Amygdalops major, Jindr & Rohác & ek, 2004

Jindr, Rohác, ich & ek, 2004, Revision of the genus Amygdalops Lamb, 1914 (Diptera: Anthomyzidae) of the Afrotropical Region, African Invertebrates 45, pp. 157-221 : 181-186

Amygdalops major sp. n.

( Figs 49–60 , 126 )

Type material: Holotype male, labelled: ‘ UGANDA: S.W., Fort Portal , 5 km NW, 2000 m, 10.i.1996, I. Yarom & A. Freidberg’ ( TAUI, genit. prep.) . Paratypes: KENYA: Karura For., Nairobi , 5500 feet, 9–13.xii.1970, 1 male, A. E. Stubbs leg. ( BMNH) . MADAGASCAR: Antananarivo, Tsimbazaza , 14.iv.1991, 2 males; Rt. 2, 20 km E Antananarivo, 3.iv.1991, 3 males, all A. Freidberg & Fini Kaplan leg. ( TAUI, SMOC) ; Andasibe , ca. 19ºS 48ºE, 13–15.x.1987, 1 male 1 female, SF McE, JRD, SA leg. ( AMSA) . SENEGAL: 1 km NE Djibelor, about 7.5 km SW Ziguinchor, UTM 28PCJ5687, loc. 29, swept along roadside in forest, 8.xi.1977, 1 male, Cederholm, Danielsson, Hammarstedt, Hedquist, Samuelsson leg. (Lund Univ. Syst. Dept.: Sweden-GambiaSenegal Expedition , Nov. 1977, MZLU) ; UGANDA: S.W., Semiliki Forest , 1250 m, 8.i.1996, 1 male; S.W ., Kabale, 7 km NE, 1950 m, 23.xii.1995, 2 females; S.W ., Kabale, 1950 m, 24.xii.1995, 1 female, all I. Yarom & A. Freidberg leg. ( TAUI, SMOC) ; Masaka, 13.xi.1934, 1 male ; Kampala, 12.xii.1934, 1 male; Budongo Forest , 7–8.ii.1935, 1 female, all F. W. Edwards leg. ( BMNH) . Most paratypes with genit. prep .

Etymology: The species is named ‘major’ (= Lat. larger) because it is larger on average than all other species of the A. thomasseti group.

Description: Male.

Total body length 2.14–2.94 mm. Body bicolorous, brown and yellow.

Head: As long as high or slightly longer than high. Occiput completely brown to dark brown. Frons brown to dark brown with only anterior third (including relevant part of orbits) yellow to orange. Frontal triangle narrow, almost reaching anterior third of frons, shining and bare (at most with sparse microtomentum on anterior corner) including ocellar triangle. Orbits also shining, only areas between orbits, frontal triangle and margin of frons dull, pale grey microtomentose. Face orange ochreous, with narrow margin whitish yellow and silvery white microtomentose; gena yellowish white, silvery microtomentose and dull. Cephalic chaetotaxy: pvt distinct, crossed; vti markedly shorter than vte; oc slightly to distinctly longer than vti; 2 strong ors (posterior often almost as long as vte and anterior only slightly shorter) and 2 setulae in front of anterior ors (anterior setula only half length of posterior); 2–3 pairs of microsetulae medially in front of frontal triangle; 1 long vi and 1 subvibrissa being markedly shorter, sometimes only as long as foremost peristomal setula; other peristomals small; postocular setulae yet shorter than peristomals, in single dense row. Palpus yellow, with 1 distinct black seta. Mouthparts yellow to orange. Eye large, covering most of head profile; its longest diameter 1.4–1.5 times as long as shortest one. Gena very narrow; its smallest height 0.08 times as long as shortest eye diameter.Antenna yellow to orange, somewhat darkened around base of arista; first flagellomere with long white cilia on apex. Arista 2.1 times as long as antenna, very long pectinate, with dorsal rays particularly long and erect.

