Herina dimorphica Morgulis, Freidberg and Kameneva

Morgulis, E., Freidberg, A. & Kameneva, E. P., 2013, Two new species of Herina (Diptera: Ulidiidae) from the Mediterranean region, with key to species groups, Zootaxa 3686 (4), pp. 461-470 : 465-469

Herina dimorphica Morgulis, Freidberg and Kameneva n. sp.

( Figs. 1, 2, 6–9 , 11 )

Material examined. (regions in bold face are not cited in the labels and are added here only for clarity; localities in brackets refer to the original spelling on the label or to editorial additions). Holotype 3: ISRAEL: [near] Pa'ar Cave, 800 m, 33°02.04'N 35°23.356'E, 19.x.2009, A. Freidberg, E. Morgulis and I. Katz. Paratypes, same collection data as holotype (913, 47Ƥ). Mount Hermon: Har Hermon [Hermon], 27.ix.1972, D. Furth (13); Har Dov, 1500 m, 27.ix.1992, Y. Nussbaum (53, 3Ƥ); Majdal Shams [Majdel Chams], 14.x.1982, A. Freidberg (63, 27Ƥ), F. Kaplan (13, 9Ƥ), A. Zadka (13, 3Ƥ); Nahal Nimrod, 33°15'N 35°45'E, 4.x.2001, A. Freidberg (43, 4Ƥ), L. Friedman (2Ƥ); Golan Heights: Mas'ada, 3.x.1970, J. Kugler (23, 6Ƥ); Nabi Hazuri, 790 m, 33°15.036'N 35°43.761'E, 18.x.2009, L. Friedman (1Ƥ); Haspin [Khispin], 28.x.1983, I. Nussbaum (13, 7Ƥ); Upper Galilee: Pa'ar Cave, near Sasa, 25.x.1994, A. Freidberg (233, 63Ƥ); Pa'ar Cave, 800 m, 33°02.04'N 35°23.356'E, 19.x.2009, L. Friedman (183); Pa'ar Cave, 810 m, 33°01.952'N 35°23.189'E, 18.x.2010, A. Freidberg, L. Bodner and E. Morgulis (463, 32Ƥ); Har Meron [Mt. Meiron], 10.x.1971, J. Kugler (1Ƥ); Har Meron, 900 m, 33°01'N 35°24'E, 3.x.2001, A. Freidberg (1Ƥ); Zefat [Zefat], 17.x.1972, A. Freidberg (1Ƥ), J. Kugler (2Ƥ); Kefar Shammay [Kfar Shamai], 6.x.1974, A. Freidberg (1Ƥ); 'Ami'ad [Amiad], 6.x.1974, A. Freidberg (13, 1Ƥ).

The holotype is double-mounted, minutien pin on plastic block, is in excellent condition and is deposited in the National Collection of Insects, Tel Aviv University ( TAUI). Most paratypes are in TAUI; paratypes have been donated to the Natural History Museum, London, UK ( BMNH), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA ( NMNH), and I.I.Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Kiev, Ukraine ( SIZK).

Diagnosis. this species differs from all congeners by the sexually dimorphic wing venation and pattern, i.e., males lacking crossvein DM-Cu and having a well-contrasted dark brown pattern over anterior half of wing, whereas females with crossvein DM-Cu present and pattern more extensive (e.g. over crossvein DM-Cu) and less contrasted. H. dimorphica is most similar to H. sicula n. sp., differing from it in veins R4+5 and M being slightly divergent (in H. sicula veins R4+5 and M are parallel); abdominal tergites 3 and 4 of male medially and apically gray microtrichose, with two isolated bare spots ( Fig. 11 ) (in H. sicula tergites 3 and 4 with bare black spots widely confluent, leaving only two lateroapical and one mediobasal triangles gray microtrichose ( Fig. 12 )); and in the lateral surstylus bent medially in a nearly right angle (bent more gently in H. sicula ).

