Hemigymnochaeta maraisi Kurahashi and Kirk­Spriggs, 2006

Kurahashi, Hiromu & Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2006, The Calliphoridae of Namibia (Diptera: Oestroidea), Zootaxa 1322 (1), pp. 1-131 : 28-31

Hemigymnochaeta maraisi Kurahashi and Kirk­Spriggs , sp. nov.

Figs. 15–20 ; 39 .

Description: Length: 6.5–9.0 mm. ♂ Head: holoptic, eyes bare, very closely approximated, almost contiguous, separated at narrowest point by less than width of anterior ocellus; frons index <0.01 (n =10); frontal vitta yellowish brown anteriorly, reddish brown posteriorly, widened anteriorly and posteriorly, obliterated at narrowest point of frons; fronto­orbital plate narrow, yellowish brown, silver­grey dusted, darkened towards vertex, with black setulae anteriorly, with ca. seven pairs of ori; parafacial yellowish brown, silver­grey dusted, with black setulae above level of joint of pedicel and 1 st flagellomere; facial plate yellowish white, slightly silver dusted, without median carina; facial ridge concolorous with face, slightly silver dusted, flat, broad, setulose on lower ½: mediana narrow, yellowish brown, slightly silver dusted, bare; vibrissarium narrow, yellowish brown, slightly silver dusted, clothed in black hairs; vibrissa well developed; lower facial margin pale brown; genal dilation yellowish brown, slightly silver­grey dusted, with patch of yellow hairs among black ones, sometimes entirely clothed in black hairs, in the latter case, thoracic dorsum with more or less pronounced dark pattern; postgena concolorous with genal dilation, clothed in black hairs and some yellowish ones posteriorly; occiput concolorous with genal dilation, clothed in yellowish brown hairs except for some black hairs on lower part close to genal dilation; pedicel yellowish brown; 1 st flagellomere yellowish brown, grey, very slightly silver pubescent under certain lights, subequal to 2 x as long as pedicel, arista brown, darkened apically, long plumose, but without plumose hairs on apical ½. Palpus yellowish, with black setulae and hairs.

Thorax: entirely yellowish brown, slightly silver to grey dusted, with or without distinct stripe; postpronotum, postalar callus and scutellum concolorous with dorsum; prosternum clothed in rather long yellowish hairs; proepisternum bare; katatergite without erect hairs; meral hairs yellowish, rather long, present on upper posterior edges of katepimeron; anepisternum and katepisternum with partly black and yellow hairs; anterior and posterior spiracles pale yellow; postalar wall with tuft of yellow hairs in central circle; tympanic tuft of black hairs present; anterior parasquamal tuft absent. Chaetotaxy: ac 3+3; dc 2+4; ia 1+3; pprn 2–3; ph 3; prs 1; sa 3; pa 2; kepst 1+1; sc 6+1, 2 basal, 4 lateral, 1 discal; n 2; prepst 2; prepm 2.

Wing: yellowish brown, entirely hyaline; veins brown; tegula reddish brown; basicosta yellowish brown; subcostal sclerite yellowish brown, pubescent; vein R 1 bare; node of veins R 2+3 and R 4+5 with several black setulae above and below; vein R 4+5 also setulose, setulae extended to ⅔ way to crossvein r­m above, halfway to r­m below; vein M 1+2 bent with obtuse angle; section of vein M 1+2 from bend to wing margin slightly inflexed apically; calypters brownish, lower calypter tongue­shaped, bare on upper surface. Halter yellowish.

Legs: yellowish brown, with black hairs; fore tibia with 1 p and 3–5 short ad; mid tibia with 1 ad, 2 p and 1 short v; hind tibia with row of fine ad, including 3 strong but short ones, 2–4 short pd and 1 short av.

Abdomen: yellowish brown, more or less darkened toward apex, very slightly silvergrey dusted; syntergite 1+2 with narrow marginal band; tergites 3–4 with marginal band as broad as width of 1 st flagellomere; 5 th tergite largely fuscous on disc; tergites 1+2–4 with several lateral marginal bristles; 5 th tergite with row of erect marginal bristles; discal bristle on 5 th tergite absent; 1 st sternite clothed in yellow hairs; 2 nd sternite with yellow hairs on anterior half, with black bristly hairs and bristles on posterior half; hairs on sternites 3–5 black, rather long, some bristly hairs and bristles also present on postero­lateral margins.

Postabdomen: normal in size, yellowish brown. ♂ genitalia as illustrated ( Figs. 15–20 ).

