Physiphora obscura (Hendel 1913)

Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016, Revision of the Genus Physiphora Fallén 1810 (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Ulidiinae), Zootaxa 4087 (1), pp. 1-88 : 56-59

Physiphora obscura (Hendel 1913)

Figures 262–275 .

Chrysomyza obscura Hendel, 1913 b: 218 ; Séguy, 1941: 116. Physiphora obscura Steyskal, 1980: 576 .

Material. Type. Syntypes 1♀: “ Mozambique ”, “Chrysomysa obscura H.”, “Coll. Hendel:” (NHMW); 1♂: same labels, (“Museum Cambridge”) (not examined). Non-type. Congo ( Zaïre): “ Congo Belge, P.N.A., Secteur Nord, Mulingo, 1350 m, Secteur Kikura / Region Baniangala”, 9. vii.1954, 2 ♂, 1♀, (P.Vanschuytbroeck & H.Synare, 9194); idem, 16. vii.1954, 1 ♂ (P.Vanschuytbroeck & H.Synare, 9191) (MRAC); Eritrea [no exact locality, data or collector given], 1♀ (ZSSM); Kenya: “Afr. or. Angl., Bura (WA—TAITA)”, “1050 RD St. 61”, iii.1912, 1 ♂ (Alluaud & Jeannel), Mars 1912 “Coll. Hendel” (NHMW); Malawi: Chiromo, Ruo R[iver], 1916, 1 ♂ (R. C. Wood) (BMNH); Namibia: Otjozondjupa: Okahandja, 1016. ii.1928, 24. ii1. iii.1928, 2 ♂ (R. E. Turner) (BMNH); Karasburg: Luderitz, “Plateu 38 SA 2616 Sb”, 45. iii.1972, 1 ♂; Aussenkehr 147, 26 º20.4′S 17º24.1′ E, 22. viii.2000, 1 ♂ (E. Marais) (NICW); Tanzania: “Makoa, T.T.O—Afr.”, 8.i.1959, 1013.i.1959, 6. ii.1959, 3 ♂, 5♀ (SMNS); Rwanda: Kigali, 1500 m, 19. ii.1986, 1 ♂ (M. Kühbandner) (ZSSM); South Africa: Cape Province, Mossel Bay, iv.1921, 1830. ix.1921, xii.1921, i. 1922, 15. iii20. iv.1932, 3 ♂, 3♀ (R. E. Turner) (BMNH); KwaZulu Natal: Udumu, 16. xii.1958, 3 ♂, 3♀ ( O. G. Babcock); Transvaal: Mooketsi, 1418. ii.1968, 1 ♂, 2♀ (Krombein & Spangler) (USNM); Swaziland: 2km N Lyongo, 26º33′S, 31º13′E, loc.34, 26.x.1994 (R. Danielsson) (ZMLU).

Diagnosis. P. obscura belongs to a group of species differing from other Physiphora by the subshining brown frons, densely rugulose metallic green to blue or almost entirely black mesonotum of duller appearance than glossy postpronotal lobe, margins of transverse and scuto-scutellar sutures, combined with creamy white fore metatarsus. It differs from P. elbae Steyskal (another species with whitish microtrichose mark on facial carina λ-shaped and white or yellow fore metatarsus) by the semicircular parafrontal microtrichose spot (in P. elbae , parafrontal spot long and cuneiform, almost reaching anterior margin) and from P. alceaea , P. azurea , P. hendeli sp. n., P. rugosa sp. n., and P. tarsata spby the combination of whitish microtrichose mark on facial carina λ-shaped (in compared species, face with entire transverse microtrichose band), and by smooth frons (pitted and wrinkled in P. rugosa sp. n., and P. tarsata ).

Description. Head ( Figs. 263–265 ) black, with reddish brown frons, face and gena. Frons 1.1–1.2 times as long as wide, reddish brown, subshining with moderately large semicircular parafrontal microtichose spot not reaching anterior margin ( Fig. 265 ), with poorly expressed calluses, slightly concave middle and convex anterior part, finely and sparsely yellowish setulose in anterior part. Vertical plates and ocellar triangle dark brown to black, with slight greenish reflection; 2 pairs of black orbital setae; ocellar setae lateroclinate, as long as orbital setae.