Thorax: Narrower than head, dorsally largely dark brown, ventrally pale yellow to orange yellow. Mesonotum including scutellum almost completely dark brown, only humeral callus ochreous but the notopleural stripe reduced, darkened and often poorly visible; dark brown longitudinal stripe covering dorsal part of pleura sharply margined ventrally. Postscutellum dark brown as scutellum, both these parts separated by pale ochreous transverse stripe. Ventral portion of pleura orange yellow to whitish yellow (chiefly ventrally). Thoracic chaetotaxy: 1 very short prs; 2 dc but anterior only as long as sa, posterior dc very long; 2 sc, apical about as long as posterior dc, laterobasal short, hardly longer than anterior dc; 1 ppl, very minute; 2 stpl, anterior distinctly shorter; ventral part of sternopleuron with about 4 longer and several shorter hair-like setae. Scutellum as in A. thomasseti . Legs yellow to pale ochreous, hind knees sometimes darker, orange ochreous. Chaetotaxy of legs as in A. thomasseti but setae in posteroventral row of f 3 longer, with thickened and shortened setae restricted to apical fourth. Wing ( Fig. 126 ) pattern and venation resembling those of A. thomasseti , including very slightly bent R 4+5, and apically somewhat convergent R 4+5 and M. Discal cell short, narrow, apically dilated; r-m situated near its middle. Wing measurements: length 2.10–2.62 mm; width 0.67–0.84 mm, Cs 3: Cs 4 = 2.04–2.58, r-m\dm-cu: dm-cu = 2.60–3.18. Haltere ochreous brown, with darker brown knob.

Abdomen: Preabdominal terga large and broad, extended on ventral side of abdomen, dark brown and sparselly greyish microtomentose, only T5 often with small paler pigmented laterobasal spot (invisible in dry specimens). T6 short, transverse, weakly sclerotised and poorly visible. Preabdominal sterna narrow, pale ochreous, becoming larger posteriorly; S5 largest and with longest setae. Postabdominal sterna (S6–S8) asymmetrical, dark and heavily sclerotised, all fused laterodorsally. S6 distinctly larger (including ventral portion) than in A. thomasseti and all allied species.

Genitalia: Epandrium hemispherical ( Figs 49, 50 ), relatively long, setose in posterior half, with a pair of longer setae dorsomedially; anal opening small. Cercus moderately sized, densely setose. Medandrium ( Fig. 49 ) relatively small, low, with laterally projecting dorsal corners. Gonostylus ( Fig. 51 ) with simply suboval outline in widest extension view, but having strikingly concave outer posterolateral surface provided with several fine striae and wrinkles ( Fig. 50 ); sparse micropubescence concentrated in the middle of outer side; inner side of gonostylus with longer setae, chiefly in anteroventral half. Hypandrium ( Fig. 53 ) robust (high), with membranous internal lobes; transandrium ( Fig. 54 ) relatively narrow, medially with ventral incision in which is inserted short, apicaly bifid caudal process provided by pigmented tubercles. Pregonite ( Fig. 53 ) fused with hypandrium, little projecting ventrally but rather incurved, and with about 5 short setae. Postgonite ( Fig. 52 ) slender, distally somewhat bent inside, with blunt apex and 1 small anterolateral setula in proximal fourth; basal sclerite attached to postgonite pale pigmented, somewhat ventrally projecting. Aedeagal part of folding apparatus attached to base of phallapodeme dorsally very dark, ventrally provided with flat tubercles; connecting sclerite relatively wide but inconspicuous because of pale pigmentation. Basal membrane armed by fine transverse tubercles ( Fig. 54 ). Aedeagal complex ( Fig. 52 ) with robust phallapodeme having bifurcate base, laterally projecting subbasal flat processes and simple apex. Aedeagus with small phallophore and large distiphallus. Base of distiphallus distinctly spinulose; saccus of distiphallus voluminous, densely overgrown by short, uniform spines except for a small area at base. Filum of distiphallus formed by 2 dark stripe-like twisted sclerites (one being proximally robust) terminating into a largely membranous apex provided with jagged margin. Ejacapodeme small, with usual slender projection.

