Mesnilotrix Cerretti & O'Hara

O'Hara, James E. & Cerretti, Pierfilippo, 2016, Annotated catalogue of the Tachinidae (Insecta, Diptera) of the Afrotropical Region, with the description of seven new genera, ZooKeys 575, pp. 1-344 : 248

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tachinidae

Mesnilotrix Cerretti & O'Hara gen. n. Fig. 7

Type species.

Dexiotrix empiformis Mesnil, 1976, by present designation.

Etymology.

Mesnilotrix is a composite word formed from the surname of Louis Paul Mesnil (the author of the type species) and the suffix of the generic name Dexiotrix Villeneuve. The name alludes to the morphological external similarity of empiformis to members of Dexiotrix that led Mesnil to describe the species in Dexiotrix .

Diagnosis.

Compound eye bare. Antenna at most as long as height of gena. Arista plumose, with total width of arista and microtrichia 3.0-3.7 times as wide as width of postpedicel. Frontal setae descending to above level of upper margin of scape. Parafacial bare, about 2 times as wide as width of postpedicel. Facial ridge slightly concave, with fine decumbent setulae on lower 1/4 (or slightly more). Vibrissa arising distinctly above level of lower facial margin; subvibrissal ridge well developed with a row of 3-5 setae. Face concave with a small, narrow carina, not dividing antennae and not visible in laterial view. Genal dilation not developed. Upper occiput with several long black setulae not arranged in rows. Gena about 0.5 times as high as compound eye. Prementum about 2 times as long as wide. Palpus short, 2/3-3/4 as long as prementum, cylindrical (i.e., not inflated apically), with several long black setulae on apical 1/2. Proepisternum and prosternum bare. Postpronotum with 2-3 setae (if 3, then arranged in a line); lateral postpronotal seta enormously developed (Fig. 7b, red arrow). Scutum with 0 + 0-1 (i.e., 0 presutural and 0-1 postsutural) acrostichal setae; 3 + 3 dorsocentral setae; 0 + 2-3 intra-alar setae; 1 + 3 supra-alar setae (presutural supra-alar seta enormously developed [Fig. 7b, blue arrows], first postsutural supra-alar shorter than notopleural setae); 1 posthumeral seta; 2 notopleural setae. Two katepisternal setae. Scutellum with 3 pairs of marginal setae: one pair of crossed, sub-horizontal apical setae, one pair of strong, diverging subapical setae and one pair of weak, convergent basal setae (basal setae about 1/3 as long as subapical setae). Subscutellum conspicuously bulbous and at least as prominent as scutellum (Fig. 7a). Anterior and posterior lappets of metathoracic spiracle subequal in size (though not symmetrical). Legs exceptionally long and slender. Coxae, femora and tibiae yellow, tarsi dark brown. Medial anterior surface of fore coxa bare or predominantly bare. Fore tarsus about twice the length of fore tibia (Fig. 7a). Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta. Hind tibia with 2 dorsal preapical setae and with preapical posteroventral seta undeveloped. Tegula and basicosta yellow. Second costal section setulose ventrally. Costal spine not developed. Cell r4+5 narrowly open at wing margin. Bend of vein M1 with a short appendix at most 3/4 as long as crossvein r-m (Fig. 7d). Abdomen unusually long and narrow (female unknown), slightly tapering towards apex (Fig. 7e). Mid-dorsal depression on abdominal syntergite 1+2 confined to anterior 1/3 (or less) of syntergite. Abdominal syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3 and 4 with 4 strong marginal setae (2 median, 2 lateral), without discal setae (Fig. 7a, e); tergite 5 with 4 strong discal and marginal setae (Fig. 7e). Male: Frons at its narrowest point about 0.3 times as wide as eye in dorsal view; inner vertical setae short and crossed; outer vertical seta not or barely distinguishable from postocular setae; upper reclinate orbital setae absent; fronto-orbital plate nearly bare, without proclinate orbital setae.