Discomyza africana Cresson

Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz & Cielniak, Magdalena, 2015, A review of the genus Discomyza (Diptera: Ephydridae) from Afrotropical, Australasian / Oceanian and Oriental Regions, Zootaxa 3963 (1), pp. 1-26 : 5-8

Discomyza africana Cresson

Figs. 3–12 , 22

Discomyza africana Cresson, 1939: 5 .

Description. Body length 1.92–2.25 mm. Head ( Fig. 3 ). Head height-to-width ratio 0.76–0.85; frons height-towidth ratio 0.44–0.55; frons with parafrons and ocellar triangle shiny; mesofrons subshiny and coarse, ocellar triangle and surrounding of posterior orbital seta depressed; anterior part of ocellar triangle wrinkled, anterior fronto-orbital seta absent. Antenna yellow; basoflagellomere normal, 1.4x as long as wide; arista with 9 dorsal rays. Face ( Fig. 4 ) black and shiny, medio-dorsally and laterally bears vertical ridges in three horizontal series, medio-ventral portion and facial margin pitted, whitish microtomentose just below antennae; 6 facial setae, parafacialia in dorsal 1/3 black and the rest silvery-white microtomentose; facial width-to-head width ratio 0.26– 0.28; facial width-to-height ratio 0.44–0.53; gena-to-eye ratio 0.12–0.14; eye width-to-height ratio 0.55–0.64. Palpus dark brown.

Thorax. Mesonotum greyish black, subshiny; scutellum trapezoidal. Wing ( Fig. 22 ) infuscated along anterior portion limited by vein M1, then large trapezoidal spot along crossvein r-m; in the cell r4+5 2 rectangular white spots, situated in equal distance from each other; crossvein dm-m slightly sinuate; costal vein ratio 0.68–0.80; M vein ratio 0.98–1.05. All legs except tarsi black, fore basitarsomere whitish, mid and hind 1–4 tarsomeres yellowish, other blackish brown. Forefemur bearing anteroventral comb-like row of setulae, which are stronger in a distal half. Stem of halter dark grey, knob white.

Abdomen: Tergites 1–4 greyish black and dull, tergite 5 shiny; tergites with similar length. Male terminalia ( Figs 5–11 ). Epandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 5 ) only slightly wider than high, with moderate cercal cavity, which is nearly as high as half of epandrial height; cercus in ventral view ( Fig. 5 ) short, reniform; pregonostylus ( Fig. 5 ) ovoid, wider basally, lacking any strong setulae; postgonostyli ( Figs 6–9 ) asymmetrical, bearing large, thick, mediosub-basal setae lobe-like; left postgonostylus is a little longer than right; both are irregularly shaped, having one long projection which is longer and straight in left one, and delicately curved interiorly in right postgonostylus; aedeagus in ventral view ( Fig. 10 ) pentagonal with sharply pointed apex, and bearing large and rounded posterolateral lobes; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ) 3x as long as high, with sinuate dorsal margin, making mediodorsal projection; phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ) semicircular.

Type material: Holotype male is from East London, Cape of Good Hope ( RSA) and is preserved in KwaZulu- Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. We did not study the holotype because it was unvailable for us. We did studied the material determined by E. T. Cresson preserved in BMNH.

Material examined: RSA: “Transvaal” Blomberg coll. 12–24. I. 1955. ex. Pupa. 24. I. 1955, G. Rudeback. bred from mollusk, 4 ♂, 2 ♀ ( ZMLU); Eastern Cape: Grahamstown, 5. IX. 1952, B. Stuckenberg, 1 ♂ ( BMSA); Keurboomstrand, 3400’17.5’’S 2327’00.4’’E, on sea-shore plants, 17. I. 2007, L. Papp, M. Földvári, 1♀ ( HNHM); Somerset East, X–XI. 1930, R. E. Turner, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( USNM); Kwa Zulu Natal: Kosi Bay Nature Res. (37 m), 26º57'32"S, 32º49'51"E, 10–13. XII. 2010, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Ndumo Game Reserve, Skokwe area at: 26º52'125"S, 32º13'731"S, 37 m, 10/ 13. XII. 2010, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♀ ( BMSA); Midlands, Howick (29º29'S, 30º13'E), 1060 m, 27. IV. 1991, A. E. Whittington, 1 ♂; Transkei: Dwesa Nature Reserve, 32º16'S, 28º51'E, 50 m, on fungal brackets, 17–20. XI. 1991, D. A. Barraclough, 1 ♀ ( USNM, on loan from NMP); Western Cape: Bloukrans Pass, 3357’S, 2334’E, 15. X. 1994, R. Danielsson, 1 ♀ ( MZLU); Mossel Bay, IV.–X. 1921, R. E. Turner, 4 ♀; 15. III.–20. IV. 1932, 1 ♂; 29. X. 1938, 1♀; Somerset East, X. 1930, R. E. Turner, 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 27–31. I. 1931, 1 ♂ (all BMNH). ZIMBABWE: Mount Selinda, 25. I. 1955, 1 ♀ ( BMNH).

Distribution ( Fig. 12 ): Afrotropics: Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Distribution map of Discomyza africana sp. nov., D. dolichocerus, and D fagomoga.

FIGURES 3 – 4. Head of Discomyza africana. 3. General view, anterior view. 4. Details in the central part, anterior view. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 11. Hypopygium of Discomyza africana. 5. External male terminalia (epandrium, cerci and pregonostyli), ventral view. 6 – 7. left postgonostylus. 6. ventral view. 7. lateral view. 8 – 9. right postgonostylus. 8. ventral view. 9. lateral view. 10 – 11. Phallapodeme and aedeagus. 10. ventral view. 11. lateral view. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 22 – 24. Wings and head. 22. Wing of Discomyza africana, 23. Wing of Discomyza dolichocerus. 24. Head of Discomyza fagomoga sp. nov., lateral view. Scale bar 0.5 mm.