Dohrniphora confusa, Disney, R. Henry L., 2003

Disney, R. Henry L., 2003, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Dohrniphora DAHL (Diptera: Phoridae), Zootaxa 196, pp. 1-24 : 6-7

Dohrniphora confusa sp. nov.

( Fig. 7 )

Dohrniphora sp.? Collin, 1912: 107. Female, Seychelles, Mahé, forest above Mare aux Cochons, 2 September 1908. [Not examined]

The name refers to the past confusion over the identity of this species (see below).

Of more than a hundred specimens of Dohrniphora from the Seychelles that have been examined only two species have been recognized. These were 2.5 specimens of this species to every one specimen of D. cornuta . This larger series of males and females clearly belongs to the problem species for which Collin had only a single female. He rightly compared it with D. papuana ( Brues, 1905) , but dismissed this species from further consideration because his specimen had “a long proboscis” but the female of D. papuana had, according to Collin, a proboscis “of normal length”. This misleading assertion is discussed below (see D. papuana ).

In Beyer’s (1959a) key to Afrotropical Dohrniphora this species runs to couplet 4 lead 2, to D. schmitzi Kohl female. This species is synonymized with D. papuana below. It is immediately distinguished from D. confusa by the very pale veins 4­6. These veins are distinctly brown in D. confusa . In addition all five fore­tarsal segments have a posterodorsal hair palisade in the D. confusa , but only segments 1­4 have such a palisade in D. papuana or else there is an incomplete palisade on segment 5, restricted to its basal third.

Male

Head with brown frons very similar to D. angolensis , but with only four strong bristles at apex of palp. Thorax brown. Anterior scutellars about half as long as posterior pair of bristles, but weaker than hairs at rear of scutum between the dorsocentrals. Abdominal tergites brown with minute hairs, which are only a little longer on T6. Venter light brown, with small hairs below on segments 2­4 and longer ones on 5, including a pair of long setae at rear margin. Hypopygium brown with a straw yellow anal tube. Legs mainly straw yellow lightly tinged brown, but hind femur and tibiae yellowish brown with femur being progressively darker towards apex and brown along dorsal edge. Mid coxae brown. Front tibia with 4­5 dorsal or near­dorsal spines. Mid tibia with dorsal hair palisade ending before level of tip of anterior bristle of basal pair and with a short pre­apical anterior bristle. Base of hind femur as Fig. 7 . Hind coxal lobe similar to Fig. 4 . Hind tibia with a short anterodorsal bristle at end of basal quarter. Wings 1.4­1.9 mm long and similar to those of D. papuana except the veins, other than vein 7, are darker and the membrane is distinctly grey to naked eye. In particular veins 4­6 are clearly visible when viewed against a white background at low magnifications (e.g. with a x4 lens). In D. papuana these veins are scarcely visible at x60 magnification. Distal two thirds of haltere knob pale straw yellow.

Female

The female very closely resembles the male, and also the female of D. papuana ; but with smoky wings with darker veins, and a posterodorsal hair palisade on all five foretarsal segments (see D. papuana below). Wings 1.5­2.0 mm long.

Material

HOLOTYPE male, Seychelles, Silhouette Island, La Passe Reservoir, 7­14 July 2001, J. Gerlach ( CUMZ – 8­130). PARATYPES 5 males, 6 females, as holotype (8­130, 8­144); 3 males, Curieuse Island, 20 March 2002, J. Gerlach ( CUMZ – 8­144).

Figures

FIGURES 7 ­ 8. Dohrniphora males, posterior face of bases of hind femora: (7) D. confusa; (8) D. diminuens. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 3 ­ 4. Dohrniphora binga male: (3) posterior face of base of hind femur; (4) hind coxal lobe. Scale bars = 0.1 mm