Bengalia concava Malloch, 1927

Rognes, Knut, 2018, Revision of the Bengalia torosa Wiedemann, 1819 species-group (Diptera: Calliphoridae), with notes on the systematic position of B. robertsi Kurahashi, 1987 and B. subnitida James, 1964, Zootaxa 4391 (1), pp. 1-71 : 15-17

Bengalia concava Malloch, 1927

( Figs 37–46 )

Bengalia concava Malloch, 1927: 407 (also p. 405, figs 6 a–f). HoloType ♂ (NHMUK; examined), by original designaTion (“ Type ”). Type locality: Malaysia (West Malaysia), Perak, Taiping Hill.

Bengalia concava: Senior-White et al. (1940: 94) ( Malaysia [ West Malaysia ]).

Bengalia concava: James (1977: 528; catalogue entry) ( Malaysia [ West Malaysia ]).

Bengalia concava: Kurahashi et al. (1997: 40) ( Malaysia [ West Malaysia ]).

Temaseka concava: Lehrer (2005: 146, 147, figs 66 A –E) ( Malaysia [ West Malaysia ], Singapore).

Temaseka mallochi Lehrer (2005: 148–149, figs 67 A –E) . HoloType ♂ ( NHMUK; examined), by original designaTion. Type locality: Malaysia (Sabah, Mt. Kinabalu). Synonymy proposed by Rognes (2006: 467).

Bengalia concava: Verves (2005: 238; catalogue entry).

Diagnosis. Male. Length: 13.0– 15.5mm (n=4). Frons at vertex / head width ratio 0.28–0.32 (mean 0.30, n=4). Anepimeron with pale setulae only (in a few cases with a single dark setula) ( Fig. 44 ). T3–T5 with hind marginal bands occupying about posterior third, sometimes with a middorsal stripe. Leg colour yellow. Fore femur with numerous long, fine av setae. ST5 flap longer than broad, with a small concavity at distal margin and with a long accessory projection beside it, almost as long as the flap itself ( Fig. 42 ). Cerci with short prongs enclosing a wide empty space between them ( Fig. 37 ). Cercus in profile with a pronounced convexity in middle ( Fig. 38 ). Tip of surstylus blunt ( Figs 37–38 ). Bacilliform sclerite process (bsp) long and narrowly pointed ( Fig. 38 ). Distal lip process (dlp) large, like a half cylindrical tube open ventrally, directed apically, and with a small distal nick ( Figs 39–41 ).

Female. Unknown.

Discussion. Lehrer (2005) separated Bengalia concava Malloch (as Temaseka concava ) from his own T. mallochi based on the shape of the hind margin of the ST5 flap. It was described as being very shallowly concave (“la marge posterieure légèrement excavée”) in B. concava , whereas T. mallochi had a much deeper concavity (“une excavation posterieure profonde”). The exact shape of the flap, including the concavity of the hind margin, varies among specimens and in my opinion cannot be used as a basis for erecting two different species.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Malaysia (West Malaysia *, Sabah *), Singapore *.

Type material examined. Bengalia concava Malloch, 1927 . HOLOTYPE ♂ (NHMUK), labelled (1) Perak 7 · 1 … [illegible] / Taiping Hill / 500' –1500' / Dec. 11th 1923 / M. R. Mander [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia / concava / Type / Det. / J R Malloch [handwritten by Malloch on label with black frame; the last two lines are printed] [The specimen, slightly teneral, is staged on a yellow celluloid plate; right mid leg missing; the last abdominal segments have been removed and the crudely dissected terminalia are glued to the right hand edge of the locality label; the ST5 flap ( Fig. 45 ) is recognizable as such, but the fragments of the terminalia that served for figs 6a–e [fig. 6e is mislabelled as “6c”] in Malloch (1927) were impossible to interpret; the distal excavation in the flap is not very deep; anepimeron with only pale setulae].

