Physiphora chalybea ( Hendel, 1909 )

Chen, Xiao-Lin & Kameneva, Elena P., 2007, A review of Physiphora Fallén (Diptera: Ulidiidae) from China, Zootaxa 1398, pp. 15-28 : 22-24

Physiphora chalybea ( Hendel, 1909) ( Figs 20–26 )

Diagnosis. Similar to P. longicornis in cell r4+5 narrowly opened, head brown to black, scutum and scutellum with green and blue sheen, but differing by fore leg with basitarsomere black­brown, frons almost flat and having no conspicuous swellings.

Description. Head. Frons brown to black and subshiny, almost flat, without conspicuous swellings, often with inconspicuous shallow pits at middle; slightly wider than eye, 1.2 times as long as wide, almost parallelsided. Ocellar triangle and vertical plates black and subshiny. Ventral half of median facial plate and clypeus dark­brown, dorsal half of median facial plate and antennal groove gray microtrichose, median facial plate distinctly wider than antennal groove. Both fronto­orbital and orbito­antennal microtrichose spots small, rounded. Parafacial and gena dark brown to black, gena about 1/3 as high as eye. Occiput and mouthparts black. Antenna black­brown, 1st flagellomere rounded apically, 1.5–2.0 times as long as wide; arista bare ( Figs 20–21 ).

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum brown to black, shagreened with green and blue sheen; scutellum convex, without gray microtrichose beneath. All setae and setulae dark­brown.

Wing. Completely hyaline, postero­apical extension of cell cup long, about 3.0 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2, cell r4+5 narrowly opened ( Fig. 23 ).

Legs. Entirely black­brown except mid and hind leg with basitarsomere yellow brown.

Abdomen. Both tergites dark­brown to black, shining, with bluish and greenish sheen. Male postabdomen ( Figs 25–26 ) similar to that of P. alceae . Female terminalia: aculeus 7.6 times as long as wide at base, slightly rounded at apex and with 1 pairs of long basal setae ( Fig. 24 ); 3 spherical spermathecae ( Fig. 22 ). Measurements: Wing length: 3.5–4.0 mm. Body length 4.0– 4.5 mm.

Material examined. Type: Syntypes: 1Ψ: Turkmenistan: “Sary Yasy / III.87 ”, “Reitter 1894 / Turkmenien”, “Chrysom. chalybea , H. / det F. Hendel”, “coll. Hendel”, “ type ” [red paper] ( NHMW); 2ɗ: Turkmenistan: “Sary Yasy / III.87 ”, “Reitter 1894 / Turkmenien”, “ Chrysomyza \ chalybea , H. / det F. Hendel”, “ Typus ” (red circle) ( DEI). Possible syntypes: 9ɗ, 6Ψ: Turkmenistan: “Sary Yasy / III.87 ”, “Reitter 1894 / Turkmenien”, “Chrysom. chalybea , H. / det F. Hendel”, “coll. Hendel” ( NHMW).

Non­type: China: Xinjiang: 3Ψ: Tulufan, 20–140m, 8.VI.1956 (Li Changqing); 2Ψ: Alaga, RuoQiang, 850m, 8.V.1960 (Wang Shuyong) ( IZCAS).

Biology. Krivosheina & Krivosheina (1997) recorded the larvae under the bark of dead poplars as necro and phloeophages.

Distribution. China (new record from Xinjiang); Turkmenistan, Tadjikistan. The record from Tunisia ( Séguy, 1941: 116) based on five specimens with labels “Ile Djerba / 1910 / A. Weiss”, “ Chrysomyza / chalybea / Hend. / E. Séguy vid.” (MNHNP) needs further confirmation; Hennig (1940: 13) reported P. f l a v i p e s Karsch from the Island of Djerba based on additional specimens of the same series.

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 24. Physiphora chalybea Hendel; 20, head, dorsal view; 21, head, lateral view; 22, spermatheca (one of three); 23, wing; 24, apex of aculeus.

FIGURES 25 – 26. Physiphora chalybea Hendel; 25, epandrium, posterior view; 26, phallus, distal portion (redrawn from Krivosheina & Krivosheina, 1997, with changes).