Physiphora opalizana, Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016

Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016, Revision of the Genus Physiphora Fallén 1810 (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Ulidiinae), Zootaxa 4087 (1), pp. 1-88 : 59-61

Physiphora opalizana sp. n.

Figures 276–291 .

Material. Type. Holotype ♂: Malawi: “ Nyasaland, Ruo River, 200'”, 24.iii.1916 (R.C.Wood) (BMNH). Paratypes: Namibia: 14♂, 12♀, Opuva Dist., 35 km E Epupa: Kunene River, 17º03′ 37″S 13º29′32″E, Malaise trap shaded woodland, 9–11.x.1999 (Kirk-Spriggs, Pape & Hauwanga)label as in holotype (NICW, SIZK); 1♂, idem, Kunene, Epupa Falls, 17º00′ S 13º15′ E, 22. ii.1995, 1 ♂ (F. Koch) (MNKB); Lüderitz Dist., Klinghardt Mtns. at: 27º20′ 04″S 15º46′00″E, Malaise trap, 27.viii–3.ix.1998 (Kirk-Spriggs & Marais); Malawi: 2♂, “ Nyasaland, Ruo River, 200'”, 4.ii, 24.iii.1916 (R.C.Wood) (BMNH); Zambia: 1♂, 2♀: “ Rhodesia / Victoria Falls / Nat. l. Park / IV.36 —1968 / Spangler” (USNM).

Diagnosis. This species can be easily recognized from all known species of Physophora by the combination of matt, opalescent brownish yellow frons with median bare vitta, a pair of small semicircular spots of microtrichia, λshaped microtrichose area on the facial carina, fore metatarsus creamy, scutum densely rugulose, matt green or cyan with bluish and brownish vittae. Other two species with matt frons, P. maraisi sp. n. and P. meyi sp. n. do not have subshining median vitta on frons and possess different structure of the phallus. P. opalizana sp. n. and P. meyi sp. n. share, apart from the matt frons and scutum, λ-shaped pattern on facial carina, also shagreened abdomen, long nipple-like structures on male cerci and one long lobe on phallus glans; this possibly shows on their closest relationships.

Description. Head ( Figs. 276–278 ) black, with mostly brownish yellow frons, face and gena. Frons 1.1–1.2 times as long as wide, reddish brown, matt with comma-like or triangular parafrontal microtichose spot sometimes reaching anterior margin ( Fig. 278 ), flat without expressed calluses, slightly concave at middle, finely and sparsely yellowish setulose in antero-lateral part. Vertical plates and ocellar triangle black; 2 pairs of black orbital setae; ocellar setae lateroclinate, as long as orbital setae.

Face brownish yellow, facial carina with white λ-shaped microtrichose area widely separated from microtrichose antennal grooves; epistome brown to black, rugose, with metallic greenish reflections; lateral sides of face moderately low. Gena brown, 1/3 times as high as eye; parafacial matt; facial ridge and parafacial each with white microtrichose stripe; gena posteriorly with short microtrichose mark in genal groove; postgena brown ( Figs. 276, 278 ). Occiput black, with brown area posterior of ocellar triangle. Medial vertical seta half as long as frons width, 1.5 times as long as lateral vertical and 4–6 times as long as ocellar, orbital, and postocellar setae. Antenna brown; flagellomere 1 laterally brown, rounded apically, 1.7–1.8 times as long as wide, greyish microtrichose; arista bare, brown in basal 1/4, remainder black. Clypeus brown to black. Palp black, grey microtrichose and black setose. Mouthparts black.

Thorax ( Figs. 276–277 ). Scutum and scutellum black, densely rugulose, almost matt, with green or cyan gleam and three vittae reddish and golden bordered; antepronotum, posterior portion of postpronotal lobe, posterior surface of notopleural triangle almost entirely rugulose, matt, with narrow shining areas, anterior half of anepisternum and katepisternum, subshining, with cyan sheen; posterodorsal parts of anepisternum, katepisternum, and anepimeron mostly rugulose; supra-alar area and tympanal fossa black, subshining rugulose; postscutellum black, sparsely gray microtrichose; postero-ventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area; anatergite, katatergite and lateroventral parts of mediotergite sparsely microtrichose, with faint metallic green sheen. Mesonotal scutum with fine, poorly visible brownish setulae in intra-alar and dorsocentral rows ( Fig. 277 ); acrostichal seta indistinguishable; dorsocentral setae hair-like; other setae moderately long, black: one postprononal, 2 postsutural supra-alar, one intra-alar and one postalar.

Scutellum densely rugulose, with deep blue or green reflection, without distinguishable setulae; with 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing. Entirely hyaline, with yellow veins; cell r4+5 narrowly closed, apical section of M conspicuously arcuate; apices of cells r2+3 and r4+5 with small blackish spot ( Fig. 280 ). Postero-apical extension of cell cup 1.1–1.3 times as long as vein A1+CuA2, and 3–4 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Calypters with white fringe. Length: 3.0–4.3 mm.

Legs. Black except fore tarsus with basitarsomere yellow medially, with apical (and in female also basal) 1/6 dark brown, mid- and hind tarsi yellow except two apical tarsomeres brown; all setae black. Fore femur in both sexes strongly swollen, 3 times as long as wide, with rugose postero-basal area; postero-ventrally with 6–7 short thickened setae in apical half ( Fig. 279 ).

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites black; with tergites gold shining and finely shagreened ( Figs. 276–277 ) in male (especially on sides—Fig. 291) and less shagreened in female; all setulae black; abdominal tergite 1 basally grey microtrichose; female abdominal tergite 2 with pair of dimple-like structures laterally ( Fig. 290 ).

Male postabdomen brown to black; epandrium as on Fig. 284 , cerci with long, antero-ventrally directed nipplelike structures ( Fig. 285 ); phallus with stipe conspicuouslu widened, longer than preglans and glans; caecum apparently short (or shriveled); preglans bare ( Fig. 282 ); glans with one very long lobe and 2–3 shorter claw- or spine-like lobes ( Fig. 283 ). Hypandrium ( Fig. 286 ) asymmetric.

Female terminalia not dissected.

Distribution. Namibia, South Africa.

Biology unknown.

Remarks. Specimens from Ruo River (BMNH) and Victoria Falls labelled by G. C. Steyskal as “ holotype ” and “ paratype ” are in fair condition, and we prefer to designate them only as paratypes, preserving old labels and using the manuscript name proposed by G. C. Steyskal.

Etymology. The name (originally proposed by G. C. Steyskal) is derived from Latin “opalus” (opal) and reflects the opalescent appearance of the frons in this species.

Figures

FIGURES 276 – 281. Physiphora opalizana: 276, habitus, left; 277, habitus, dorsal; 278, head, anterior; 279, fore leg; 280, wing; 281, label. Scale 0, 5 mm.

FIGURES 282 – 291. Physiphora opalizana: 282, ♂ phallus; 283, glans, enlarged; 284, epandrium, posterior; 285, epandrium, anterior; 286, epandrium and hypandrium, ventral; 287, ♀, aculeus; 288, same, tip, enlarged; 289, spermathecae; 290, dimplelike structure of tergite 2; 291, tergites 3 – 5 lateral margins.