Mythenteles rigirostris (Evenhuis)

Evenhuis, Neal L., 2003, World revision of the microbombyliid genus Mythenteles Hall & Evenhuis (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae), Zootaxa 346, pp. 1-28 : 22-23

Mythenteles rigirostris (Evenhuis)

( Figs. 15 , 24 )

Mythicomyia rigirostris Evenhuis, 1981: 6 . Evenhuis, 1983: 487. Mythenteles rigirostris ( Evenhuis) . Evenhuis, 2002b: 36.

Reexamination of the unique type of Mythicomyia rigirostris showed characters that required that it be transferred to Mythenteles , which was done by Evenhuis (2002b). The wing venation, which was somewhat obscured when originally described, has been repositioned to give a more clear view and reveals a distinct vein M separating the cells br and bm plus a distinct vein A1 reaching the wing margin. The genitalia have not been dissected due to the paucity of material at hand. The external characters should serve to easily separate it from the congeners.

Very little can be added to the original description and it is reproduced here with a more detailed description of the wing venation. Material additional to or modified from the original description are placed in brackets.

DESCRIPTION. Female ( Fig. 24 ). Length: 1.33 mm. Head. [Eyes dichoptic]; “as in asiatica ; proboscis extending beyond oral margin, equal in length to entire body.

Thorax. Black, gray pollinose; scutellum brown with yellow laterally; otherwise as in asiatica . Legs: yellow, tarsi brown.

Wing. [( Fig. 15 ) Hyaline, veins brown; costa ends slightly beyond end of vein R4+5; 4 posterior cells; Sc incomplete; r­m crossvein at basal 1/4 of cell dm; cell dm complete, vein M separating basal cells complete; R2+3 short, ending in R1 before junction with costal vein, sinuous; veins R4+5 and M2 fairly straight to wing margin; M1 curved to wing margin; cell cup open slightly at wing margin; vein A1 present, slightly sclerotized; anal lobe normal, not keel­like in shape].

Abdomen. Brownish with yellow on posterior and lateral margins of each tergite; sternum yellow.

Genitalia. Not dissected.

Male. Unknown.”

Type. Holotype female from: BANGLADESH: Harbang Forest, 6 mi. N. Chiringa, 50 ft., 18.ix.1961, E.S. Ross & D.Q. Cavagnaro, deposited in CAS (#13,910). Type examined during this study. When originally described, the wings of the type specimen were positioned in such a way as to obscure the salient characters of the venation. During this study, I re­humidified the specimen and carefully repositioned one of the wings so as to allow clear view of the venational characters necessary to verify its generic placement.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Bangladesh.

Figures

FIGURE 24. Mythenteles rigirostris (Evenhuis), female habitus, redrawn from Evenhuis (1991).

FIGURES 13 – 15. Mythenteles wings. 13. M. asiatica (Evenhuis), redrawn from Evenhuis (1991); 14. M. indica (Brunetti), redrawn from Brunetti (1917); 15. M. rigirostris (Evenhuis), redrawn from Evenhuis (1991).