Description. Head ( Fig. 1 ): Structure: 1.22–1.26 times as high as long. Frons at level of anterior ocellus 0.71– 0.86 times as wide as long; frons at lunule level 0.78–0.94 times as wide as long. In lateral view face nearly straight, receded. Carina flattened at dorsal 0.45–0.50, about 0.45–0.50 times as wide as antennal groove at same level in anterior view, ventrally rounded to slightly pointed and irregularly wrinkled; protrusion of carina beyond parafacial in lateral view about 2.5–3.0 times as long as parafacial at narrowest level. Eye 1.17–1.37 times as high as long. Gena 0.17–0.29 times as high as eye. Fronto-orbital plate at antenna insertion level 0.41–0.62 times as long as gena height. First flagellomere 1.53–1.71 times as long as high, dorsoapically pointed, dorsally straight. Arista with microscopic rays. Color and vestiture: Ocellar triangle, vertex, occiput, orbit, postgena and 1st flagellomere black; orbit white microtrichose, remaining parts gray microtrichose. Frontal vitta orange. Face yellow to black, slightly gray microtrichose. Parafacial and gena mostly brown, silvery-gray microtrichose; gena posteriorly blackish. Scape, pedicel and 1st flagellomere black, slightly silvery microtrichose; arista mostly brown-black, white immediately beyond thickened base. Clypeus brown-black; palpus brown to yellow, gray microtrichose. Chaetotaxy: Medial vertical seta 1.10–1.25 times as long as lateral vertical seta; ocellar seta and postocellar seta each 0.45–0.52 times as long as medial vertical seta; 2 orbital setae, posterior orbital seta 1.7–1.9 times as long as anterior orbital seta and 0.57–0.63 times as long as medial vertical seta. Frontal vitta setulose. Gena, postgena, palpus and vibrissal angle with long black setulae. Labellum with mixed black and white setulae.

Thorax. Color and vestiture: Dark brown to black, entirely gray microtrichose; scutum with slightly darker, longitudinal, medial and lateral, presutural lines. Chaetotaxy: All setae and setulae black. 2 dorsocentral (anterior 3 times as long and as thick as posterior) setae present, 2 supra-alar, anterior supra-alar seta 0.33 times as long as posterior supra-alar seta, 1 postalar and 2–4 anepisternal setae present; 6–9 dorsocentral setulae present. Mesonotum, postpronotal lobe, anepisternum and katepisternum with black setulae about 0.2 times as long as major setae.

Legs. All coxae brown to black; all femora, tibiae and apical 2–4 tarsomeres black; 1–3 basal tarsomeres brown to pale yellow. Legs slightly gray microtrichose.

Wing. Pattern: Male ( Fig. 8 ): Blackish area extending anterior to middle of cell r4+5 and distal to level of crossvein BM-Cu and along vein R4+5, wing otherwise hyaline; female ( Fig. 9 ): Slightly blackish area anterior to vein Cu1, with darker infuscation at base of basal costal cell, apex of costal cell, apex of cell r1, along apices of veins R1 and R2+3 and along crossvein R-M. Pterostigma gray in both sexes. Venation: Male: Veins A1, Cu2 and base of vein M yellow, remaining veins brown. Crossvein DM-Cu absent; female: Veins R4+5 and Cu 1 in basal fifth and entire vein A1 yellow, remaining veins brown; crossvein DM-Cu present. In both sexes: Cell r4+5 about as wide at apex as in middle. Crossvein R-M aligned basal to apex of vein R1. Vein Cu2 convex, without bend, not forming posterodistal lobe at cell bcu. Calypter yellowish-white. Halter entirely gray microtrichose, base and stem brown, knob yellow.

