Myxophryxe longirostris (Villeneuve, 1938) Villeneuve, 1938

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 : 263-265

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tachinidae

Myxophryxe longirostris (Villeneuve, 1938) comb. n. Figs 12 a–b, 13c

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ of Phorocera majestica Curran: "New Hanover/ Natal N.29.14/ C.B. Hardenberg"; " Phorocera / majestica / Curran ♂/ Holotype" [red label]; "HOLOTYPE/ SANC/ TYPHO0059"; " Myxogaedia / majestica (Curran)/ R.W. Crosskey det. 1964/ possibly same as/ longirostris Vill." (SANC).

Other material examined.

1♂: "Marley/ n. 15/ 1824.[two illegible letters here]/ Krantz K [Krantzkloof]" [handwritten label]; " Chlorolydella / longirostris Villen./ L.P. Mesnil det., 1969"; “TYPE” [red label]; "EX/ L.-P. MESNIL/ COLLECTION 1970" (CNC).

Redescription.

Body length: 8.1-9.6 mm.

Male. Colouration (Fig. 12a): Head ground colour black except genal groove, face, facial ridge and frontal vitta which are red. Head covered with whitish-grey reflecting microtomentum. Scape, pedicel and arista brownish-black; postpedicel black. Palpus yellow. Thorax black (only tip of scutellum dark red), covered with light grey reflecting microtomentum. Presutural area of scutum with 4, well defined, dark vittae; postsutural area of scutum, when viewed from behind, with 5 dark vittae, 3 vittae (i.e., lateral pair continuous with those on presutural area and 1 mid-dorsal) extending along entire length of postsutural area and 2 on anterior portion only and continuous with median pair on presutural area. Femora and tarsi black, tibiae mostly red but darkened ventrally near junction with femur and tarsus. Tegula black; basicosta reddish-brown. Wing membrane hyaline. Abdomen mostly black, entirely covered with dense, irregularly tessellate, grey, reflecting microtomentum.

Head (Fig. 12 a–b): Frons 1.3-1.5 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Inner and outer vertical setae long and robust (outer vertical seta lateroclinate). Ocellar seta strong, proclinate. Fronto-orbital plate with a row of 7-8 frontal setae and 2 irregular rows of medioclinate setulae lateral to frontal setae. Frontal setae descending slightly below level of base of arista. Two upper reclinate orbital setae. Proclinate orbital setae absent. Parafacial flat, at its narrowest point about 1.5 times as wide as width of postpedicel. Facial ridge straight, with 1 row of robust, erect setae on lower 5/6; longest setae of facial ridge distinctly longer that width of postpedicel. Face concave. Postpedicel about 5 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 about 0.25 times as high as compound eye. Occiput slightly convex. Lower occiput and postgena almost entirely covered with fine, pale setae. Palpus narrow, sub-cylindrical, 0.7 times as long as postpedicel. Prementum slender, 0.7-0.8 times as long as height of head; labella narrow and apically pointed.

Thorax: Four postpronotal setae, the 3 strong, basal setae arranged in a straight line; 1 strong anterior seta arising between inner and mid basal setae. Scutum with 3 + 3 acrostichal setae; 3 + 4 dorsocentral setae; 1 + 3 intra-alar setae; 1 or 2 inner and 1 outer posthumeral setae (as in Fig. 14a); 1 + 3 supra-alar setae (first postsutural supra- alar seta longer than first postsutural dorsocentral seta and longer than notopleural setae); notopleuron with 2 strong setae, subequal in size; postalar callus with 2 or 3 setae (if 3, then 1 is weaker than notopleural setae). Anatergite bare. Prosternum with several long setulae on lateral margin. Proepisternal depression bare. Katepimeron with 3-5 relatively long setulae on anterior 1/2-3/4. Three katepisternal setae (2+1) (Fig. 12a). Anterior and posterior lappets of metathoracic spiracle unequal in size (posterior lappet larger, operculum-like). Scutellum with 1 pair of crossed apical setae (standing almost horizontal), about 2/3 as long as subapical setae; 1 pair of subapical setae, 1 pair of lateral setae, and 1 pair of basal setae (a second smaller pair present in the holotype of Phorocera majestica Curran); lateral and basal setae subequal in size; 1 or 2 pairs of widely separated discal setae.

Legs: Fore tibia with 2 posterior setae. Preapical anterodorsal seta of fore tibia distinctly shorter than preapical dorsal seta. Fore claws at most as long as fifth tarsomere. Mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae. Submedian ventral seta of mid tibia present. Hind tibia with several anterodorsal setae, irregular in size (i.e., not forming a regular comb-like row). Preapical posteroventral seta of hind tibia distinctly shorter than preapical anteroventral seta. Hind tibia with 2 dorsal preapical setae.

Wing: Costal spine virtually indistinguishable from general costal setulae. Vein R4+5 with 3 setulae at base. Bend of vein M1 nearly right-angled; wing membrane weakly creased for a short distance distal to bend in the holotype of Phorocera majestica . Second costal section ventrally with a few setulae (only 1 on one side, probably not constant). Fourth costal section longer than sixth. Section of M1 between crossveins r-m and dm-m clearly longer than section between dm-m and bend of M1. Section of M1 between dm-m and bend of M1 shorter than postangular section of M1. Cell r4+5 narrowly open at wing margin. Wing membrane uniformly covered with microscopic setulae.

Abdomen (Figs 12a, 14c): Ventral edges of syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3 and 4 entirely overlapping the corresponding sternites. Mid-dorsal depression of syntergite 1+2 extending to hind margin of syntergite. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 with 1 pair of median marginal setae; tergite 4 with a complete row of regular marginal setae; tergite 5 covered with erect setae, not arranged in rows. General setulae of tergites 3 and 4 dorsolaterally decumbent, changing to slightly raised mid-dorsally. Tergites 3-5 without sexual patches. Tergite 5 about 0.8-0.9 times as long as tergite 4.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

South Africa.

Remarks.

The male holotype of Phorocera longirostris Villeneuve from the former Cape Colony of South Africa has not been located. Cooper and O’Hara (1996: 62) treated a male specimen in CNC from Krantzkloof, South Africa as the holotype because it was labelled as “TYPE” by Mesnil. It is possible that Villeneuve erred when noting the type locality and this specimen is truly the holotype, but an equally plausible explanation and the one accepted here is that the holotype is missing and Mesnil labelled another specimen from Villeneuve’s collection as the type. There are other missing Villeneuve types and in time some of them may yet be found. We have elected not to treat the holotype of Phorocera longirostris as lost and thus not to designate a neotype to replace it, but we do accept the CNC specimen as conspecific based on the original description and Mesnil’s labelling. We recommend its designation as the neotype of Phorocera longirostris if such action is deemed necessary for nomenclatural stability in the future. The holotype of Phorocera majestica Curran is conspecific with the CNC specimen of Phorocera longirostris and the two names are newly treated as synonyms.