Physiphora sericea (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 : 69-71

Physiphora sericea (Hendel 1913)

Figures 323–336 .

Chrysomyza sericea Hendel, 1913b: 217 ; Séguy, 1941: 116.

Physiphora sericea: Steyskal, 1980: 576 ; Kameneva & Korneyev, 2010: 630. Physiphora yerburyi: Steyskal , unpublished name; unavailable.

Material. Type. Ethiopia: Holotype ♂: “ Abyssinia, Kovács”, “Dire Daua / 1911.11.19” (HMNH) (not located, not examined). Non-type. India: Tamil Nadu, Dohnavur, 8º28′ N 77º35′ E, Tinnevelly Dt., 350′, 3. x.1938, 1 ♀ (B.M.— C.M. Expedition to S. India) (BMNH); Kenya: Tivi Beaches, 04º14′S, 39º36′E, 17. iv.1976, 1 ♀ (H. Gønget) (ZMUC); Namibia: Opuva Dist., 35 km E Epupa: Kunene River, 17º03′ 37″ S 13º29′32″ E, 911. x.1999, 1 ♀ (Kirk- Spriggs, Pape & Hauwanga) (NICW); Ombuku, 17º07′S 13º22′E, Kaokoveld, 24.ii.–2. iii.1995, 2 ♀; idem, 16º59′S 13º22′E, 25. ii.1995, 1 ♀ (F. Koch) (MNKB); Sri Lanka: Trinkonali, at light, 20. ix.1890, 2 ♀; Mahagany, 30. xi.1890, 1 ♂ (Yerbury) (BMNH); “ Ceylon ”, 1♂ (Horn) (DEI); Thailand: Pattaya, v.1989, 2 ♂ (W. Schacht) (ZSSM); United Arab Emirates: Al-Ajban, light trap, 26.ìi–27. iii.2006, 1 ♀;. Fujairah, light trap, 13.v 5. vi.2005, 1 ♀, 20.iv–7. v.2006, 4 ♀; 2–30. i.2006, 1 ♀; Hatta, light trap, 19–28. iii.2006, 1 ♀; NARC, near Sweihan, light trap, 26.ii–2. iv.2006, 2 ♂ (A. van Harten) (SIZK).

Diagnosis. This species can be easily recognized from the combination of the fore basitarsomere entirely black or brown, frons satin black or brown with violet sheen and shiny anterolateral corners, parafrontal microtrichose spot long cuneiform, reaching anterior margin, and facial carina with λ-shaped microtrichose area.

It is superficially very similar to P. elbae , readily different from it by the coloration of the fore metatarsus (widely creamy yellow or white in P. sericea ) and structure of male phallus glans with extremely long reclinate basalmost lobe (without long lobes in P. elbae — Figs. 114–116 ).

Description: Head ( Figs. 324–325 ) brown to black, with facial and gena brown to dark brown. Frons 1.1 times as long as wide, black or brown (sometimes yellowish brown anteriorly), subshining, opalescent with violet or bluish tinge, antero-lateral corners shining, long cuneiform parafrontal microtichose spot reaching anterior margin ( Fig. 325 ) and no differentiated calluses posterior to its middle; sparsely and inconspicuously yellow setulose in anterior half. Vertical plates and ocellar triangle shining black with greenish sheen; 2 pairs of black orbital setae; ocellar setae lateroclinate, as long as orbital setae.

Face mostly black, except facial carina partly brown, rugulose, with white λ-shaped microtrichose area separated from microtrichose antennal grooves. Gena 1/3–2/5 times as high as eye; parafacial and facial ridge each with white microtrichose stripe; gena posteriorly without white microtrichose mark separating it from partly brown or black postgena ( Fig. 325 ). Occiput entirely black. Medial vertical seta half as long as frons width, 1.4–1.5 times as long as lateral vertical, 4 times as long as ocellar and orbital and 3 times as long as postocellar setae. Antenna brown to black; flagellomere 1 rounded apically, 1.8–2.3 times as long as wide, greyish microtrichose; arista bare, brown or yellowish brown in basal 1/5, remainder black. Clypeus black. Palp black, grey microtrichose and black setose. Mouthparts black.

Thorax ( Fig. 324 ). Scutum and scutellum black, densely rugulose, subshining, with green tinge and light cyan to golden and reddish reflections; 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, with faint golden sheen; posterodorsal parts of anepisternum and katepisternum shagreened; postscutellum black, gray microtrichose; postero-ventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area; anatergite, katatergite and lateroventral parts of mediotergite grey microtrichose. Mesonotal scutum with acrostichal and dorsocentral rows of setulae; 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 violet reflection, apparently bare or with very short and sparse setulae and 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing. Entirely hyaline, with yellow veins; cell r4+5 narrowly closed; apical section of M slightly arcuate ( Fig. 326 ). Postero-apical extension of cell cup 0.8–0.9 times as long as vein A1+CuA2, and 2.5–3 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Calypters with white fringe. Length: 2.5– 4 mm.

Legs. Black except mid- and hind tarsi yellow except two apical tarsomeres brownish; all setae black; fore femur postero-ventrally with 3–4 slightly thickened short setae in apical half.

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites black, finely rugulose, with golden reflection; all setulae black; abdominal tergite 1 basally very sparsely microtrichose; female abdominal tergite 2 with pair of dimple-like structures laterally ( Figs. 327 , 333 ).

Male postabdomen brown to black; epandrium as on Fig. 330 , with short nipple-like structures, phallus with stipe as long as preglans and glans combined; caecum 2.5 times as long as stipe width; preglans without spinules or spines, glans with extremely long and wide reclinate basalmost lobe and 3 needle-like subapical lobes ( Figs. 328– 329 ). Hypandrium ( Fig. 331 ) asymmetric.

Female terminalia as described for P. alceae ; aculeus 9–10 times as long as wide at base ( Figs. 334–335 ); 3 spherical spermathecae as on Fig. 336 .

Distribution. Eastern and Southern Africa, Arabian and Hindustan Peninsula, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Biology unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 323 – 327. Physiphora sericea: 323, ♀ habitus, left; 324, head and thorax, dorsal; 325, head, anterior; 326, wing; 327, ♀ abdomen.

FIGURES 328 – 336. Physiphora sericea: 328, ♂ phallus; 329, glans, enlarged; 330, epandrium, posterior; 331, hypandrium, ventral; 332, ejaculatory apodeme; 333, ♀, dimple-like structure of tergite 2; 334, aculeus; 335, same, tip, enlarged; 336, spermathecae.

FIGURES 114 – 123. Physiphora elbae: 114, ♂ phallus; 115, 116, glans, enlarged; 117, epandrium, posterior; 118, hypandrium, ventral; 119, ejaculatory apodeme; 120, dimple-like structure of tergite 2; 121, ♀, aculeus; 122, spermathecae; 123, egg.