Phytomia melas (Bezzi)
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https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4803.2.1 |
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lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C0F5754-9530-4072-AF45-BDFE4A8A2B57 |
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https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F94D2C-FF91-FFDF-0EAD-336DFD80FB95 |
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Plazi |
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Phytomia melas (Bezzi) |
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Phytomia melas (Bezzi) View in CoL
( Figs 18 View FIGURES 11–20 , 35 View FIGURES 29–36 , 58–59 View FIGURES 49–60 , 80–82 View FIGURES 73–84 , 99 View FIGURES 85–100 )
Megaspis fronto var. melas Bezzi, 1912: 424 (in key only)
Megaspis ephippium Bezzi, 1912: 424 View in CoL (in key only)
Phytomia (Eristalis) fronto var. melas Bezzi 1915: 75 View in CoL
Phytomia ephippium Bezzi, 1915: 75 View in CoL syn. nov.
Material examined. HOLOTYPE ( fronto var. melas ): ♀, KENYA, Abderdares E side, 24.II.1911, T.J. Anderson ( BMNH) . PARATYPES ( fronto var. melas ): 1♀, KENYA, same data as holotype ( BMNH) ; 1♀, KENYA, W side Meru-Nyeri Road , Mt Kenya, 20.II.1911, S.A. Neave ( BMNH) . HOLOTYPE ( ephippium ): ♀, KENYA, Kenia Forest , nr Luchi River, 9.II.1911, T.J. Anderson ( BMNH) . Other material: BURUNDI, 1♂, Bururi, 8.V.1949, F.J. François ( KBIN) ; 1♀, Kibira Forest , 25.XI.2010, University of Burundi. CONGO (DR), 1♀, Itombwe N riv Isale, Kivu , July 1955, G. Marlier ( KMMA) ; 1♂, Mt Ruwenzori , 18.V.1914 ( AMNH) ; Parc National Albert , 1♀, Ihunga ,
riv. Ruanoli, 17.IV. 1957, P. Vanschuytbroek, ( KMMA); 1♀, S. Kahuzi, km27, Kivu , 28.III.1953, P. Basilewsky ( KMMA) ; 1♀, pied du Mont Wago , 24.XI.1928, A. Collart ( KMMA) . KENYA, 1♂, 37mi SE Eldoret , 26.I.1968, J.W. Boyes ( CNC) ; 1♀, Elgon , Loven ( NRMS) ; 1♀, Jonct Camp E. Elgon, April–May 1914, Bayer ( KMMA) ; Kathita river, Mt Kenya , 1♀, 8.VIII.1949; 1♂, 12.VIII.1949, all J.A. Riley ( BMNH) ; 1♀, SE edge Kenia Forest , 7.II.1911, T.J. Anderson ( BMNH) ; 1♀, Kilolo R. N of Mt Kenia, Feburary 1911 ( CNC) ; 1♂, Kijabe , July 1930, van Someren ( BMNH) ; 1♀, W. Side Meru–Nyeri Rd, Mt. Kenia , 20.II.1911, S.A. Neave ( BMNH) ; 1♀, Molo side Mau Forest , June 1991, R. Bagine & Mugambi ( NMK) ; 1♀, Mt Elgon , February 1935, F.W. Edwards ( BMNH) ; 2♀, Kinotton For. Sta. nr Kitale, Mt Elgon , 25.I.1965, J.W. Boyes ( CNC) ; 2♂, Mt Elgon camp III, P.A. Chappuis & R. Jeannel ( MNHN) ; 2♂, NW Mau, January–February 1946 ( CNC) ; 1♂, 10mi N Karatima, Ragatan Forest , 4.II.1968, J.W. Boyes ( CNC) . RWANDA, 1♂, Mt Tamira , 11.III.1935, G.F. de Witte ( KBIN) ; Vallée Rwebeya , Volc Sabinyo , 1♂, 22.IX.1934; 1♂, 26.IX.1934, all G.F. de Witte ( KMMA) . SOUTH AFRICA: 1♀, E. Cape, 37km NE Maclear. 3.II.1992, Natal Museum Expedition ( NMSA) ; 1♀, Imbezana River , 5.I.1918, E.C. Chubb ( NMSA) . TANZANIA, 7♀, Rungve Mt , 20mi SSE Mboya, 1962, H. Heinrich ( NRMS) ; 1♂, Mt Meru , 21.VI.1962, H. Falke ( CNC) ; 1♂, 30mi S Njombe, Mdando Forest , 8.X.1962 ( CNC) . UGANDA, 3♂ 2♀, Bwindi Impenetrable N.P., 13-14.XII.2018, K. Jordaens ( KMMA) ; 2♀, Namwamba Valley, Ruwenzori Range , December 1934 – January 1935, F.W. Edwards ( BMNH) ; 1♂, Nyamgassani Valley, Ruwenzori Range , December 1934 – January 1935, D.R. Buxton ( BMNH) ; 1♂, Ruenzori , 17.II.1912, J. Fraser ( BMNH) ; 3♀, Ruenzori Mts , 16-20.IV.1972, H. Falke ( CNC) . ZIMBABWE, 1♀, Vumba, Umtali , 7.II.1932, P.A. Sheppard ( NMSA) .
Body size. Body length (n=10): 11.9-15.6 mm. Wing length (n=10): 9.8-12.1 mm.
