Metopina blaxteri, Disney, Henry L., 2008

Disney, Henry L., 2008, Review of Oriental Metopina Macquart (Diptera: Phoridae), Zootaxa 1937, pp. 23-38 : 25

Metopina blaxteri sp. nov.

(Figs 2)

Female. Frons and thorax brown. Frons with four SAs, a pair of antials but no ALs. POs slightly further apart than either is from a ML bristle. Eyes with height about 1.5x width of postpedicel. Postpedicels subglobose, light brown and without SPS vesicles. Palps straw yellow and with 5–6 longer bristles and half as many shorter hairs. Labrum pale and only about 0.6x as broad as a postpedicel and labella reduced. Scutellum with a single pair of bristles only. Abdominal tergites brown and T4 to T7 as Fig. 2. Venter yellowish to brownish grey with hairs below segments 3–7, but those on 3 and 4 are very few in number. Cerci almost colourless and at most twice as long as greatest breadth. Legs straw yellow but for brown tips of hind femora. Wing 0.71– 0.72 mm long. Costal index 0.51–0.52. Costal ratios 0.66–0.67: 1. Thick veins pale grey. 4–6 extremely pale and 7 not apparent. Membrane very lightly tinged grey.

Material. Holotype female, Indonesia, Sulawesi-Utara, Dumoga-Bone National Park, Toraut Forest, Malaise trap, 28–31 January 1985, R. H. L. Disney ( UCZM, 16-21). Paratypes, 1 female as holotype except 30 March 1985 (16–29); 1 female as holotype except 21–31 July 1985, A. Kirk-Spriggs (National Museum of Wales, 19–96).

Etymology. Named after Captain Bruce Blaxter, a member of the Project Wallace support team.