Phyllomya pictipennis (van der Wulp, 1891)

Santis, Marcelo Domingos de & Mengual, Ximo, 2024, Revision of the Neotropical Phyllomya Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae): a new synonymy and additional records, Journal of Natural History 58 (9 - 12), pp. 330-341 : 332-335

Phyllomya pictipennis (van der Wulp, 1891)

( Figure 1 )

Pseudomorinia pictipennis van der Wulp, 1891b: 260 . References: Brauer and von Bergenstamm (1893: 95, diagnosis); Coquillett (1910: 596,

type species of Pseudomorinia ); Townsend (1931b: 92, type notes); Guimarães 1971: 100 (catalogue of Neotropical Tachinidae ).

Phyllomya pictipennis (van der Wulp, 1891) . References: Wood 1987: 1257 ( Pseudomorinia as synonymous with Phyllomya ); O’Hara and Wood 1998: 757, 765 (synonymy and new combination of Pseudomorinia by Wood 1987); O’Hara and Wood 2004: 68 (catalogue of Nearctic Tachinidae ); O’Hara et al. 2020: 162 (checklist of world Tachinidae ).

Type locality. Mexico, Guerrero, Xocomanatlán (= Xucumanatlan) .

Type material examined. ( Figure 1D ) Holotype male deposited at NHMUK and labelled as follows: “ Holo- //type” [round with red margin] “ ♂ ” “ Xucumanatlan, // Guerrero, // 7000 ft, // July. H. H. Smith ” “ B.C.A. Dipt. II. // Pseudomorinia // pictipennis, // v.d.W”. “ Central America. // Pres. by // F.D. Godman. // O.Salvin. //1903-172”. “ NHMUK 013933513 ” [with QR code].

Diagnosis

This species differs from all New World species of Phyllomya by the following combination of characters: thorax with two katepisternal setae; wing hyaline, with distinct brownish tinge mainly on apical portion and yellowish on medial portion; wings with R 1 bare and setulae on vein R 4+5 setulose ends before the r-m dorsally; lower calypter whitish; abdomen blackish with whitish pruinosity on anterior 1/2–1/3 of tergites 3, 4 and 5 with pruinosity entirely whitish with a pair of discal setae on tergites 3 to 5. Phyllomya pictipennis closely resembles the Nearctic species P. washingtoniana (Bigot, 1889) in sharing parafacial with weak and short setulae, about 3× shorter than subvibrissal setae; thorax with two katepisternal setae; wing with R 1 bare and vein R 4+5 dorsally with setulae that end before the r-m; and abdomen with silver pruinosity laterally, occupying 1/2 to 1/3 anteriorly on syntergite 1 + 2 and tergite 3, bearing a pair of discal setae on tergites 3 and 4. However, they can be differentiated by the following: P. pictipennis has antennae with pedicel reddish (blackish in P. washingtoniana ), postpedicel about 2× the combined length of scape and pedicel (at most 1.5× in P. washingtoniana ), and palpus dark reddish (yellow in P. washingtoniana ).

Redescription. Male. Body length (1): 7.5 mm.

Colouration. ( Figure 1 (A–C)). Head with silvery pruinosity, but slightly brownish on about 1/5 ventrally, more visible at certain angles. Frontal vitta and ocellar triangle dark brown to black. Occiput with black setulae. Scape dark brown, pedicel light brown. Postpedicel brownish black, but proximal 1/6 tawny. Palpus and labella yellowishtawny. Thorax with mainly silver pruinosity; scutum with four dark vittae, on prescutum the two inner vittae are narrower than the outer vittae, on postscutum, the inner vittae are half the length of the outer vittae, neither reaching the scutellum. Scutellum blackish, without pruinosity. Wing hyaline, with distinct brownish tinge mainly on apical portion and yellowish on whole apical portion. Calypter hyaline. Posterior spiracle brownish. Legs brown to light brown. Claws brown, pulvilli yellow. Abdomen shiny black with silver pruinosity anteriorly on the tergites. Syntergite 1 + 2 brownish black, but anterolateral area silvery pruinose. Tergites 3 with silvery pruinosity at about anterior half, tergite 4 and 5 entirely silver pruinose.

Head. ( Figure 1 (A–C)). Vertex about 0.13× head width in dorsal view. Frontal vitta, in the narrowest point, 0.4× the width of ocellar triangle. Minute proclinate setae on fronto-orbital plate and parafacial. Ocellar setae proclinate and well differentiated from the adjacent setae. Inner and outer vertical setae subparallel to convergent. Postocellar setae proclinate. Width of parafacial measured between inner margin of compound eye and antennal insertion 0.8× the width of gena. Facial carina absent. Fronto-orbital plate with 8–10 pairs of proclinate setae; about the same width as frontal vitta and parafacial. Postpedicel slender, about 2× the combined length of scape and pedicel; longer than the dorsal, longest micotrichia ca. 7× basal width of arista. Strong and convergent vibrissae; six to seven developed subvibrissal setae. Facial ridge with three setulae on lower third. Lower facial margin not protruding, not visible in profile. Eye about 0.8× the head height. Gena about 0.2× eye height. Palpus filiform, about twice the length of prementum. Labella well developed.

Thorax. ( Figure 1 (A, C)). Notopleuron with anterior seta about half the length of posterior setae. Two proepimeral setae. Two proepisternal setae. Acrostichal setae 2+? (damaged by the pin). Dorsocentral setae 3 + 3. Intra-alar setae 2 + 2; intra-postalar setae absent. Supra-alar setae 1 + 3, first postsutural weak. Postpronotal lobe with two setae, forming a row. Anepisternum with six strong setae and with one upwardly directed setulae anteriorly. Scutellum with two pairs of strong setae, one lateral pair and one apical pair of setae. Two katepisternal setae. Postalar callus with two large setae and one smaller seta. Anepimeron with a single long seta. Propleuron and prosternum bare. Anatergite bare. Posterior spiracle with posterior lappet larger than anterior. Wing hyaline to smoky. Costal spine well developed. Cell r 4+5 open at wing margin; length of opening shorter than crossvein r-m. Crossvein dm-cu sinuous. Costagial break with a single very long and strong seta. Base of vein R dorsally and ventrally setulose. Vein M 1 gently curved and reaching wing margin separately from vein R 4+5; ending at wing margin close to tip, bent forward to R 4+5, forming an angle slightly less than 90°, and convex after bend. Legs. Fore coxa with many setae anteriorly; fore femur with dorsal and ventral row of setae; fore tibia with dorsal and ventral row of setae. Mid femur with two median anterodorsal, two preapical, one anterodorsal and one posteroventral setae. Hind femur with at least three anteroventral setae on basal half and three ventral setae on basal half and with row of anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with at least three anterodorsal and three posterodorsal setae on median third; fore claws and pulvilli longer than tarsomeres 5.

Abdomen. ( Figure 1 (A, C)). Abdomen conical, tapering to tip; abdomen with silver pruinosity mostly on anterior half of tergites. Mid-dorsal depression on syntergite 1 + 2 confined to about anterior 1/4. Syntergite 1 + 2 with a pair of each lateral and median marginal setae. Tergites 3 and 4 each bearing a pair of discal, median marginal setae and lateral marginal setae. Tergite 5 with a row of marginal setae.

Terminalia . Not dissected; only the holotype male was available.

Female. Not studied.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico (Guerrero).

Figures

Figure 1. A–D. Holotype male of Phyllomya pictipennis (van der Wulp, 1891) (NHMUK). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Head, frontal view. C. Lateral habitus. D. Labels.