fused with epandrium, bearing numerous prensisetae; lateral surstylus slim and elongate. Phallus ( Fig. 8 ) laterally (on both sides) short setulose at basal 0.9 and long setulose at apical 0.1; basal setulae about half as long as phallus width, apical setulae about twice as long as phallus width. Phallus dorsomedially with scales at basal 0.9 and setulose at apical 0.1; medial setulae at apical 0.1 of phallus as long as lateral setulae at same place. Glans membranous and setulose, setulae as long as width of glans.

Female terminalia: Aculeus 5.5–5.8 times as long as wide. Cercal unit oval ( Fig. 11), with well pronounced, long lateral groove. Sensilla: BV apical to BD. Pair of large campaniform sensilla present distal to BV. 3 spermathecae, wrinkled, about 12.5 times as long as wide at widest place (Fig. 14).

Body length 4.08–9.60 mm.

Egg: Elongate, white, rice grain like, anterior end pointed, posterior end rounded.

Measurments (mm): Length 0.9–1.1, width 0.25.

Type locality. Fiume (currently Rieka, Croatia)

Distribution. Croatia; Turkey (Amasia), Syria (Latakia), Lebanon (Beyrout) (Hennig, 1939), Israel.

Distribution in Israel. All parts north to and including Samaria (North to +32° 32' 31.86" latitude).

Adult activity (in Israel). Middle of March to beginning of June.

Biology and behavior. No apparent courtship was observed. Copulation position: The male mounts the female, grasps her aculeus with his surstyli and inserts his phallus. During insertion, the male usually places his foretarsi on the female's scutum, sometimes on her head, his midtarsi on her scutellum or abdominal syntergite 1+2, and his hindtarsi on the substrate. Both male and female usually extend their proboscises slowly several times during copulation.

When copulation ends, the male remains in the same position on the female, pulling his abdomen away and slightly upward from her, often while holding her aculeus with one of his hindtarsi. Sometimes the phallus is fully withdrawn from the female's ovipositor at this point, whereas in other cases the male dismounts the female, faces the other direction, and withdraws the rest of his phallus completely. (n=4).

Mating trophallaxis ( Fig. 20a –j): After mating, the female starts grooming herself with special attention to the abdomen. She rubs it with her hindlegs, stroking it from base to apex. This grooming process is interrupted by occasional contractions of the abdomen and extensions of the ovipositor and/or the proboscis. After 15–20 min, a droplet of opaque white substance appears at the tip of the aculeus. The droplet grows larger and, after about 10 seconds to 2.5 minutes, is deposited on the substrate, often with the help of the hindlegs. The female then reverses 1–4 steps to a position in which her proboscis comes in touch with the droplet, places her labellum on it and consumes it. Consumption of the droplet lasts approximately 4–6 min (n=3).

Oviposition and immature stages: Females laid eggs in narrow crevices such as the net that covered the ventilation openings of the cages, cracks of tree bark, cuts in cardboard and in the leaf sheaths of dry Phragmites australis . The number of eggs per batch was 10–58 (number of batches =7). Eggs hatched 8–14 days after oviposition. First-instar larvae were able to skip by curving their body and grabbing their anal area with the mandibles (apparently flexing the muscles and) releasing the grip and pushing away from the substrate. Rearing attempts of the larvae to adults were unsuccessful.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 4. Head, lateral view. 2. Otites grata; dashed line shows gena height. 3. O. nox n. sp. 4. O. vitalyi n. sp. FIGURES 5 – 7. Epandrium, posterior view, cerci removed. 5. O. grata. 6. O. nox n. sp. 7. O. vitalyi n. sp.

FIGURES 17 – 19. Wings. 17. Otites grata. 18. O. nox n. sp. 19. O. vitalyi n. sp. Abbreviations: BB—basal band, SBB—subbasal band, PB—pterostigmal band, SAB—subapical band, AB—apical band.

FIGURES 8 – 10. Phallus. 8. Otites grata. 9. O. nox n. sp. 10. O. vitalyi n. sp.

FIGURE 20. A schematic presentation of female Otites grata expelling and consuming substance after mating. a – d. Female expelling substance from aculeus. e – f. Female depositing substance on substrate with the help of hindlegs. g. Female backing up in search of the substance (arrow shows the direction of movement). h – j. Female consuming the substance.