Aulacephala hervei Bequaert

Nihei, Silvio S., 2015, Systematic revision of the ormiine genera Aulacephala Macquart and Phasioormia Townsend (Diptera, Tachinidae), Zootaxa 3931 (1), pp. 1-26 : 9-11

Aulacephala hervei Bequaert

( Figs 9–11 , 39 )

hervei Bequaert, 1922: 305 , fig 1b (female description, wing illustration). Holotype female (BMNH). Type locality: Japan, Honshu, Yokohama District.

Aulacocephala karnyi Malloch, 1925: 147 , fig 2 (male description, wing illustration). Holotype female (USNM). Type locality: Indonesia, Sumatra, Way Lima.

Aulacephala hervei ; Bequaert, 1929: 164 (synonymy of karnyi with hervei ); Uéda, 1960: 14, figs 1–6 (redescription, comments, 1st instar larva description and illustrations, Japan); Mesnil, 1973: 1229 (key to species); Crosskey, 1976: 63, 185, 280 (comments, cat.); Herting & Dely-Draskovits, 1993: 354 (cat.); Chao & Xue, 1998: 1954 (cat., China); O’Hara et al. 2009: 160 (cat., China); Shima, 2014: 875 (cat., Japan).

Aulacephala karnyi ; Mesnil, 1973: 1229 (synonymy with hervei ); Crosskey, 1976: 63, 185, 280 (comments, cat., mentions type as lost – “not located”).

Ormiominda punctigera Paramonov, 1955: 128 . Holotype female (ANIC). Type locality: Papua New Guinea, Wewak. Syn. nov.

Therobia punctigera ; Crosskey, 1966: 103 (new combination, synonymy of Ormiominda Paramonov with Therobia ); Cantrell & Crosskey, 1989: 749 (cat.).

Distribution ( Fig. 39 ). China, Indonesia (Sumatra), Japan, and Philippines.

Redescription. Female. Body length (holotype): 10.9 mm, wing length (holotype): 10.3 mm. Body length (nontypes): 8.8–11.3 mm (mean=10.2), wing length (non-types): 8.3–10.4 mm (mean=9.3) (n=8).

Coloration: Head brown with whitish pruinosity on face, parafacial and fronto-orbital plate; ocellar triangle yellowish; parafacial yellowish at level of antennal insertion; facial ridge mostly brown but yellowish dorsally; gena yellowish. Scape and pedicel yellow. Palpus and proboscis yellowish. Thorax brown dorsally with whitish pruinosity, but yellowish between dorsocentral and intra-alar rows, and laterally brownish and partially yellowish with whitish pruinosity. Wing hyaline, wing veins yellow but basal parts of veins, final section of M (distal to bend), and r-m and dm-cu crossveins light brownish to brownish (at most r-m dark brown); r-m conspicuously infuscated around and some basal parts of veins, final section of M (distal to bend) and dm-cu only weakly infuscasted; tegula (epaulet) light brown; calypters light brownish on disc and borders; halter yellow, knob slightly brownish. Legs yellowish, pruinosity not apparent as they are covered with fungi hyphae (see male description below); fore tarsomeres yellow (other tarsomeres missing). Fore claws yellow with black apex; pulvilli yellow (other claws and pulvilli missing). Abdomen brown, with posterior margins of tergites 1+2, 3 and 4 darkened and noticeably marked with narrow yellow transverse line; all tergites with whitish pruinosity but tergites 3 and 4 with notable denser pruinosity on anterior 2/3.

Head: Eye bare. Frons extremely broad, narrowing very slightly at vertex. Ratio of frons width/head width at level of lunula 0.55 (non-types: 0.54–0.58); ratio of frons width/head width at vertex level 0.45 (non-types: 0.44–0.49). Frontal setae very weakly developed and medioclinate. Fronto-orbital plate densely covered with short setulae from vertex ventrally until middle of parafacial; no developed setae on fronto-orbital plate. Fronto-orbital plate notably broad and narrowing inconspicuously towards vertex, about 3.5–4.0x frontal vitta width at midlevel. Frontal vitta notably narrow, subequal in width to pedicel at uppermost level (approaching ocellar triangle) and broadening quite slightly at level of lunula with hardly 1.5x pedicel width. Three reduced ocelli, hardly recognizable (reduced in size, pale in colour and flattened); with a few sparse setulae on ocellar triangle. Parafacial densely setulose on upper half (continued from fronto-orbital plate), narrowing notably from level of antennal insertion towards gena, upper width about 3x lower width. Antenna presumably short, with antennal depression on face very small; postpedicel missing (see male description below). Antennal axis/head height ratio 0.61 (non-types: 0.44–0.58). Genal dilation densely covered with short setulae. Genal height/head height ratio 0.25 (non-types: 0.23–0.26).

