Billaea verticalis Shima et Zhang

Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Wang, Qiang & Tschorsnig, Hans-Peter, 2015, A review of Billaea Robineau-Desvoidy of the eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 3949 (1), pp. 1-40 : 27-30

Billaea verticalis Shima et Zhang sp. nov.

Figs. 60–63 , 88 , 97

Diagnosis. Male with developed outer vertical setae and flagellomere 1 about 3.5 times as long as pedicel, arista plumose; 2 katepisternal setae; basicosta black; male claws and pulvilli short, fore tibia with 2 posterior setae; tergites 3 and 4 each with a pair of triangular dark black markings on posterior 1/2–3/4.

Description. Body length 11.5 mm.

Male. Head ( Figs. 88 , 97 ). Frontal vitta dark brown, parafrontal, parafacial and face with dense whitish pruinosity, parafacial somewhat grayish, occiput and genal dilation with gray whitish pruinosity; lunule pale yellowish; antenna with scape, pedicel and narrow basal portion of flagellomere 1 reddish brown, flagellomere 1 dark brown; palpus reddish brown. Vertex about 0.22 of head width; frontal vitta strongly widened anteriorly, nearly as wide as fronto-orbital plate at middle; fronto-orbital plate with dense short black hairs, 2–3 longer setae mixed near middle; parafacial bare, nearly parallel-sided, about 3 times as wide as flagellomere 1; face rather well concave, facial carina rather weakly developed, long but rather low, anterior margin not extending beyond dorsal margin of flagellomere 1; lower margin of face rather weakly protruding forward; genal height about 1/2 of eye height; occiput flattened, with 2–3 rows black hairs behind postocular setae. Inner vertical seta about as long as 0.6 of eye height; ocellar setae nearly as long as frontal setae; 16–18 pairs of inclinate frontal setae, lowest frontal seta nearly level with base of antenna; vibrissa inserted nearly level with lower margin of face, slightly longer than antenna. Flagellomere about 3.5 times as long as pedicel; arista plumose, total width including plumosity nearly as wide as flagellomere 1. Palpus slender, longer than antenna. Prementum about 2.5 times as long as wide.

Thorax. Black in ground color, with dense grayish white pruinosity; dorsum with 2 broad outer, 2 narrow inner and a rather broad median black longitudinal vittae on presutural scutum, inner vitta about 1/2 as wide as pruinose portion between inner and outer vittae, on postsutural scutum 2 inner vittae broadened and stopped at anterior 1/3, median and outer vittae fused on posterior 1/ 2 in posterior view; scutellum black in ground color, with grayish white pruinosity on apical 1/3. Prosternum about 2 times as long as wide; postpronotal lobe with 5 setae, a parabasal seta present, and strong basal setae nearly standing in a triangle; 2–3 presutural and 3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 3–4 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 2 postsutural intra-alar setae; 4 supra-alar setae, 2nd seta strongest; 2 katepisternal setae; 3 pairs of short discal scutellar setae and 3 pairs of scutellar marginal setae. Wing. Hyaline, very slightly and evenly tinged with pale brownish; tegula and basicosta dark brown; calypter white; halter yellow. Relative lengths of 2nd, 3rd and 4th costal sectors approximately as 3:4.5:2; bend of vein M rather rounded, about 1.5 times closer to wing hind margin than to dm-cu crossvein; cell r4+5 open. Legs. Black, pulvilli pale yellowish. Fore tarsi about 7/8 of head height; claws and pulvilli about 1/2 as long as 5th tarsomere, fore tibia with a row of short anterodorsal setae and 2 posterior setae; mid tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal, 2–3 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with 1 posterodorsal, a row of rather closely set anterodorsal and 2–3 ventral setae.

Abdomen. Ovate. Reddish brown to dark in ground color, narrowly dark brownish on sides of tergites 3 and 4, densely covered with grayish white pruinosity on tergites, with a pair of large triangular dark black markings on posterior 3/4 of tergite 3 and transverse band on posterior 1/2 of 4. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 without median marginal seta, each with 1–2 lateral marginal setae; tergites 4 and 5 each with a row of marginal setae; dense fine and rather suberect hairs on tergites 3 and 4, more erect hairs on tergite 5, and sparser on venter. Male terminalia ( Figs. 60–63 ). Cerci evenly narrowed to apex in caudal view, narrowly separated on apical 1/3, apex weakly pointed; surstylus broad in lateral view, weakly narrowed to blunt apex; postgonite about as long as basiphallus; distiphallus with membranous apical part slightly longer than sclerotized basal part.

Etymology. Specific name is taken from the strong vertical setae of this species.

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, 10 km N. Deqen (98°52′E, 28°24′N), 2800 m, Deqen, NW Yunnan Province, 21.vii.1996, H. Shima ( IZCAS).

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Remarks. This new species is easily distinguished from other species of Billaea in having strong and developed outer vertical seta of male.

FIGURES 16–31. 16–19. Billaea ficorum (Townsend) . 20–23. B. flava sp. nov. 24–27. B. fortis (Rondani) . 28–31. B. kolomyetzi Mesnil. 16–17, 20–21, 24–25, 28–29. Cerci, surstyli and epandrium of male in lateral and caudal views. 18, 22, 26, 30. Ejaculatory apodeme, aedeagal apodeme, hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite, basiphallus, distiphallus. 19, 23, 27, 31. Sternite 5. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 32–47. 32–35. Billaea kurahashii sp. nov. 36–39. B. micronychia sp. nov. 4 0–43. B. morosa Mesnil. 44–47. B. papei sp. nov. 32–33, 36–37, 40–41, 44–45. Cerci, surstyli and epandrium of male in lateral and caudal views. 34, 38, 42, 46. Ejaculatory apodeme (except 34), aedeagal apodeme, hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite, basiphallus, distiphallus. 35, 39, 43, 47. Sternite 5. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

Figures

FIGURES 48 – 63. 48 – 51. Billaea setigera sp. nov. 52 – 55. B. steini (Brauer et Bergenstamm). 56 – 59. B. triangulifera (Zetterstedt). 60 – 63. B. verticalis sp. nov. 48 – 49, 52 – 53, 56 – 57, 60 – 61. Cerci, surstyli and epandrium of male in lateral and caudal views. 50, 54, 58, 62. Ejaculatory apodeme (except 50), aedeagal apodeme, hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite, basiphallus, distiphallus. 51, 55, 59, 63. Sternite 5. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 82 – 88. Billaea spp., heads of male in lateral view. 89 – 90. Abdomens in dorsal view. 82. B. micronychia sp. nov. 83. B. morosa Mesnil. 84. B. papei sp. nov. 85. B. setigera sp. nov. 86. B. steini (Brauer et Bergenstamm). 87. B. triangulifera (Zetterstedt). 88. B. verticalis sp. nov. 89. B. atkinsoni sp. nov. 90. B. chinensis sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 91 – 97. Billaea spp., heads of male in anterior view. 98 – 99. Abdomens in dorsal view. 91. B. micronychia sp. nov. 92. B. morosa Mesnil. 93. B. papei sp. nov. 94, 98. B. setigera sp. nov. 95. B. steini (Brauer et Bergenstamm). 96, 99. B. triangulifera (Zetterstedt). 97. B. verticalis sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.