Physiphora steyskali, Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016

Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016, Revision of the Genus Physiphora Fallén 1810 (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Ulidiinae), Zootaxa 4087 (1), pp. 1-88 : 76-79

Physiphora steyskali sp. n.

Figures 362–373 .

Material. Type. Holotype ♂ Sudan: NE, Kassala Prov., Erwit, 1000–1300 m, 19.vii.1962 (R. Remane) (ZSSM).

Diagnosis. This species can be easily recognized from having pair of large microtrichose areas on frons in combination with the frons brown, microtrichose area on facial carina λ-shaped, and fore metatarsus creamy white in basal 0.8. Similarly microtrichose frons is present in P. euphorbiana but that species differs by combination the with the frons black, microtrichose area through facial carina entire and wide, and fore metatarsus entirely brown or black.

Description. Head ( Figs. 363–365 ) black, with brown frons, gena and postgena. Frons 1.1 times as long as wide, brownish yellow, medially sparsely microtrichose or opalescent, with narrow bare medial vitta, at anterior margin, with fine whitish setulae inserted into small pits, wide parafrontal microtichose area reaching antero-lateral margin ( Fig. 365 ), and poorly differentiated calluses posterior to its middle. 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 brown, facial carina subshining yellowish brown, with white λ-shaped microtrichose area widely separated from microtrichose antennal grooves; epistome entirely black, densely rugulose, with green or cyan sheen. Gena 0.4 times as high as eye, without white microtrichose mark; parafacial and facial ridge with narrow white microtrichose stripe ( Fig. 363 ).

Occiput black, with orange brown area posterior of ocellar triangle and partly yellowish-brown postgena; orbit between posterodorsal eye margin and row of postocular setae without microtrichose stripe, only posteroventrally (above postgena) orbit with short microtrichose stripe. Medial vertical seta 1/3 times as long as frons width, twice as long as lateral vertical and 3 times as long as ocellar, orbital and postocellar setae. Antenna yellowish brown, grey microtrichose; flagellomere 1 rounded apically, 2.2 times as long as wide; arista bare, yellow in basal 1/6, remainder black. Clypeus black. Palp brown to black, gray microtrichose, with moderately long black setulae. Mouthparts black.

Thorax ( Figs. 363–364 ). Scutum and scutellum black, densely rugulose, matt, with green tinge and variable, red to violet reflections; antepronotum, postpronotal lobe, posterior surface of notopleural triangle, supra-alar and all prescutellar parts of scutum, anterior half of anepisternum and katepisternum, and whole anepimeron shining black; most of anepisternum, katepisternum and anepimeron shagreened; anepisternum black setulose; supra-alar area and tympanal fossa black, postscutellum black, gray microtrichose; postero-ventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area; anatergite, katatergite and lateroventral parts of mediotergite very sparsely microtrichose, subshining green. Mesonotal scutum with acrostichal, dorsocentral and intra-alar setulae indistinguishable; acrostichal seta lacking, dorsocentral seta lacking or broken off; other setae moderately long, black: one postprononal, 2 postsutural supra-alar, one intra-alar and one postalar.

Scutellum conspicuously swollen, densely rugulose, with green tinge, apparently bare and 2 pairs of black scutellar setae (broken off in holotype, only alveolae present).

Wing. Entirely hyaline, with yellow veins; cell r4+5 narrowly closed, apical section of M slightly arcuate ( Fig. 366 ). Postero-apical extension of cell cup 0.8 times as long as vein A1+CuA2, and 2.5 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Calypters with white fringe. Length: 3.3 mm.

Legs. Black except fore tarsus with basitarsomere creamy white in basal 4/5; mid- and hind femora and tibiae entirely brown or black; mid and hind tarsi yellow except 3 last tarsomere dark brown; all setae black; fore femur not swollen, postero-ventrally with 7–8 almost thickened short setae in apical 2/3.

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites black, finely rugulose, with golden to reddish reflection; all setulae black; sternites 2–5 subequal, subrectangular ( Fig. 373 ).

Male postabdomen brown to black; epandrium as on Figs. 369–370 , surstyli simple, nipple-like structures of cerci wide; phallus ( Fig. 367 ) with slightly widened stipe slightly longer than preglans and glans combined; caecum vestigial, papillose; preglans non–spinulose; glans with 7 subequal, moderately short claw-like lobes ( Fig. 368 ). Hypandrium with symmetrical phallapodeme having widely separated, parallel posterior branches and equal vanes of phallapodeme; left gonite developed ( Fig. 371 ).

Female unknown.

Distribution. Sudan.

Etymology. The species is named in memory of the American dipterist George Constance Steyskal (1909– 1996), in recognition of his contribution into taxonomy of Physiphora .

Figures

FIGURES 362 – 366. Physiphora steyskali: 362, habitus, left; 363, head and thorax, left; 364, habitus, dorsal; 365, head, anterior; 366, wing. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 367 – 373. Physiphora steyskali: 367, ♂ phallus (a—fragment of preglans, enlarged); 368, glans, enlarged; 369, epandrium and hypandrium, right; 370, epandrium, posterior; 371, hypandrium, ventral; 372, ejaculatory apodeme; 373, male sternites 2 – 5.