Revision of the untreated taxa of Melaloncha s. s. bee-killing flies (Diptera: Phoridae)
Author
Brown, Brian V.
text
Zootaxa
2006
2006-08-03
1280
1
1
68
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1280.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1280.1.1
11755334
5070710
55F01BD6-4319-49C1-AA45-AAF0B27AEF15
Melaloncha cordyla
new species
Figs. 14, 22
Recognition.
The species differs from nearly all others in the
M. sinistra
group by the light brown scutum: only
M. calathea
, which is mostly yellow, does not have the scutum mostly dark brown. Additionally, the ovipositor in dorsal view has a distinctive subapical swelling.
FIGURES 13–24.
Melaloncha
spp.
, female, ovipositor. Figs. 13–21. Left lateral. Figs. 22–24. Dorsal.
Description.
Female (male unknown). Body length 1.9–2.0 mm. Frons orange, punctate; ocellar triangle black. Mean frontal width 0.38 head width, no variation. Medial furrow present, but faint. Ocular and genal setae black. Flagellomere 1 and segments 1–2 of arista orange; aristomere 3 black. Palpus white; palpal setae black. Scutum light brown. Scutellum dark brown. Pleuron mixture of light and dark brown. Legs yellowishbrown, except apex of hind femur with round dark brown macula. Forefemur slightly expanded on apical onehalf. Combined length of foretarsomeres approximately 0.8 length of foretibia. Foretarsal claws large, recurved, with large basal lobe. Mean costal width 0.50 wing length, range 0.49–0.51. Halter yellow. Abdominal tergites black, anteriorly with silver pollinosity. Venter of abdomen gray. Ovipositor dark brown; elongate, flat dorsally, curved dorsally, in dorsal view clavate subapically; with dense short setae, especially dorsally.
Host.
Unknown. At San Antonio de Cumbaza, it was attracted to a mixed aggregation of bees, including
Plebeia
spp.
,
Partamona
spp.
, and
Trigona truculenta
.
Geographical distribution.
Bolivia
and
Peru
.
Derivation of specific epithet.
From Greek
kordyle
for club, referring to the apically swollen ovipositor in dorsal view.
Holotype
.
♀
,
BOLIVIA
:
Beni
:
Chacobo Indian village
on
Rio Benicito
,
12.33°S
,
66°W
,
10–19.vii.1960
,
B. Malkin
[
LACM
ENT 132271
] (
FMNH
).
Paratype
.
PERU
:
San Martin
:
San Antonio de Cumbaza
,
6.40°S
,
76.41°W
,
1♀
,
10.vii.2004
,
B. Brown
,
E. Corona
, honeyspray,
400 m
(
LACM
)
.