Craspedometopon frontale KERTÉSZ, 1909

Rozkošný, R. & Kovac, D., 2007, Palaearctic And Oriental Species Of Craspedometopon Kertész (Diptera, Stratiomyidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 53 (3), pp. 203-218 : 210-212

Craspedometopon frontale KERTÉSZ, 1909

( Figs 8–9, 11–15 )

Craspedometopon frontale KERTÉSZ, 1909: 375

Craspedometopon frontal ; ÔUCHI 1938: 38, 1940: 265 (Chinese specimens) (incorrect subsequent spelling)

Type material: The species is based on specimens of both sexes from Kosempo (= Jia-Xian). We had the opportunity to study a female syntype deposited in BMNH, which may be designated as lectotype if necessary. Additional specimens from the same locality are deposited in FSMU and USNM (see Material examined) though they apparently do not belong to the type series.

Material examined: Nepal, Godavari, Botanical garden, 1.v.1980, 1 f, A. FREIDBERG, in USNM . India, Calcutta, 1908, 4 mm and 4 ff, E. BRUNETTI; Sikkim, Singhik , 5000 ft, 24.iv.1924, 1 f, all in BMNH . China, Chengtu, 16.iv. 1932, 2 mm, 2 ff, in USNM . Shanxi, Qinling Mts. , 6 km E of Xunyangba, 1000–1300 m, 23.v.–13.vi.2000, 1 f, V. KUBÁŇ, in MMB . Japan, Ryukyu Is., Okinawa, Izumi-gogayama , 22.iii. 1964, 2 mm, 4 ff, C. M. YOSHIMOTO & J. HARREL, in USNM . Taiwan, Kosempo [= Jia-Xian ], April 1908, H. SAUTER, 1 m and 1 f in FSMU , 1 m in USNM ; Kuraru [= Hengchun], Hengchun Park, 250 m, 2.iv. 1965, 4 mm; Hengchun , Pingtung Hsien, in drainage gutter, 4.iv.1965, 1 f; all C. M. YOSHIMOTO, all in BPBM ; Bashien [=Ba-xien-shan], Taichung Sien, 14.v.1990, 1 f, L. LESAGE; Kanshirei [=Guan-zi-ling], 1 m, H. SAUTER, in USNM .

Diagnosis. The eyes are bare and the antennae bright yellow to pale brown in both sexes. The hind femora and tibiae are dark but the tips of hind femora are broadly yellow and hind tarsi brownish. The medial incision on the hind margin of the male genital capsule is fairly broad, the inner lobe of gonostylus is simply rounded.

Redescription: m. Similar to C. basale but on average larger and more pale. Eyes bare, contiguous for a long distance. Head black, upper and lower frons, face, lower postocular area and occiput with whitish tomentum but only supra-antennal patches more distinct. Antenna ( Fig. 15 ) pale brown and flagellum small as is usual in males and sometimes more brown. Arista about 1.4 times longer than antenna. Proboscis ochre yellow and palpus brown or bicoloured, with distal segment blackish. Hairs on and behind ocellar tubercle, on face and gena predominantly whitish or yellow, only on lower postocular area more brownish.

Thoracic pile on scutum black but relatively short, at most length of scape, semi-erect. Pleura also with dense black pile, bare and shining parts almost indistinct, confined to meron. Basal half of wing brownish infuscate, apical half yellowish. Halteres yellow to pale brown. Legs dark brown to black and yellow, all coxae black, all femora dark with broadly yellow apices. Fore tibia yellow but darkened dorsally in basal half, mid tibia brownish and yellow on both ends and hind tibia almost completely black, at most with both extreme ends yellowish. All tarsi pale brown but often darkened dorsally. Yellow apex on hind femur usually distinctly broader than diameter of femur.

Abdomen black with blackish, short and appressed hairs dorsally, longer erect hairs only at anterolateral corners brown. In addition, white and longer hairs visible on distal half of abdomen, particularly on lateral and distal margins of tergites and entire surface of tergite 5. Venter pile short, appressed and white.