Temaseka mallochi Lehrer, 2005 . HOLOTYPE ♂ (NHMUK), labelled (1) HOLOTYPE [white label with red rim]; (2) HOLOTYPUS [black capitals on red label]; (3) B.N. BORNEO. / Mt. Kinabalu, Kenokok, / 3.300 ft. / 23d Apr. 1929; on reverse side: H. M. Pendlebury / coll. / F.M.S. Museums. [all printed on pinkish label]; (4) Ex F.M.S. / Museum. / B.M.1955-354 [printed on underside of white label]; (5) Bengalia / concava / Mall. / det. JRMalloch [handwritten by Malloch except last line, which is printed; light brownish-yellow label with black frame]; (6) Bengalia ♂ / mallochi Lehrer n. sp. / HOLOTYPUS / Det. Dr. A. Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed] [The specimen is in good condition; it has been dissected by Lehrer by removal of the lower hind part of the abdomen; the terminalia were in glycerol in a big plastic vial, but I have transferred them to a glass microvial; they consisted of three units: (1) ST5 with ST5 flap, (2) hypandrial complex with gonites, phallus and ejaculatory sclerite, and (3) epandrial complex; I had an accident with the phallus: in an attempt at bending it backwards relative to the hypandrium, it broke between the basi- and distiphallus; the terminalia had, as usual, been embedded in a substance that made the genital parts quite stiff, also relative to each other, before being placed in glycerol by Lehrer; the substance was not easy to see but was evident at high magnification; the parts were not suitable for photography under a microscope, but were used by Lehrer (2005: 149) for his illustrations (his fig. 67)].

Other material examined. NHMUK. Malaysia (West Malaysia): 1 ♂, labelled (1) MALAY PENIN: / Selangor. / Bukit Kutu / 3.500 ft. / March 21st 1931 / H. M. Pendlebury [mostly printed]; (2) Ex F.M.S. / Museum / B.M.1955-354 [printed]; (3) Bengalia ♂ / concava Malloch / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed label, with pin hole in centre] [Dissected by Lehrer; in the big plastic vial were only a broken ST5 and the ST5 flap in glycerol, and no terminalia; I moved parts to a glass microvial, in glycerol; anepimeron with yellow setulae only; ST5 flap with a strikingly constricted base]; • 1 ♂, labelled (1) MALAYA / Kuala Lumpur. / Nr: L. Gardens, / Coll. H. M. / Pendlebury. / 6.II.1937; (2) Ex F.M.S. / Museum / B.M.1955-354 [printed]; (3) Bengalia ♂ / concava Malloch / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed label, with pin hole in centre] [Partly dissected by Lehrer; I continued Lehrer’s dissection after KOH treatment; terminalia transferred to glass microvial, in glycerol; still some alien substance present; anepimeron with yellow setulae only]; • 1 ♂, labelled (1) MALAY PENIN: / Negri Sembilan / Bukit Pangga / Jan 17th 1936; (2) Ex F.M.S. / Museum / B.M.1955-354 [printed]; (3) Bengalia ♂ / concava Malloch / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed label, with pin hole in centre] [Dissected by Lehrer; terminalia transferred to glass microvial, in glycerol; anepimeron with yellow setulae only; ST5 flap as in Kuala Lumpur specimen; pin heavily corroded]; • 1 ♂ [staged on yellow piece of celluloid], labelled (1) Malay Free States: / nr. Petaling. 1919. / A. R. Sanderson. / C. A. Cheetham pres. / B.M. 1922—16 [Left fore and mid legs lost; dissected by me; abdominal T1+2–5 glued to card on pin below stage; terminalia in glycerol in microvial on pin]; Singapore: 1 ♂, labelled (1) Bukit Tima forest / SINGAPORE 12.6.77 / D.H. Murphy / West face [date and last line handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / D.H.Murphy / BM 1980-183 [printed]; (3) Bengalia / concava Mall. / D.H. Murphy det. [first two lines handwritten]; (4) Bengalia ♂ / concava Malloch / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed label, with pin hole in centre]; (5) Bengalia ♂ / concava Malloch / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed label, with pin hole near right hand margin] [Dissected by Lehrer; terminalia with some Canada balsam remains; I transferred the terminalia into glycerol in a glass microvial; anepimeron with yellow setulae, except for one black setula on each side; unsuited for microscope photography because of the Canada balsam].

Figures

FIGURES 37–46. Bengalia concava Malloch (37, 39–43, 46: male from Kuala Lumpur, NHMUK; 38, 44: male from Malaysia, nr. Petaling, NHMUK; 45: holotype, NHMUK). 37. Epandrial complex, posterior view. 38. Epandrial complex, left lateral view. 39. Distiphallus, dorsal view. 40. Distiphallus, left lateral view. 41. Distiphallus, ventral view. 42. ST5 flap and processes beside it. 43. Pre- and postgonites. 44. Right anepimeron. 45. ST5 flap and processes beside it. 46. Right fore leg, inside view. Scale bars: 0.25mm (Figs 39–41, 43); 0.5mm (Figs 37, 42). Abbreviations: bsp = bacilliform sclerite process; dlp = distal lip process; sd = semidomes.