Face brown, facial carina brown or brown with black pattern, with white λ-shaped microtrichose area widely separated from microtrichose antennal grooves; epistome brownish yellow, brown or black ventro-medially, shagreened, with or without metallic greenish reflections; lateral sides of face moderately high. Gena brown, 1/3 times as high as eye; facial ridge and parafacial subshining reddish brown, each with white microtrichose stripe; gena posteriorly without microtrichose mark separating it from partly brownish yellow postgena ( Fig. 263 ). Occiput black, with reddish brown area posterior of ocellar triangle, and postgenae. Medial vertical seta 0.6 as long as frons width, 1.2 times as long as lateral vertical and 4–5 times as long as ocellar, orbital, and 2.5 times as long as postocellar setae. Antenna brown; flagellomere 1 laterally brown to black, rounded apically, 1.6–1.8 times as long as wide, greyish microtrichose; arista bare, yellowish brown in basal 1/5, remainder black. Clypeus black. Palp black, grey microtrichose and black setose. Mouthparts black.

Thorax ( Figs. 263–264 ). Scutum black, densely rugulose, almost matt, with golden-green, green, cyan sheen to deep violet; antepronotum, postpronotal lobe, posterior surface of notopleural triangle, transverse suture, supra-alar and postalar parts of scutum, anterior half of anepisternum and katepisternum, and whole anepimeron shining black; posterodorsal parts of anepisternum and katepisternum shagreened; supra-alar area and tympanal fossa black, postscutellum black, gray microtrichose; postero-ventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area; anatergite, katatergite and lateroventral parts of mediotergite sparsely grey microtrichose; medial part of mediotergite finely shagreened, with cyan reflection. Mesonotal scutum with indistinguishable acrostichal and dorsocentral rows of setulae, as well as acrostichal seta; dorsocentral setae hair-like; other setae moderately long, black: one postprononal, 2 postsutural supra-alar, one intra-alar and one postalar.

Scutellum densely rugulose, usually with deep blue reflection or pitchy black, apparently bare or with very short and sparse brownish setulae and 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing. Entirely hyaline, with yellow or partly brownish veins; cell r4+5 narrowly opened, apical section of M slightly arcuate ( Fig. 266 ). Postero-apical extension of cell cup 1.1 times as long as vein A1+CuA2, and 2.5 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Calypters with white fringe. Length: 2.6–4.2 mm.

Legs. Black except fore tarsus with basitarsomere creamy white in basal 7/8; mid- and hind femora yellowish brown in apical 1/5, mid and hind tibiae entirely brown or black only in apical 1/4; mid and hind tarsi yellow except last tarsomere brown; all setae black; fore femur postero-ventrally with 3–4 almost non-thickened short setae in apical half.

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites shining black, laterally finely rugulose, male tergite 5 with green reflection; all setulae black; abdominal tergite 1 basally sparsely grey microtrichose; female abdominal tergite 2 without or at most very small, pit-shaped dimple-like structures laterally.

Male postabdomen brown to black; epandrium as on Fig. 271 , cerci with short triangular nipple-like structures ( Fig. 272 ), phallus with stipe almost longer than preglans and glans; preglans with fine spinules in basal portion ( Fig. 268 a); glans with 6–7 short lobes ( Figs. 269–270 ). Hypandrium ( Fig. 273 ) asymmetric, with poorly developed vanes of phallapodeme).

Female terminalia not dissected.

Distribution. Eastern and Southern Africa, from Erythrea to Namibia.

Biology unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 262 – 267. Physiphora obscura: 262, habitus, left; 263, 264, head and thorax, left and dorsal; 265, head, anterior; 266, wing; 267, label.

FIGURES 268 – 275. Physiphora obscura: 268, ♂ phallus (a — fragment of preglans, enlarged); 269 – 270, glans, enlarged; 271, epandrium, posterior; 272, same, part, enlarged; 273, hypandrium, ventral; 274, male abdomen, ventral; 275, ejaculatory apodeme.