Thorax: Dorsal and lateral chaetotaxy very damaged (some missing, others covered with fungi), but the following features are recognizable (see the complete male description below): thorax with dense coverage of short black setulae on dorsum and laterally; presutural seta 1, aligned with supra-alar row; postsutural supra-alar setae 2 (some specimens with 1, but always in median position), prealar seta not differentiated (although some specimens with one rather developed setula found at same position), anterior seta slightly stronger than posterior. Scutellum with 2 lateral and 1 apical pairs of setae (all recognized by insertions), with dense fine black setulae dorsally, laterally and lateroventrally (the latter with long setulae).

Wing: R1 not sinuous on basal third; final section of M vein (distal to bend) straight or only slightly convex inwards; dm-cu weakly bisinuate; anterior end of dm-cu closer to wing margin than to r-m; and r-m placed about halfway between dm-cu and bm-cu.

Legs: Fore claws short, about 2/3 length of last tarsomere; and pulvilli slightly shorter than claws. All other legs covered with fungi, please see male description below for other leg features.

Terminalia: female holotype not dissected.

Male. Body length: 8.9 mm, wing length: 8.0 mm (n=1).

Coloration: Head brown with whitish pruinosity on face, parafacial, fronto-orbital plate, facial ridge and gena; ocellar triangle brown. Scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel reddish yellow, arista yellow. Palpus and proboscis yellowish. Thorax brown with whitish pruinosity, scutum with non-pruinose, bare paired stripes, one between acrostichal and dorsocentral rows (restricted to prescutum) and another between dorsocentral and intra-alar rows. Wing hyaline, wing veins yellow but basal parts of veins, r-m and final section of M (distal to bend) brownish; r-m conspicuously infuscated around while some basal parts of veins, final section of M (distal to bend) and dm-cu only weakly infuscasted; tegula (epaulet) yellow; calypters light brownish on disc and borders; halter yellow, knob brownish. Legs yellowish, with whitish pruinosity on coxae, femora and tibiae; tarsomeres yellow. Claws yellow with black apex; pulvilli yellow. Abdomen brown, with posterior margins of tergites 1+2, 3 and 4 darkened and noticeably marked with narrow yellow transverse line; tergites with whitish pruinosity that is notably denser on anterior 2/3 of tergite 4.

Head: Eye bare, at most very short and sparse setulae; inner anterior ommatidia enlarged. Fronto-orbital plate covered with short and fine setulae from midlevel downwards to level of antennal insertion; no developed setae on frons. Frontal vitta extremely narrow so that fronto-orbital plates almost touch each other on upper half, although broadening ventrally. Ratio of frons width/head width at vertex level 0.05; ratio of frons width/head width at level of lunula 0.20. Ocellar triangle constricted and swollen (visible in profile, although not as swollen as in A. maculithorax ), and with few setulae, with three reduced ocelli, shinning-coloured, not flattened and easier to recognize than in female. Fronto-orbital plate as narrow as arista width at upper half, and about 2x arista width at lowermost level. Parafacial bare and as wide as upper level of fronto-orbital plate. Antennal axis/head height ratio 0.86. Facial ridge less broad than in females. Antenna short; postpedicel as long as pedicel; arista elongate and slender, about 4x postpedicel length. Genal dilation less developed (more flattened) than in female, and densely covered with short black setulae. Gena heigh/head height ratio 0.08.

Thorax: Supra-alar setae 1+1, postsutural one in median position. Mesothoracic spiracle partially exposed dorsally and ventrally, with light brownish branched hairs on anterior and posterior edges, but with longer hairs on lower half; metathoracic spiracle not exposed, completely covered with short anterior lappet and opercular posterior lappet with brown branched hairs. Scutellum with three lateral and one apical pairs of setae, anteriormost lateral and apical pairs stronger, and with dense fine black setulae dorsally, laterally and lateroventrally (the latter with long setulae).

Wing: Similar to female except for apex of R1 with some few setulae dorsally.

