Physiphora leucotricha Kameneva & Korneyev 2010

Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016, Revision of the Genus Physiphora Fallén 1810 (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Ulidiinae), Zootaxa 4087 (1), pp. 1-88 : 48-50

Physiphora leucotricha Kameneva & Korneyev 2010

Figures 206–216 .

Kameneva & Korneyev, 2010: 627.

Material. Type. Holotype ♂: United Arab Emirates: Wadi Safad, in light trap, 25°13'N 56°19'E, 31.i–21.ii.2006 (A. van Harten) (SIZK).

Diagnosis. This species is somewhat similar to P. elbae in having black femora, whitish fore basitarsomere, gray microtrichose postero-ventral margin of scutellum and narrowly closed, non-petiolate cell r4+5, differing from it by reddish-brown, widely microtrichose frons, and from all known species of the genus by having white setulae on scutum, scutellum, anepisternum and abdominal tergite 5, as well as by male cerci pooly expressed nipple-like structures.

Description: Head ( Figs. 207–208 ) black. Frons reddish-brown in medial part, black at posterior and posterolateral margins, microtrichose in the middle, with pair of matt brown, bare spots in anterior half and matt brown spot in posterior half, anteriad to ocellar triangle; fine and short white setulae forming two oblique irregular rows between vertical plates and middle of anterior margin; 1.3 times as long as wide, 1.2 times as wide as eye, parallelsided. Ocellar triangle and vertical plates black, with dark blue or greenish sheen in posterior half; vertical plates shagreened at middle and white microtrichose in anterior part, bearing 3-4 short black lateroclinate setae; ocellar triangle with pair of short black ocellar setae. Occiput with black medial and lateral vertical setae. Face black with greenish sheen, except lunule brown, facial carina with λ-shaped white microtrichose mark, separated from entirely gray microtrichose antennal grooves by shining black vitta, but joining to them ventro-laterally by tips of ventral branches. Facial ridge brown, with narrow microtrichose stripe from antennal groove to ventral end of ptilinal suture; supravibrissal setulae fine, white. Parafacial with narrow white microtrichose orbit from bare spot at antennal corner to occiput. Gena brown, 1/3 as high as eye, with C-shaped white microtrichose mark along genal dilation of postgena.

Occiput black. Antenna red-brown, scape very short, with blackish setulae; pedicel white microtrichose, with black setulae along rather deep incision; flagellomere 1 rounded apically, 1.5 times as long as wide, white microtrichose; arista bare, yellow in basal 1/4, black in the rest. Palp blackish brown, microtrichose, with moderately long black setulae. Mouthparts black; labellum long yellow setulose.

Thorax ( Figs. 206, 209 ) mostly shining black with green or dark blue sheen, scutum densely rugulose, almost matt, except anterior part, transverse suture, posterior portion of notopleural triangle and postalar area shining black with faint green tinge; scutellum and posterior portion of anepisternum with densely rugulose. Scutellum gray microtrichose on postero-ventral margin. Dorsocentral and acrostichal setae lacking, 2 pairs each of supra-alar and scutellar setae; all setae black.

Scutum, scutellum and anepisternum with sparse, moderately long (1/4–1/3 times as long as setae) white setulae.

Wing ( Fig. 206 ). Entirely hyaline, postero-apical extension of cell cup long, twice as long as transverse section of vein CuA2, cell r4+5 almost closed, but not petiolate. Length 3.3 mm.

Legs. Coxae, trochanters and femora dark brown to black, except ‘knees’ yellow; fore tibia brown, mid- and hindtibiae yellow; fore tarsus black except metatarsus almost entirely pale yellow to creamy white, mid- and hind tarsi yellow, except 2 apical tarsomeres brownish.

Abdomen black, with green sheen; abdominal tergite 2 black setulose on sides, with 1–2 rows of whitish yellow setulae on antero-dorsal part except middle, tergites 3 and 4 with rather dense yellowish setulae at sides (on ventro-lateral and dorso-lateral surfaces), very sparsely setulose at middle; tergite 5 sparsely yellow to white setulose, with 15 brown marginal setae; sternites 2–5 shortly yellowish setulose, with 1–2 pairs of short lateromarginal setae.

Male postabdomen: sternite 8 short setulose; hypandrium asymmetric ( Fig. 213 ); epandrium as on Figs. 210– 211 , with ventral (apical) lobe spatulate, slightly serrate, bearing 4–5 setulae on edge ( Fig. 212 ); cerci setulose, poorly sclerotized, nipple-like structures poorly expressed; phallus ( Figs. 214 ) with stipe almost as long as preglans and glans; preglans without spines, glans with 9–10 short triangular sclerotized lobes ( Figs. 215–216 ). Female unknown.

Distribution. United Arab Emirates.

Biology unknown. Adults attracted at light.

Remark. This species is a unique representative of Physiphora in having aberrant vestiture of the thorax and abdomen.

Figures

FIGURES 206 – 209. Physiphora leucotricha: 206, habitus, dorsal; 207, 208, head, right and anterior; 209, mesonotum, dorsal.

FIGURES 210 – 216. Physiphora leucotricha ♂: 210, 211, epandrium, posterior and anterior; 212, apex of surstilus, ventral; 213, hypandrium, ventral; 214, phallus; 215 – 216, glans, enlarged.