Male terminalia ( Figs 11–14 ): Epandrium ( Fig. 12 ) resembling that of C. basale , but proximal emargination usually deeper. Medial incision on posterior margin of genital capsule ( Fig. 14 ) more conspicuous. Gonostylus ( Fig. 11 ) somewhat stouter in distal half, with a broad and simple inner projection and rounded basal lobe.

Length: body 6.6–8.3 mm, wing 7.2–9.1 mm (15 males).

f. Frontal index about 3.5 and frons ( Fig. 8 ) thus relatively narrower than in C. basale . Frontal vitta with long, bare and shining black medial ridge, which can be limited to the middle area only (see KERTÉSZ 1909). Postocular rim narrow but distinct, broader than lateral ocellus. Shining area above low frontal callus relatively narrow, anterior part of median vitta depressed and extensively punctate, median groove above antennae usually slender, elongate teardrop-shaped. Antennae pale as in male but flagellum distinctly larger. Palpi with yellow basal segment and brown apical segment, usually stouter and longer than in male. Head pile predominantly inconspicuous and white, only on lower postocular area erect and partly black.

Thoracic pile much shorter, mostly appressed, brownish on scutum and scutellum. Apical half of wings almost hyaline, halteres always ochre yellow. Pale parts of legs more extensive, femora often narrowly yellow basally and also apical half of fore femur yellow as in fore tibia. Sometimes fore tibia darkened along dorsal surface, mid and hind tibia brown to black, though mid tibia yellow on both ends. Hind femur with a broadly yellow apex as in males. All tarsi ochre yellow, sometimes slightly darkened dorsally. Abdomen black, haired as in male with very short black hairs dorsally and longer whitish hairs dorsally and ventrally.

terminalia), 0.2 mm (gonostylus)

Female terminalia ( Fig. 9 ): Tergite 10 subtriangular, cerci two-segmented, distal segment relatively more slender and usually yellow. Tergite 9 distinctly smaller than in C. orientale sp.n. Genital furca rather oval, with slender posterolateral projections and a narrow, basally dilated proximal appendage.

Length: body 6.7–6.9 mm, wing 7.2–7.8 mm (17 females).

Variation: KERTÉSZ (1909) recorded a somewhat different size for both sexes: body 4.5–8.8 mm and wing 4.8–8.2 mm in length. The extent of the pale coloration on the legs, particularly on the fore pair, is variable, as is the intensity of the wing infumation and the colour of halteres, which are, however, always pale, yellow to pale brown.

Note. BRUNETTI (1920) mentioned under this name two males from Tenasserim and a male from Darjiling District ( India) which he compared with specimens of both sexes from Taiwan. According to ÔUCHI (1938) a male of this species was also recorded in eastern China: Chekiang Province (= Zhejiang), Tienmushan Mts (= Tianmu Shan Mts). His later note ( ÔUCHI 1940) proves that the Chinese specimens differ from the Japanese ones by having bright orange antennae. They might thus belong to C. frontale . LINDNER (1951) recorded very probably this species from southern China (Fukien, Kuatun) and HOLLIS (1963) examined the specimens from Calcutta mentioned above.

Distribution ( Fig. 25 ): Nepal (material examined), India ( BRUNETTI 1920, HOLLIS 1963 and material examined), China ( ÔUCHI 1938, LINDNER 1951 and material examined), Japan (Ryukyu Is., material examined), Taiwan ( KERTÉSZ 1909 and material examined).

Figures

Figs 8–15. Diagnostic characters of Craspedometopon frontale (8–9, 11–15) and C. orientale sp. n. (10): 8 = female head in frontal view, 9–10 = female terminalia (left) and female genital furca (right), 11 = gonostylus in dorsal view, 12 =dorsal part of male terminalia, 13 = aedeagal complex, 14 = genital capsule, 15 = male antenna. Scales: 0.5 mm (head and antenna), 0.3 mm (female and male

Fig. 25. Distribution of Craspedometopon frontale and C. orientale sp. n.