Feuerborniella obscura (Tonnoir, 1919)

Kvifte, Gunnar Mikalsen & Jaume-Schinkel, Santiago, 2023, Revisionary notes on Feuerborniella Vaillant, 1971, with the first record of the genus from the Afrotropical region (Diptera, Psychodidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 70 (1), pp. 121-127 : 121

Feuerborniella obscura (Tonnoir, 1919)

Fig. 1

Psychoda obscura Tonnoir, 1919: 140.

Psychoda eximia Feuerborn, 1923: 200.

Philosepedon uniretinacleum Krek, 1971: 92.

Material examined.

Lectotype female. " Uccle Av. Defré, 21. Mai 1917, A.Tonnoir ". Designated by J. Ježek (1985). 3 female paralectotypes, one with the same data as holotype, two from “Forêt Soignes, 3 Juin 1918, A. Tonnoir ". All in coll. [RBINS]. Belgium: "Linkebeek, 26.V.[19]20, A.Tonnoir ", 2 females (RBINS). “Falaën, Juin [19]21, A.Tonnoir ", 1 male [RBINS]. "Ohain, 23.V.[19]20, R. Mayné”, 2 females [RBINS]. Germany: Hessen, Vogelsbergkreis, Schlitz , 13.VI.1971, R. Wagner leg. 1 male. [RW]

Diagnosis.

Feuerborniella obscura can be separated from other described species of Feuerborniella by the following combination of characters: Wing forks complete, ejaculatory apodeme narrow, parameres dorsally connected, with elongate projections reaching apical ⅕ of aedeagus, aedeagus without subapical constriction.

Re-description.

Measurements in mm (n = 1). Wing length 1.63, width 0.65; Head length 0.30, width 0.32; Antennal segments, scape: 0.06, pedicel: 0.04, flagellomere 1-9 0.10; Palpomeres 1: 0.06, 2: 0.08, 3: 0.10, 4: 0.12.

Male. Head about the same length as width, vertex about ⅓ of head length; eyes separated by 2 facet diameters, eye bridge with four facet rows, interocular suture as an inverted Y, length of suture about 2 facet diameters. Antennal scape about the same length as width, subquadrate; pedicel spherical, about the same length of scape, flagellomeres vaguely asymmetrical and nodiform, nodes progressively decreasing in size and internode increasing in length up to apical flagellomeres which are reduced in size and globular, not fused; ascoids with one anterior branch and to posterior branches, Y-shaped; frontal alveoli patch undivided, anterior margin extending almost to interocular suture reaching the second facet; labella bulbous, setose, without teeth. Palpal segments sclerotised, palpal proportions 1.0:1.4:1.7:2.1.

Wing hyaline, except costal cell which is infuscated; wing length 2.8 times its width; Sc short ending at the base of R1; Radial fork apical to Medial fork, M2 not connected to M1; R5 looks more sclerotised than the rest of wing veins, ending at wing apex.

Terminalia. Hypandrium sclerotised and plate-like; gonocoxites about the same length of gonostylus, cylindrical; gonostylus simple, tapering towards apex, incurved. Aedeagus symmetrical, extending towards the apex of gonostylus, parameres with a broad triangular base, tapering towards the apex, connected by a bridge morphologically ventral to the aedeagus, out-curved, ejaculatory apodeme narrow. Epandrium about the same length as its width, with both anterior and posterior margins concave; surstylus conical, tapering towards the apex with a single spatulate tenacula, about half the length of surstylus; Hypoproct with posterior margin rounded, subquadrate, covered in small setulae.

Remarks.

The description is based on the male from Germany; the other specimens listed under "material examined" have been consulted only to confirm the generic diagnosis. Previous re-descriptions of F. obscura by Vaillant (1971), Ježek (1985) and Krek (1999) show some discrepancies in whether the ascoids have a posterior branch or not. Vaillant (1974) describes the ascoids as Y-shaped (i.e. three branches) on the first ten flagellomeres and as either Y-shaped or V-shaped on the following flagellomeres. Ježek (1985) describes and figures the ascoids as possessing two branches, similar to Vaillant’s (1974) illustration of the V-shaped condition. Krek (1999) figures three branches and lists the ascoids as Y-shaped, not mentioning any V-shaped ascoids on the distal flagellomeres at all. We deem it likely that this is a variable character as described by Vaillant (1974).

Figures

Figure 1. Feuerborniella obscura A. Wing; B. Genitalia, aedeagus, gonocoxites, gonostyli; C. Genitalia, epandrium and surstyli. Scales in millimetres (mm). Abbreviations: aed: aedeagus; eja: ejaculatory apodeme; ep: epandrium; gns: gonostyli; gnx: gonocoxite; hyp: hypandrium; pm: paramere; surs: surstyli; ten: tenaculum.