Physiphora euphorbiana Krivosheina & Krivosheina 1997

Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016, Revision of the Genus Physiphora Fallén 1810 (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Ulidiinae), Zootaxa 4087 (1), pp. 1-88 : 34-36

Physiphora euphorbiana Krivosheina & Krivosheina 1997

Figures 124–137 .

Physiphora euphorbiana Krivosheina & Krivosheina, 1997: 464 .

Physiphora euphorbiae: Kameneva & Korneyev, 2010: 622 (unavailable; incorrect subsequent spelling of P. euphorbiana ).

Material. Type. Holotype ♂ and paratypes 2♂: India: Radjasthan, Jodhpur, from larvae collected in rotting Euphorbia sp. (A. Kompantsev) (ZMUM; not examined). Non-type. Pakistan: Kahuta, 33º35′ N 73º23′ E, “maggot in a rottened stem of E. [uphorbia] royleana , 30. vii.1961, 3 ♀ (BMNH); Lasbella Prov., 43 mi N of Karachi, 28.iii–1. iv.1965, 5 ♂, 2♀ (Neal) (USNM); India: Tamil Nadu, Dohnavur, 8º28′ N 77º35′ E, Donevelly Dt., 350′, 30. ix.1938, 1 ♂, 1♀ (collector unknown) (BMNH).

Diagnosis. This species differs from other Physiphora by the combination of entirely brown or black fore basitarsomere, pair of large subrectangular microtrichose parafrontal areas on satin black frons with violet tinge, face with entire transverse microtrichose area and epistome black medially but yellow laterally, wing with cell r4+5 closed but not petiolate, and male genitalia with bilobate surstyli, very wide, partly fused nipple-like structures of cerci ( Figs. 134–135 ) and hypandrium with symmetrical phallapodeme having widely separated, parallel posterior branches and equal vanes of phallapodeme; left gonite entirely lacking ( Fig. 136 ) and phallus with preglans conspicuously longer than wide, leaf-like stipe ( Fig. 131 ) and glans with short, inconspicuous lobes ( Fig. 132 ). It differs from the other species with widely microtrichose frons ( P. leucotricha , P. steyskali sp. n.) by the combination of entirely black fore metatarsus and entire microtrichose crossband in the upper half of frons (fore metatarsus mostly white and face with λ-shaped microtrichose area on facial carina in compared species).

Description. Head ( Figs. 127–128 ) black, with brown sides of face, gena and postgena; rarely frons, sides of face, postgena and middle of vertex brownish yellow. Frons 1.3 times as long as wide, black or brown, medially with matt black triangle with violet tinge, shining black anterolateral corners and wide parafrontal microtichose area almost reaching antero-medial margin ( Fig. 128 ), and poorly differentiated calluses posterior to its middle; sides of frons with numerous moderately long and thick setulae inserted into small pits. Vertical plates and ocellar triangle shining black with greenish sheen; 2 pairs of black orbital setae; ocellar setae lateroclinate, as long as orbital setae.

Face mostly yellow, facial carina smooth, yellow, with entire transverse white microtrichose area covering also antennal grooves; epistome and ventral part of antennal grooves black; lateral parts of face yellow. Gena high, half as high as eye; parafacial and facial ridge mostly brown, each with narrow white microtrichose stripe; gena posteriorly with arcuate white microtrichose mark separating it from anteriorly shining orange and posteriorly black postgena ( Fig. 127 ). Occiput black. Medial vertical seta half as long as frons width, 1.1 times as long as lateral vertical and 4–5 times as long as ocellar, orbital and postocellar setae. Antenna yellow, except falgellomere 1 brown apex, rounded apically, twice as long as wide, greyish microtrichose; arista bare, brownish yellow in basal 1/5, remainder black. Clypeus black. Palp black, grey microtrichose and black setose. Mouthparts black.

Thorax ( Figs. 125–126 ). Scutum and scutellum black, densely rugulose, almost matt, with green tinge and variable, red to violet reflections; antepronotum, postpronotal lobe, posterior surface of notopleural triangle, supraalar and all prescutellar parts of scutum, anterior half of anepisternum and katepisternum, and whole anepimeron shining black, usually with blue sheen; posterodorsal parts of anepisternum and katepisternum shagreened; supraalar area and tympanal fossa brown to black, postscutellum black, gray microtrichose; postero-ventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area; anatergite, katatergite and lateroventral parts of mediotergite grey microtrichose. Mesonotal scutum with acrostichal rows of setulae as well as acrostichal seta indistinguishable, dorsocentral setulae more visible; dorsocentral setae hair-like; other setae moderately long, black: one postprononal, 2 postsutural supra-alar, one intra-alar and one postalar.

Scutellum conspicuously swollen, sparsely rugulose, with slight golden reflection, apparently with short setulae over disk (1/10 times as long as setae) and 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing. Entirely hyaline, with yellow veins; cell r4+5 narrowly closed, apical section of M arcuate ( Fig. 129 ). Postero-apical extension of cell cup 1.5 times as long as vein A1+CuA2, and 3 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Calypters with white fringe. Length: 3.2–3.5 mm.

Legs. Black including whole fore tarsus, mid- and hind tibiae brownish yellow or basally yellow, apically brown; mid- and hind tarsi yellow except two apical tarsomeres brown or black; all setae black; fore femur posteroventrally with 5 thickened short setae in apical half.

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites black, finely rugulose, with golden (blue on posterior tergites) reflection; all setulae black; female abdominal tergite 2 with pair of dimple-like structures laterally.

Male postabdomen brown to black; epandrium as on Figs. 133–135 , surstyli bilobate, nipple-like structures of cerci very wide, partly fused; phallus with widened, leaf-like stipe conspicuously shorter than preglans and glans; caecum almost three times as long as stipe width; preglans with very long wrinkled membranous area ( Fig. 132 ); glans with 3–4 very short lobes ( Figs. 131–132 ). Hypandrium with symmetrical phallapodeme having widely separated, parallel posterior branches and equal vanes of phallapodeme; left gonite entirely lacking ( Fig. 136 ).

Female terminalia not examined.

Distribution. Indian subcontinent.

Biology. Reared from rotting stems of Euphorbia royleana Boiss.

Remarks. This species possesses aberrant structure of epandrium and cerci, which showns no similarities in Ulidiini. It reminds P. steyskali sp. n., which shares widely microtrichose frons and similar structure of phallapodeme, and might be somehow related to P. euphorbiana .

Figures

FIGURES 124 – 130. Physiphora euphorbiana: 124, habitus, left; 125, habitus, left, anterior and dorsal; 126,127, head and thorax, dorsal and left; 128, head, anterior; 129, wing; 130, fore leg.

FIGURES 131 – 137. Physiphora euphorbiana: 131, ♂ phallus; 132, glans, enlarged; 133, epandrium and hypandrium, right; 134, epandrium, anterior; 135, epandrium, posterior; 136, hypandrium, ventral; 137, ejaculatory apodeme.