Redescription. MALE ( Fig. 18 View FIGURES 11–20 ). Head. Eye bare; holoptic, touching for distance at most equal to length of ocellar triangle, facets subequal, only moderately enlarged in dorsal half. Frons brown to black; with greyish brown pollinosity, along eye margin more brownish; dispersed pilosity of long pale pile interspersed with few dark pile, dorsally longer pile; rugose area shining brown, occupying about one-third of entire width and at about two-fifths of height of frons; with shorter dispersed pale pile. Face ground colour black; mainly weakly shining with sparse greyish brown pollinosity, below antennae more densely greyish pollinose; pilosity of short pale pile; strongly concave with facial tubercle rounded, strongly pronounced. Gena black, brownish pollinose narrowly along eye margin; with long pale pilosity. Occiput dorsal third black, with greyish pollinosity; ventrally more silvery to brown, with dispersed pale pile. Antennal segments black to black-brown; arista yellow-brown, in basal half with short pile equal to about one-third of pedicel.
Thorax. Scutum ground colour black; with dispersed greyish-brown pollinosity, along anterior margin slightly more densely so; covered with dense pile of long pale brownish pile interspersed with few darker pile. Scutellum ( Fig. 35 View FIGURES 29–36 ) as scutum except more brownish, at least along posterior margin; in medial part with more pronounced darker pilosity. Pleural sclerites ground colour black, with greyish pollinosity. Covered (except meron, anterior part of katepisternum, and anterior anepisternum) with long whitish or pale yellowish pile.
Legs. Black-brown to orange-brown, tarsal segments more orange. Fore leg, femur with medium long pale pilosity, posteriorly longer and very dense, mixed with darker pile in apical third, ventrally with more dispersed pale pilosity; tibia pale in basal half dorsally, ventrally less so, with short pale pilosity. Mid leg, as fore leg except posterior pilosity on femur less dark. Sometimes fore and mid femora with more extensive black pilosity anteriorly and posteriorly. Hind leg, femur medium long to long pale pilosity except ventrally in apical fourth to fifth where black; tibia with silvery part restricted to dorsal side and for basal fourth at most, black pilosity except dorsally in basal part where pale.
Wing ( Fig. 58 View FIGURES 49–60 ). Completely hyaline, no microtrichia. At most slightly fumose along anterior margin and around venation. Calypters pale brown, basally more whitish; with fringe of pale pile.
Abdomen ( Figs 80–82 View FIGURES 73–84 ). Mainly black-brown, tergum 2 orange-brown along anterior two-thirds to three-fourths except for brown rectangular transverse macula in medial part, macula isolated or narrowly connected with posterior brown fascia; tergum 3 orange-brown along anterior margin for at most one-fourth of entire depth, sometimes interrupted medially; tergum 4 weakly shining black-brown, sometimes with narrow orange-brown fascia along anterior margin. Extension and coloration of orange-brown markings variable, sometimes terga 2 and 3 completely black-brown. Terga covered with dispersed short dark pile except at orange-brown markings where pale, along lateral margins with longer and predominantly pale pilosity. No bullae. Sterna brown to black-brown; with widely dispersed long pale pile. Male genitalia as in Fig. 99 View FIGURES 85–100 .
FEMALE. As male except for the following character states. Eye, facets of equal size; dichoptic. Frons black ground colour; with greyish brown pollinosity, except in dorsal third where dark brown; covered with long intermixed pale and dark pile, in dorsal part more dark pile; rugose area shining brown to yellow-brown, occupying less than one-third width and equal in height to at most twice the ocellar triangle. Wing ( Fig. 59 View FIGURES 49–60 ), fumose area sometimes more extensive.
Distribution. Burundi, Congo (DR), Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
Comments. Phytomia melas was originally described as a variety of P. fronto by Bezzi. However, study of images of the female holotype of the latter ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 11–20 ), have shown that both are distinctly different, based on the shape of the hind femur (thickened in P. fronto , slender in P. melas ), and the rugose area above the antennal insertion (small and largely smooth in P. fronto , well developed and distinctly rugose in P. melas ). Actually, characters states observed in P. fronto correspond more with those considered characteristic of the genus Simoides , rather than Phytomia . This was already observed by Loew (1860) who placed P. fronto tentatively under Megaspis (now synonym of Phytomia ) but pointed out the similarities with other Simoides species. Given the ambiguity in differentiating Phytomia from Simoides (cf. Discussion) we prefer not to propose a new generic combination for P. fronto but await the revision of the genus Simoides and further molecular and morphological analysis. We do exclude, however, P. fronto as such from this revision but specimens of this species will key out under Simoides of the key here provided (couplet 13).
It is not clear whether Bezzi actually studied the type of P. fronto but the specimens listed by him under fronto in Bezzi (1915) originate from the same area as the type material listed for P. melas . Among the series studied by us, there is a distinct variability in the coloration of the abdominal terga as described above but specimens correspond in other aspects. We, therefore, consider them to be conspecific and list them all here under P. melas .
Phytomia ephippium was described based on a single specimen from largely the same area in Kenya as the type specimens of P. melas . It was differentiated based on a assymetric shape of the second abdominal tergum ( Fig. 82 View FIGURES 73–84 ). Bezzi (1915) already pointed out that could be just an aberrant specimen of P. melas . We did not find any other specimens among the material studied with the same shape of the abdominal tergum and consider this to be deformation, caused by error in development rather than a specific character. We, therefore, consider P. ephippium to be conspecific with P. melas .
Phytomia melas shows a number of transitional characteristics between Phytomia and Simoides , which are discussed in the general Discussion.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Phytomia melas (Bezzi)
| Meyer, Marc De, Goergen, Georg & Jordaens, Kurt 2020 |
Phytomia (Eristalis) fronto var. melas
| Bezzi, M. 1915: 75 |
Phytomia ephippium
| Bezzi, M. 1915: 75 |
Megaspis fronto var. melas
| Bezzi, M. 1912: 424 |
Megaspis ephippium
| Bezzi, M. 1912: 424 |