Abdomen. Brown to black in both sexes. In male ( Fig. 11 ), syntergite 1+2 entirely and tergites 3 and 4 medially and apically gray-brown microtrichose; tergite 5 not microtrichose; non-microtrichose areas on tergite 4 and tergite 5 wrinkled, remaining parts smooth. In female, abdomen entirely gray-brown microtrichose. Male terminalia: Epandrium ( Fig. 2 ) 1.3–1.5 times as high as wide. Lateral surstylus articulated to epandrium, widened basally, bearing 2 large prensisetae and 2–5 setulae medially; lateral surstylus bent medially at or nearly at right angle. Phallus ( Fig. 4 ) laterally spinulose at basal 0.1, setulose on basomedial 0.33, with 4–6 setae (on each side) on medioapical 0.33, both laterally and medially spinulose at apical 0.3. Spines at basal 0.1 of phallus flat and wide, as long as phallus width; spines on medial 0.6 thick and long, about 1.5–2.0 times as long as phallus width; spines at subapical 0.15 as long as phallus width; spines at apical 0.15 about half as long as phallus width. Glans membranous and micro-spinulose. Female terminalia: Aculeus 5.2–6.1 times as long as wide. Cercal unit ( Fig. 7 ) elongate oval, apically truncate, with well pronounced lateral groove. Sensilla: Basaoventral seta aligned with basal dorsal seta. All setae long. Pair of large socket-like sensilla present basal to subapical ventral seta pair. 3 ovoid spermathecae ( Fig. 6 ) present, 2 with common duct.

Measurements (mm). Body length 2.25–2.95, wing length 2.42–2.95.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the sexual dimorphism in the wing venation and pattern.

Distribution, phenology and biology. Adults were found primarily in open, sunny grasslands of the northern highlands of Israel (Har Hermon, Golan Heights, Upper Galilee) only in September and October. The flies were observed standing head down and rarely moving on the shaded side of stems of various dry or green herbs of the families Asteraceae , Poaceae and Apiaceae .

It is noteworthy that almost all the studied specimens were collected in October, which is autumn in Israel. Judged by the phenology of terrestrial Diptera in Israel generally (Freidberg, unpublished data), this is the poorest season for collecting Diptera adults. Indeed, based on about 3500 collected specimens, Morgulis (2012, chart 1) has shown for 37 ulidiid species recorded by her from Israel that between September and March the richness of these flies was less than 10 species per month, whereas in the remaining (spring and summer) months it varied between 15–27 species per month. This pattern appears to hold true also for other Herina species, such as H. sicula n. sp. (described below), collected in Sicily in late August, and H. aartseni Merz ( Morgulis, 2012) , collected in Israel from Mid-June to beginning of November.

In the laboratory, although the flies were presented with various (dry) plant materials (taken from their natural habitat), females were not seen laying eggs in them. Soil, which was also taken from the habitat, did receive some attention from the flies, as several females did probe it with their aculeus. Whether or not they have laid eggs in the soil remains to be clarified.

At least one female laid eggs in a stainless steel mesh covering the ventilation openings of the cage. The eggs were found glued to the mesh, between the cage wall (plastic) and the mesh itself. Other females were observed inserting their aculeus through this mesh, but no other egg batches were found.

Both in the field and at the laboratory, the flies (mainly males) were seen performing wing scissoring and tapping on each other with their forelegs, and several mating couples were observed. During mating, the male mounts the female, and their body axes form an acute angle; the male grasps the female abdomen with his mid and hind legs, while his fore legs either resting on her syntergite 1+2 or tapping on her scutum or head. The female slightly spreads her wings, and the male stays with his wings fully folded as at rest.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Characters of Herina spp. 1. Herina dimorphica, head, lateral view. 2. H. dimorphica, epandrium, posterior view. 3. H. sicula, epandrium, posterior view. 4. H. dimorphica, phallus. 5. H. sicula, phallus. 6. H. dimorphica, spermatheca. 7. H. dimorphica, cercal unit.

FIGURES 8 – 10. Wings. 8. H. dimorphica, male. 9. H. dimorphica, female. 10. H. sicula.

FIGURES 11 – 12. Abdomen, male, dorsal view. 11. H. dimorphica. 12. H. sicula.