Megaselia chinyeroensis Disney, 2010

Disney, R. H. L., Prescher, S. & Ashmole, N. P., 2010, Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) of the Canary Islands, Journal of Natural History 44 (3 - 4), pp. 107-218 : 150-153

Megaselia chinyeroensis Disney sp. nov.

( Figure 30 )

Megaselia latifrons Disney et al., 1990 , not (Wood, 1910).

Some specimens from Tenerife were previously attributed to M. latifrons , but are now recognized as representing a sibling species of Wood’s species. The M. latifrons complex have very similar male hypopygia (see also M. cirratula below) and are most reliably distinguished as slide-mounted specimens.

Material

Holotype male, Tenerife, near Chinyero Volcano, 23–31 March 1984 ( CUMZ – 10-102) . Paratype male, as holotype ( CUMZ – 10-103) .

Etymology

Named after the type locality.

Male

Frons brown, clearly broader than long, with 36–48 hairs and dense but fine microsetae. The four SA bristles robust and subequal. Upper SAs a little lower on frons than antials, which are clearly closer to anterolaterals, which are a little higher on frons. Pre-ocellars further apart than upper SAs and likewise, a little further apart than either is from a mediolateral bristle, which is a little higher on frons. Cheek with four or five bristles and jowl with two longer ones. Postpedicels subglobose, brown, without SPS vesicles. Palps pale straw yellow, with six bristles and half as many hairs. Labrum darker than palps and about half as wide as postpedicel. The narrow, pale labella combined at most two-thirds as wide as a postpedicel, and with at most only a dozen short spinules below each. Thorax brown, being darkest on top. Mesopleuron with three to six small hairs. Three notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs (shorter than hairs at rear of scutum) and a posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites brown with the hairs at rear of T 6 longer than rest ( Figure 30B ). Venter brownish grey, and with hairs below segments 5 and 6 only. Hypopygium brown, with the anal tube lightly tinged brown in basal two-thirds, and as Figure 30A,B . Legs with brown coxae to tibiae, but those of the mid and hind legs tending to be more yellowish and the tarsi are dusky straw yellow. Fore tarsus with posterodorsal hair palisade on segments 1–4. Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends almost two-thirds of length. The fine hairs below basal half of hind femur a little shorter than, or at most as long as, those of anteroventral row of outer half, but the latter are a little more robust. Hind tibia with 16–18 weakly differentiated posterodorsal hairs, the most apical being at most as strong as the pre-apical. Spinules of apical combs simple. The dorsal hair palisade is progressively deflected onto the anterior face in apical third. Wings 1.55–1.66 mm long. Costal index 0.0.41–0.42. Costal ratios 2.9–3.3: 1.2–1.3: 1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.11–0.12 mm long. No hair at base of vein 3. With two axillary bristles, both being shorter than costal cilia. Sc fades away before reaching R 1. Veins light greyish brown. Membrane tinged lightly tinged brownish grey. Haltere brown.

Recognition

In the keys of Schmitz and Delage (1974) this species runs to couplet 20 on page 639, to M. crinita Schmitz , but the hypopygium more closely resembles that of M. latifrons apart from the left lobe of the hypandrium being tapered (as in M. crinita ) and not expanded distally.

Figures

Figure 30. Megaselia chinyeroensis male hypopygium. (A) Right face. (B) Left face. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.