Platychauliodes capensis Barnard

Liu, Xingyue, Price, Ben W., Hayashi, Fumio & Yang, Ding, 2011, Revision of the fishfly genus Platychauliodes Esben-Petersen (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) endemic to South Africa, Zootaxa 2909, pp. 1-13 : 3-7

Platychauliodes capensis Barnard

( Figures 1–2 , 7–8 , 16–23 )

Platychauliodes capensis Barnard, 1931: 175 . Type locality: South Africa (Paarl, Boskloof).

Diagnosis. This is a small species that can be easily distinguished by the male subserrate antennae. The wings usually have the Rs 4-branched, but occasionally 5-branched, and the male tenth sternum has the median plate posteriorly separated into a pair of flattened round lobes.

Description. Male. Body length 16.0– 19.1 mm; forewing length 18.1–19.0 mm, hindwing length 15.4–17.2 mm.

Head pale brown. Compound eyes dark; lateral ocelli widely separated, pale yellow, medially margined blackish brown. Antennae subserrate, yellowish brown. Mouthparts brown.

Thorax dark brown. Legs pale yellow, with dense pale setae; tibiae medially with a blackish spots, tarsi brown, tarsal claws reddish brown. Wings hyaline, pterostigmatic area narrowly elongated, pale grayish brown. Forewings with numerous indistinct brownish spots along longitudinal veins. Hindwings immaculate. Veins pale yellowish brown, but blackish in dark markings. Rs ( Fig. 1 ) 4 or 5-branched; M 2-branched, sometimes with a branch bifurcated at tip.

Abdomen brown. Ninth tergum ( Figs. 16, 18 ) subquadrate in dorsal view, anteriorly with wide V-shaped incision, posteriorly slightly produced and elevated medially. Ninth sternum ( Figs. 17–18 ) subquadrate, terminated posterior to ninth tergum due to elongation of eighth sternum, distally bearing membrane. Tenth tergum ( Figs. 16, 18–19 ) short, as long as half of ninth tergum, directed dorsolaterally, proximal half broadly inflated with numerous spinous setae ventrad, distal half narrowed and digitiformed. Tenth sternum ( Figs. 16, 18–20 ) nearly as long as ninth plus tenth tergum, strongly sclerotized laterally but nearly membranous medially on major part of median plate; median plate in ventral view with anterior margin arcuately incised, and posteriorly with a pair of strongly sclerotized round lobes, which is formed by dorsally curved lateral ridges, bearing normal setae on outer surface and dense tiny spinous setae on inner surface. Anus ( Figs. 19, 21 ) slightly sclerotized ventrad, medially distinctly prominent in ventral view. A pair of short setose lobes presented beneath anus.

Female. Body length 20.0 mm; forewing length 23.8 mm, hindwing length 21.1 mm.

Rs ( Fig. 2 ) 4 or 5-branched in all wings.

Seventh sternum ( Fig. 23 ) posteriorly produced. Eighth sternum ( Fig. 22 ) in lateral view subtrapezoidal, posteriorly strongly produced, with short membranous lobe. Ninth gonocoxite ( Fig. 22 ) broadly foliate, with acute tip. Tenth tergum ( Fig. 22 ) short and slender, with ovoid cercus ventrolaterally.

Type material. Lectotype 3 (present designation), SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province: “Worcester, Keeromberg, Bosch Kloof [= Boskloof, 33°35'S, 19°33'E], 5.I.1930, K.H. Barnard/ SAM-MEG-A 000006” ( SAM). Paralectotypes 23 (present designation), SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province: “C[ape].C[olony]., Paarl [33°43'S, 18°57'E], Rev. G. Hawke, X.1919 / SAM-MEG-A 000005” ( SAM).

Other material. SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province: 131Ƥ, Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch [33°56'S, 18°51'E], 14.II.1933, K.H. Barnard ( SAM, SAM-MEG-A 000008); 23, Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, 26.II.1931, H.G. Wood ( SAM, SAM-MEG-A 000009); 13, Worcester, Keeromberg, Bosch Kloof, I.1933, H. G. Wood ( SAM, SAM-MEG-A 000051); 93, Worcester, Bosch Kloof, I.1933, H. G. Wood (73 in SAM, SAM-MEG-A 000007 and 23 in NHM); 13, without collecting label (NHM); 1231Ƥ, Palmiet River [34°4'27”S, 19°3'7”E], 31.I.1996, ( AMGS, WCR 142A and WCR 142B); 334Ƥ, Witte River [33°38'25”S, 19°6'45”E], 3.II.1996, ( AMGS, WCR 153); 331Ƥ, Witte River [33°40'0”S, 19°7'30”E], 1.II.1996, ( AMGS, WCR 146F).

Distribution. South Africa (Western Cape Province).

Remarks. This species can be easily separated from the other two Platychauliodes species by the subserrate male antennae, the structure of the male genitalia, and the broad female eighth sternum which is strongly produced posteriorly.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Habitus images of Platychauliodes spp. 1. P. c a p e n s i s Barnard, lectotype male; 2. same, female; 3. P. pusillus (McLachlan), holotype male; 4. same, female; 5. P. t h o r n e i Barnard, lectotype male; 6. same, paralectotype female.

FIGURES 7 – 11. Platychauliodes capensis Barnard. 7. Male head, dorsal view; 8. Female head, dorsal view; 9. Mandible, dorsal view; 10. Maxilla, ventral view; 11. Labium, ventral view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 16 – 23. Platychauliodes capensis Barnard. 16. Male genitalia, dorsal view; 17. Male genitalia, ventral view; 18. Male genitalia, lateral view; 19. Male genitalia, caudal view; 20. Male tenth sternum, ventral view; 21. Sclerite beneath male anus, ventral view; 22. Female genitalia, lateral view; 23. Female eighth sternum, ventral view. S 8 – 10: eighth to tenth sternum, T 8 - 10: eighth to tenth tergum, Gx 9: ninth gonocoxite, c: cercus, lar: lateral arm, mpl: median plate. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.