Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides Brunetti, 1923

Woodley, Norman E., 2012, Revision of the southeast Asian soldier-fly genus Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti, 1923 (Diptera, Stratiomyidae, Pachygastrinae), ZooKeys 238, pp. 1-21 : 4-7

Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides Brunetti, 1923 Figs 2, 6, 9, 11-15

Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides Brunetti, 1923: 67.

Diagnosis.

Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides is easily distinguished from the other three known species in the genus by its remarkably produced ventral side of the antennal scape (Fig. 9).

Redescription.

Male.Head: Brownish black, but lower frons and most of face pale yellow, lower frons with small diffuse brownish spots adjacent to inner margins of antennal sockets, face dark near oral margin, including conical processes; face slightly convex but depressed medially on lower part, not concave on lowest part between conical processes, with upper medial portion moderately striate, and with a tiny conical process at lower, outer margin of each antennal socket; lower frons with very narrow band of pale tomentum at eye margins, similar tomentum along eye margin at gena and postgena; face, gena, and ocellar tubercle with short to moderate length silvery white hair-like setae, longest on genal area; antenna with scape and pedicel dark yellow, scape slightly darker dorsally, both with short, dark, semi-appressed hair-like setae, densest dorsally; scape with ventral surface markedly produced, inner region near base with rounded excavation; flagellum blackish with dense pilosity (most of flagellum missing in males examined, presumably as in female described below); palpus with first segment pale yellow, second dark brownish; proboscis dark yellowish.

Thorax: Prothorax yellow but proepisternum is brownish black; scutum black with a pair of triangle-shaped lateral spots that are mostly on the presutural part, and area around postalar callus similarly yellow; scutellum black with apical half or more yellow; pleura yellow but ventral part of anepisternum, most of katepisternum, ventral part of meron, laterotergite and mediotergite brownish black; scutum with short, semi-appressed pilosity consisting of dark hair-like setae on dark cuticular areas, and pale hair-like setae on yellow areas, except laterally slightly longer hair-like setae present that are mostly pale; pilosity of pleura pale, slightly longer than on dorsal part of thorax and more erect, dorsal part of anepisternum bare; legs with coxae and trochanters pale yellow; front femur dark brown at base, gradually becoming dark yellow in basal third, middle and hind femora similar but the basal brown region more extensive, becoming yellow in apical half; front tibia mostly dark yellowish, narrowly dark dorsally; middle and hind tibiae brownish, more yellowish on ventral parts; tarsi yellowish, middle tarsus paler than others; halter with stem yellowish white, knob dark brown; wing (Fig. 6) with subapical cloud of infuscation starting at the proximal edge of discal cell, darkest and most evident in basal two-thirds of cell r5.

Abdomen: Blackish brown, first tergite with irregular yellowish medial spot, tergites 3-5 with narrow lateral margins vaguely paler; first tergite with moderately long, pale hair-like setae, tergites 2-5 densely set with short, dark hair-like setae on most of dorsal surface, tergites 2-3 with longer pale hair-like setae laterally (similar to those on first segment) and tergites 4-5 with longer dark hairs along lateral and posterolateral margins; sternites 1-3 yellowish, 4-5 brownish, with short, pale hair-like setae basally which become dark from apical half of sternite 3 posteriorly.

Terminalia: Gonocoxites (Fig. 11) with lateral margins nearly straight, diverging posteriorly, with a pair of rounded processes posterior to gonocoxal apodemes; gonocoxal apodemes extending anteriorly to about anterior margin of genital capsule; synsternite of genital capsule with posterior process that is slightly bilobed; gonostyli arcuate, without processes (Figs 11, 12); phallic complex (Figs 13, 14) small, trilobed, the medial lobe shorter than lateral lobes; epandrium (Fig. 15) large, evenly convex, slightly indented posterolaterally, posterior margin truncate; hypoproct sclerotized, but not expanded dorsolaterally.

Length: 10.8 mm.

Female. Differs from male as follows: Head: Frons 0.27-0.28 head width, upper and lower frons gradually widening ventrally, upper frons with slight medial depression in front of anterior ocellus, junction of upper and lower frons with indistinct elevation on each side of median line; upper frons with pale, appressed hair-like setae except on ocellar tubercle and in medial depression; antenna 3.6 times length of head; first five flagellomeres of antennal flagellum with dense, black velvety vestiture, with scattered fine, erect hair-like setae especially posteriorly, flagellomeres 6-8 with more erect, longer pilosity that is gradually longer toward apex, last flagellomere tapered apically; palpus with second segment more robust than in male.

Thorax: Scutum with hair-like setae mostly appressed, golden yellow; front femur sometimes more extensively dark on basal two-thirds; front tibia more extensively brownish black on dorsal part.

Abdomen: Tergite 2 and basal part of tergite 3 suffused with yellowish color medially; tergites 4-5 with shorter golden yellow hairs laterally and posterolaterally; sternite 8 with lateral margins evenly rounded, evenly continuous with posterior margin, produced dorsally along sides of terminalia; cercus yellowish brown, with first segment cylindrical, about three times as long as short, ovoid second segment.

Length: 10.3-10.4 mm.

Distribution.

Known from peninsular Malaysia and adjacent Thailand.

Type material examined.

The four syntypes noted in Brunetti (1923) are present in BMNH, three of which were subsequently labeled as syntypes. I am hereby designating the male specimen in the most complete condition as lectotype to stabilize the taxonomic concept of this species and its name. The specimen is labeled: "Siam: Bulsit Besar. H.C.Robinson & N.Annandale. 1916-21./LECTOTYPE ♂ Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides Brunetti, 1923 des. N. E. Woodley 2012". As can be seen from the label data, this specimen had not previously been labeled as a syntype, but it clearly is one. There is no date on the data label. The specimen (Fig. 2) is in moderately good condition, but is missing the left antennal flagellum, the apical seven flagellomeres of the right antenna, and the right middle leg beyond the trochanter.

Lectotype male (BMNH), THAILAND: Pattani Province, Bukit Besar, H.C. Robinson and N. Annandale; paralectotype male (BMNH), same data but 2500 feet, 1.ix.1901; paralectotype male (BMNH), same data but 2500 feet, 30.viii.1901; paralectotype female (BMNH), same data but 2500 feet, 4.ix.1901.

Additional material examined.

MALAYSIA: 1 female (FSMU), Perak, Cameron Highlands, environs of Batu Village, 4°22'N, 101°20'E, 590 meters, v.2009, Pacholátko leg.

Remarks.

Brunetti (1923) cited the type locality for Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides as "Bukit Besar, Patani, Peninsular Siam". However, the labels on all four of the orig inal syntypes read "Bulsit Besar" rather than “Bukit”. Using internet searches I found nothing about a possible locality for Bulsit Besar, but there are several localities called Bukit Besar in peninsular Malaysia (it apparently means "Big Hill" in Malay). Although “Patani” is not part of the actual specimen labels, it seems that by some means Brunetti was aware that the type locality was in Patani. According to Webster’s Geographical Dictionary ( Bethel 1967: 860) Patani was "formerly, a Malay state in the Malay Penin. under Siamese protection, included among the Malay States; now Pattani prov. in Thailand." Still a province in southeastern Thailand, Pattani has some mountainous areas, so a locality of 2500 feet, as noted on data labels of some of the syntype specimens, is possible. Therefore, I think it is highly likely that the type locality is in Pattani province.