Myxophryxe 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 : 261-262

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tachinidae

Myxophryxe Cerretti & O'Hara gen. n. Figs 12, 13, 14

Type species.

Phorocera longirostris Villeneuve, 1938, by present designation.

Etymology.

The compound name Myxophryxe derives from the prefix of the generic name Myxogaedia Villeneuve (to which longirostris was assigned before this revision) and the generic name Phryxe Robineau-Desvoidy, which is morphologically similar.

Diagnosis.

Compound eye covered with thick, long ommatrichia (longest ommatrichia longer than diameter of five eye facets). Ocellar setae well developed, proclinate. Frons 1.1-1.6 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Parafacial bare or with a few short, fine setulae just below lower frontal seta. Parafacial flat or slightly convex, at its narrowest point 1.2-2.2 times as wide as width of postpedicel. Facial ridge straight or convex, with a row of strong, downcurved setae above vibrissa, on lower 4/5 or more of its length. Lower facial margin warped forward and slightly visible in lateral view. Postpedicel 3.9-6.3 times as long as pedicel. Arista apparently bare, thickened on basal 1/2-2/3. First aristomere shorter than wide; second aristomere about as long as wide. Genal dilation well developed. Gena in profile 0.25-0.50 times as high as compound eye. Lower occiput and postgena covered with mostly pale hair-like setulae. Upper occiput with one row of black occipital setulae. Vibrissa arising at level of lower facial margin. Palpus slightly clavate. Prementum varied. Prosternum with at least three long setulae along lateral margin. Proepisternal depression bare. Proepisternal seta present. Postpronotum with 4 or 5 setae, the 3 strongest basal ones arranged in a line. Scutum with 3 postsutural intra-alar setae; 3 + 4 dorsocentral setae; 3 presutural acrostichal setae. First postsutural supra-alar seta longer than notopleural setae and longer and stronger than first postsutural intra-alar seta. Katepimeron bare or with setulae on anterior 1/4-2/3. Three katepisternal setae (2+1). Scutellum with 4 pairs of marginal setae and 1 or 2 pairs of discal setae: apical scutellar setae crossed (sometimes converging and slightly crossed distally), sub-horizontal. Wing cell r4+5 open or closed at wing margin. Mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae (a short additional seta occasionally present) and a strong submedian ventral seta. Hind coxa bare posterodorsally. Mid-dorsal depression of abdominal syntergite 1+2 reaching posterior margin of syntergite. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 with 1 pair of median marginal setae. Tergite 4 with a complete row of marginal setae. Tergites 3 and 4 without median discal setae (several robust, short median discal setae or setulae irregularly dispersed, sometimes barely distinguishable from general erect setulae).

Remarks.

As mentioned in the Classification section above, it is not always possible to ascertain whether a given genus belongs to the Goniini (microtype egg producers) or the Eryciini (macrotype egg producers) relying only on external morphological characters. This is especially true when only males are available for examination as has been the case for Myxophryxe . In spite of this, we propose here to tentatively assign Myxophryxe to the Goniini given the close morphological similarity of males to those of the goniine genus Myxogaedia . Myxophryxe is characterized by having the parafacial bare or with a few fine, short setulae below the lower frontal seta, arista thickened on basal 1/2-2/3, preapical anterodorsal seta of fore tibia varying from shorter to as long as preapical dorsal seta, and hind tibia with two or three dorsal preapical setae. In contrast, species of Myxogaedia have the parafacial with at least some strong, pro-medioclinate setae on upper 1/2, arista thickened on basal 4/5 to its whole length, preapical anterodorsal seta of fore tibia distinctly longer than preapical dorsal seta, and hind tibia with four or five dorsal preapical setae. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude that future investigation of the reproductive strategy of Myxophryxe species may change the current classification.