♀ same as ♂, except in the following respects: Head: dichoptic; eyes virtually bare, separated; frons index at vertex 0.33 (0.32–0.34, n =11); posterior margin of eye straight in lateral view; frons not projecting forward from level of lower facial margin in lateral view; frontal vitta reddish brown, narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, 4.0 x width of frontoorbital plate just in front of anterior ocellus; fronto­orbital plate yellowish brown anteriorly, darkened toward vertex, brownish grey dusted, with black setulae, provided with ca. 9 pairs of ori; ors 1+1; oc developed; acoc weakly developed; pooc undeveloped; ov and iv well developed; poc parallel; occ 5–6. Thorax: yellowish brown, often without distinct fuscous pattern on dorsum. Wings: lower calypter entirely yellowish brown, without fuscous margin. Legs: entirely pale yellowish brown. Abdomen: similar to that of ♂; abdominal bristles weak.

Differential diagnosis: The presence of a dark yellowish brown lower calypter with a fuscous posterior margin is shared with the group of species that includes H. lenticeps Zumpt and H. liberia Curran , but genitalic evidence indicates that the new species is more closely related to H. bequaerti Curran. The male genitalia of H. bequaerti were illustrated by Zumpt (1956: 142, fig. 83). In this illustration the cerci and surstyli are illustrated only from the caudal aspect. The lateral aspect appears to be more useful to distinguish species of Hemigymnochaeta .

Etymology: The species is named in honour of Eugéne Marais (NMNW), a collaborator in collecting Calliphoridae in Namibia.

Bionomics: Adults have been collected in hanging traps baited with faeces and fermenting fruit, and in Malaise traps. The species is probably associated with termites in the larval stage, as are other species of the genus.

Distribution: Namibia.

Type Material: Holotype ♂, ‘ Holotype [laser­printed on red card] // Namibia: KATIMA MULILO DIST. / Salambala camp site / 17°50'01''S 24°36'09''E / 01–03.iii.2001 / A.H. Kirk­Spriggs / hanging faeces traps // Hemigymnochaeta / maraisi ♂ / Det. H. Kurahashi [laser­printed on white card with red perimeter]’ (NMNW type # T655). Paratype ♂, same as holotype, except: ‘ Paratype [laser­printed on yellow card] // Hemigymnochaeta / maraisi ♂ / Det. H. Kurahashi [laser­printed on white card with blue perimeter]’. Paratypes 6♂, 9♀, same as holotype, except: ‘ Paratype [laser­printed on yellow card] // 26–28.ii.2001 / E. Marais & A.H. Kirk­Spriggs / hanging fruit traps // Hemigymnochaeta / maraisi ♂ / Det. H. Kurahashi [laser­printed on white card with blue perimeter]’. Paratypes 2♂, ‘ Paratype [laser­printed on yellow card] // Namibia: KATIMA MULILO DIST. / Salambala, 4km NE of / 17°49'21''S 24°36'07''E / 25.ii. 01.iii.2001 / A.H. Kirk­Spriggs & E. Marais / Malaise trap sample // Hemigymnochaeta / maraisi ♂ / Det. H. Kurahashi [laser­printed on white card with blue perimeter]’. Paratype 1♀, ‘ Paratype [laser­printed on yellow card] // Namibia: TSUMKWE DIST. / Xawasha pan / 19°09'58''S, 20°54'40''E / 27.xii.1998 / A.H. Kirk­Spriggs / Malaise trap // Hemigymnochaeta / maraisi ♂ / Det. H. Kurahashi [laser­printed on white card with blue perimeter]’ (all NMNW type series # T655).

Other material examined: 1♀, Salambala campsite, 1–4.iii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs(1) ( PT) baited with millipede; 1♀, same except: ( MT) ; 6♂, 2♀, same except: 8–10.ii.2004, ( HT) fruit (all NMNW).

Figures

FIGURES 15–20. Male genitalia of Hemigymnochaeta maraisi sp. nov. 15. Epandrium, surstylus and cercus, lateral aspect. 16. Cerci and surstyli, caudal aspect. 17. Aedeagus, left lateral aspect. 18. Aedeagus, from behind. 19. Pregonite and postgonite, left lateral aspect. 20. 5th sternite, ventral aspect. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 39–42. Habitus photographs of Hemigymnochaeta spp. 39. H. maraisi sp. nov. (paratype ♂) (length: 6.5–9.0 mm). 40. H. trichaeta sp. nov. (holotype ♂) (length: 5.5–7.3 mm). 41. H. bequaerti Curran ♂ (length: 7.0–7.7 mm). 42. H. laticeps Zumpt ♂ (length: 8.0–8.2 mm).