Female differs from male as follows:

Total body length 2.70–3.00 mm.

Palpus and surrounding mouthparts brown. Humeral and notopleural areas often paler pigmented than in male. f 3 posteroventrally simply finely setulose. Wing measurements: length 2.85–3.06 mm, width 0.89–0.99 mm, Cs 3: Cs 4 = 2.07–2.58, r-m\dm-cu: dm-cu = 2.70–3.00. Abdomen with brown to dark brown preabdominal terga, only T3 and sometimes T4 with small pale ochreous laterobasal spot on each side. Preabdominal sterna (S1–S5) and S6 narrow and pale yellow.

Postabdomen ( Figs 55, 59 ). T6 uniformly brown, tapering posteriorly, densely shortly setose. S6 pale ochreous, slightly narrower than T7, with fine setae. T7 darker brown and narrower than T6, with dense short setae in posterior half. S7 narrow, elongate, dark brown, with somewhat projecting anterolateral corners, emarginate anterior margin and unpigmented area at posterior margin; setae long but fine and insterted in posterior two-fifths of sclerite. T8 dark except for paler anterior margin, plate-shaped, with rounded corners and thin dense setae in posterior half. S8 dark, slightly broader than T8, finely setose at posterolateral margin and posteromedially bulging, with narrow mediodorsal incision as usual. T10 small but relatively long, dark pigmented except for area behind insertion of a pair of longer setae, with sparse microtomentum restricted to posterior unpigmented part. S10 slightly wider and paler than T10, micropubescent except for posterior tapered part. Internal sclerotisation of genital chamber composed of 2 pairs of sclerotised, pale brown, twisted plates (see Fig. 58 ) but anterior ring-shaped structure indefinite, membranous, hardly visible; genital opening surrounded by small spine-like setulae. Ventral receptacle ( Fig. 57 ) membranous, formed by broader bag (having internal microstructures in proximal half) and of twisted, slender, ventrally directed, terminal projection. Spermathecae 1+1 ( Figs 56, 60 ) ball-shaped, one distinctly larger than the other, each with small dark, relatively dense spines inserted on basal third around duct insertion; duct cervix developed but short. Cerci robust, shortly setose.

Discussion: A. major sp.n. is the largest species of the A. thomasseti group. Besides the large size it can be best recognised from related species by the combination of dark knob of halteres, yellow legs, sexual dichroism of palpus (yellow in male, brown in female), large male S6 with thick ventral projecting part, concavely bent gonostylus and dark narrow female S7. In colour features A. major sp.n. is most similar to A. acer sp.n. but the latter species species differs in having yellow part of frons more reduced, vti markedly shorter, male S5 darker and posteriorly emarginate and quite different male genitalia (see below).

Biology: Adult flies were collected from October to February, and in April. No habitat record (except one specimen swept in a forest) is available.

Distribution: The species probably is widespread in Africa (recorded from Senegal, Uganda, Kenya) and Madagascar.

Figures

Figs 49–54. Amygdalops major sp.n., male paratype (Madagascar). 49. External genitalia, caudal view. 50. Same, lateral view. 51. Gonostylus, sublateral view (widest extension). 52.Aedeagal complex, lateral view. 53. Hypandrium and associated structures, lateral view. 54. Transandrium, caudal view. Scales = 0.1 mm. For abbreviation see text.

Figs 55–60. Amygdalops major sp.n., female paratype (Uganda). 55. Postabdomen, dorsal view. 56. Spermatheca. 57. Ventral receptacle, ventral view. 58. Internal sclerites, ventral view. 59. Postabdomen, ventral view. 60. Spermatheca. Scales: Figs 56, 60 = 0.05 mm, others = 0.1 mm. For abbreviations see text.

Figs 126–128. Wings of Amygdalops species. 126. A. major sp.n., male paratype (Madagascar). 127. A. acer sp.n., male holotype. 128. A. nigrinotum Sueyoshi & Rohácek, male (Seychelles). Scales = 0.5 mm.