Physiphora orinigra, 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 : 62-64

Physiphora orinigra sp. n.

Figures 292–299 .

Material. Type. Holotype ♂: Malawi: “ Nyasaland / Cholo / R. C. Wood” “Pres. by Imp. Inst. Ent. BM 1947—13”, “ Holotype ” [red-boarded circle], “ Chrysomyza demandata F. van Emden det. 1942”, “ Holotype Physiphora orinigra d. G. Steyskal ‘64” (BMNH).

Paratypes: Malawi: 1♂, “ Nyasaland, Chiromo, Ruo R., 4.xi.1916. R. C. Wood”, “ Chrysomyza demandata van Emden det.” (BMNH); Nigeria: 1♀: Ibadan, 15.VII.1913, Dr. W. Lamborn”, “ Paratype ” [yellow-bordered circle] (BMNH); Central African Republic: 1♀: “Bambari [05°45′ 55″N 20°40′27″E], III.1966, G. Pierrard” (MRAC); Kenya: 1♂, Tiwi Beaches, 04º03′ S, 39º36′ E, 14–23.viii.1975 (B. Petersen) (ZMUK); Namibia: 1♀: “Opuva Dist., 35 km E Epupa, 17º03′ 33″S, 13º29′ 32″E, 911. x.1999, Kirk-Spriggs, Pape, Hauwanga, Malaise trap shaded woodland” (NICW); Tanzania: 1♂, 1♀: Kware near Moshi, 27.xii. [1951]– 13.i.1952, “ Chrysomyza demandata / E.[non-breaking space]Lindner det.” (D. O. Afrika Exp.) (SMNS).

Diagnosis. P. orinigra sp. n. is similar to P. alceae in having shining brownish yellow frons with calluses and round parafrontal microtrichose spots, and facial ridge with entire transverse crossband, as well as subshining green to cyan scutum and widely creamy fore metatarsus, differing by the face partly black face and structure of phallus (preglans smooth, without spines). It also shares frons shining with calluses and round parafrontal microtrichose spots, face black, and facial ridge with entire transverse crossband, and widely creamy fore metatarsus, as well as, differing by the subshining green to cyan scutum (matt blue, cyan, green or black in P. hendeli sp. n.), frons not pitted, smooth with hardly visible alveolae at bases of setulae (in P. hendeli sp. n., conspicuously pitted at anterior margin) and structure of phallus — preglans smooth, without spinules (with fine spinules in P. hendeli sp. n.).

Description. Head ( Fig. 294 ). Frons 1.2 times as long as wide, subshining brownish yellow, rarely to dark brown, sometimes mostly black in posterior half with round parafrontal microtichose spots and two pairs of calluses posterior to its middle and anterior half slightly concave and sparsely, finely yellowish setulose. Vertical plates black, with greenish or dark blue sheen, bearing 2 pairs of black, short, slightly reclinate orbital setae. Ocellar triangle black.

Face reddish yellow to reddish brown, dorsal half of facial carina and antennal grooves entire transverse gray microtrichose crossband. Lunule shining brown. Facial ridge, parafacial and gena shining orange or brown, gena 1/ 3 times as high as eye; parafacial and facial ridge with white microtrichose stripe each. Epistome black at middle to lateral corners, with greenish sheen. Occiput black, usually with brown area behind ocellar triangle and mostly black postgena; orbit between posterodorsal eye margin and row of postocular setae without microtrichose stripe, only posteroventrally (above postgena) orbit with short microtrichose stripe. Medial vertical seta 0.5–0.6 times as long as frons width, 1.3–1.4 times as long as lateral vertical and 4–5 times as long as ocellar, orbital and postocellar setae. Antenna reddish brown, greyish microtrichose; flagellomere 1 rounded apically, 1.5–1.8 times as long as wide; arista bare, yellow in basal 1/4, remainder black. Clypeus black. Palp brown to black, gray microtrichose, with moderately long black setulae. Mouthparts black.

Thorax ( Figs. 292–293 ). Scutum brown to black, subshining with dull green or cyan metallic sheen, finely rugulose, except antepronotum, posterior surface of postpronotal lobe and notopleuron, as well as pleura shining; posterodorsal part of anepisternum shagreened; supra-alar area and tympanal fossa matt black, postscutellum black, gray microtrichose; postero-ventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area. Mesonotal scutum with fine yellowish setulae, forming medial row, pair of regular dorsocentral and intra-alar rows; acrostichal setae not differing from other setulae; one pair of hair-like dorsocentral setae. One postprononal, 2 postsutural supra-alar, one intra-alar and one postalar setae strong, black.

Scutellum with blue (in specimens with cyan scutum) or golden-green sheen, with very fine and short black setulae and 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing ( Fig. 295 ). Entirely hyaline, with pale yellow veins; cell r4+5 almost closed, not forming petiole; posteroapical extension of cell cup 1.5 times as long as vein A1+CuA2, and 4 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Costal vein from middle of costal cell to middle of r1 cell with alternate thickened and thin setae in anterodorsal and antero-ventral rows. Length: 3.0–4.5.

Legs. Black except fore metatarsus creamy yellow in basal 4/5, mid- and hind tarsi yellow with 3 apical tarsomeres brown or black; all setae black; fore femur not swollen, postero-ventrally with 4–5 thickened, but rather short setae in apical half.

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites black, with very weak bluish or greenish reflection, with black setulae; female tergite 2 with pair of dimple-like structures laterally.

Male postabdomen brown to black; epandrium as on Fig. 299 , phallus with stipe conspicuously shorter than joined length of preglans and glans; preglans smooth without spines; glans with 4–5 short dentate lobes (spines) and one basally directed moderately long lobe ( Figs. 297–298 ).

Female terminalia not dissected.

Distribution: Subsaharan Africa: Central and Southern.

Biology unknown.

Remarks. Specimens from Malawi (BMNH) labelled by G. C. Steyskal as “ holotype ” and “ paratype ” are in a fair condition; we designate the male as holotype, preserving old labels and using the manuscript name initially proposed by Steyskal. A female from Malawi labelled as “Allotype ♀”is in poor condition (a teneral, partly discoloured specimen of larger size and strong violet reflection on scutum) might belong elsewhere and is not included into type series.

Etymology. The name (originally proposed by G. C. Steyskal) is derived from Latin “os” (mouth) and “nigrus” (black), reflecting the black epistome in this species, which differentiates it from P. alceae .

Figures

FIGURES 292 – 296. Physiphora orinigra: 292, habitus, left; 293, habitus, dorsal; 294, head, anterior; 295, wing; 296, label.

FIGURES 297 – 299. Physiphora orinigra: 297, ♂ phallus; 298, glans, enlarged; 299, epandrium, posterior.