Legs: Fore tibia with 1 weak submedian anterodorsal seta, and posterodorsal irregular row with longer setae at middle. All claws slightly shorter than last tarsomere; and pulvilli slightly shorter than claws. Mid tibia with posterodorsal irregular row with some longer setae on median third. Hind femur with anteroventral row of setae with the longest setae at apex; posteroventral row of setae with the longest setae at base. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae on median third, and 2 posterodorsal setae on median third.

Abdomen: Similar to female, clearly broader than thorax, but not as conspicuously as in females.

Terminalia: Not dissected.

Type material examined. Holotype female of Aulacephala hervei ( BMNH), “HOLO- / TYPE ” (white round label with red border), “Yokohama District. / Japan / H. Prior. / 1901-13.”, “ Aulacephala / hervei J. Beq. / type / J. Bequaert. det.”. Specimen in bad condition, the right wing, foreleg and midleg missing, the left wing with the tip damaged, antennae missing, ventral side completely covered by fungal hyphae.

Holotype female of Aulacocephala karny ( USNM) labeled “Wai [Way] Lima, Z Sum. / Lampongs [Lampung] / Karny / XI. XII 1921. No.451”, “ Type No / USNM ” [red label], Aulacocephala / karny / Type / Det. / J.R. Malloch” [Malloch’s handwriting].

Holotype female of Ormiominda punctigera ( ANIC) labeled “ WEWAK / N. Guinea / FHTaylor”, “ Ormiominda / punctigera / sp. nov. [female symbol] Typus / Paramonov det.” [Paramonov’s handwriting]; “ ANIC ” [light green label with black border].

Additional material examined. CHINA: S. [South] of Suifu, 1 female, D.C. Graham leg. ( USNM); Suifu, Sz. [Sichuan], 1 female, 1.vi.30, D.C. Graham leg. ( USNM); JAPAN: Yokohama, 1 male, v.1906, Brunetti leg. ( BMNH); Shikoku, Matsuyama: 1 female, 25.ix.1951, T.I, M.M. & T.E. leg.; 1 female, 2.viii.1948, M. Miyatake leg.; 1 female, 28.vi.1949, Miyatake leg. ( EUMJ); Matsuyama, Tarumi: 1 female, 4.x.1953, M. Miyatake leg.; 1 female, 28.ix.1955, light trap; 1 female, 10.ix.1955, light trap ( EUMJ); Shinmura, Amami-Ooshima: 1 female, 17.vii.1954, S.H., S.U. & T.E. leg.; 1 female, 21.vii.1954, 2 females, 19.vii.1954, S. Hiramatsu leg. ( EUMJ); Kyushu, Fukuoka, Mt. Tachibana, 1 female, 14.viii.1978, T. Goto leg. ( BLKU); Okinawa, Hentona, 1 female, 10.ix.1945, light trap, G.E. Bohart leg. ( USNM); PHILIPPINES, Luzon, Mt. Makiling, 1 female, Baker leg. ( USNM).

Remarks. Besides the holotype female (BMNH) from Yokohama described by Bequaert, a reasonably large and representative series of specimens from Japan were gathered and available for examination: one male from the type locality, Yokohama, but collected by Brunetti; one female from Fukuoka (kindly sent by Hiroshi Shima); and 10 additional females from Matsuyama and Shinmura studied by Uéda (1960), who had examined 11 specimens, all them females captured at light. To my knowledge, the only male available in collections is the Yokohama male collected by Brunetti and deposited at BMNH. Furthermore, the holotype female of Aulacocephala karnyi Malloch was examined in the USNM and the synonymy between hervei and karnyi is confirmed. I also examined the holotype female (ANIC) of Ormiominda punctigera Paramonov , and concluded that it is conspecific with A. hervei . This new synonymy is proposed herein.

Figures

FIGURE 39. Geographical distribution of the genera Aulacephala (black circles: A. maculithorax; black squares: A. hervei) and Phasioormia (blue circles: P. bi c o r ni s; blue squares: P. pallida; blue stars: P. papuana sp. nov.). [Empty symbols denote inexact locality records, where the country or province capitals were arbitrarily used to plot the occurrence.]

FIGURES 9 – 12. Aulacephala hervei. 9. Male dorsal habitus. 10. Male lateral habitus. 11. Female wing. Aulacephala maculithorax. 12. Male wing. (Male specimen from Japan, Yokohama; female from Japan, Matsuyama.) (Scale bars 1 mm.)