Physiphora violacea (Hendel 1910)

Elena P. Kameneva & Valery A. Kroneyev, 2016, Revision of the Genus Physiphora Fallén 1810 (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Ulidiinae), Zootaxa 4087 (1), pp. 1-88 : 80-83

Physiphora violacea (Hendel 1910)

Figures 380–394 .

Chrysomyza violacea Hendel, 1910: 22 ; Séguy, 1941: 115.

Physiphora violacea: Steyskal, 1980: 576 .

Chrysomyza melanopa Bezzi, 1914: 302 ; Séguy, 1941: 115; Steyskal, 1980: 576. Chrysomyza prema Séguy, 1953: 157 ; Steyskal, 1980: 576.

Material. Type. Syntype Chrysomyza violacea : 1♂: “ Sierra Leone / Freetown”, “Chrysomysa / violacea , H.”; “Coll. Hendel”; “ Type ” [red] (NHMW); Syntypes 1♂, 1♀ Chrysomyza prema : Guinea: “Yalanzou”, “Nimba, Guinée ”, 11.vi.1942, (M. Lamotte) (♂ with red printed label “ Type ” and ♀ bearing handwritten label “ Chrysomyza prema ♀ Séguy Type ”) (MHNP); Holotype (sex unknown) Chrysomyza melanopa Bezzi : Guinea: Conacry, x.1912 (F. Silvestri) (not located; not examined). Non-type. Burundi: Burundi Prov., Reserve Naturelle de Rumonge at 04º 00.940 S, 29º 29.560 E, 900 m, Malaise trap, Brachystegia woodland, 17–20. x.2010, 2 ♂, 1♀, idem, Rumonge town at 03º 53.736 S, 29º 26.182 E, 900 m, 19. xi.2010, 1 ♀ (A. Kirk-Spriggs) (BECE); Cameroon: “Jochann- Albrechtshöche”, 3. viii.1886, 1 ♂, 1♀ (Conradt) (MNKB); “Cribi”, at light, 19.vii.1974 (no collector) (RMNH); Côte-d’Ivoire: Bingerville / iii.1962, 2 ♂, 1♀, xi.1963, 1 ♂, 1–7. v.1964, 1 ♂ (J. Decelle) (“ Physiphora violacea Hdl. d. Steyskal '67) (MRAC); Lamto, “Savane claire, Loudetia, Plateau Colorès A.”, 12. viii.1971, 2 ♀ (D. Lachaise) (MHNP); Congo ( Zaïre): Eala, 21. xi.1931, 1 ♀, 22. xi.1931, 1 ♂ (H. J. Bredo); “Mayumbe: Ganda, Buku”, 1. viii.1926, 1 ♀ (A. Collart); “Rutshuru”, “123”, 17. v.1936, 1 ♂ (L. Lippens); “Vele: Bambesa”, ix.1940, 1 ♂ (J.Vrijdagh); “ Equateur: Bokuma”, xii.1951, 1 ♀; “Tshuapa: Bokuma”, iii.1954, 1 ♀ (R. P. Lootens); “Kasongo”, viii.1959, 1 ♂ (P. L. G. Benoit) (MRAC); Oriental Prov.: Bomane vill. at 01º 16.283 N, 23º 43.994 E, baiting fermented fruits, 2024. v.2010, 2 ♂, 2♀; idem, hanging trap baiting feces, secondary forest, 24. v.2010, 5 ♂, 4♀; idem, Lieki village at 01º 41.117 N, 24º 14.362 E, sweeping bush paths and village environs, 25.v–4. vi.2010, 1 ♂, idem, 1 km at 01º 41.483 N, 24º 14.271 E, hanging trap baiting feces, secondary forest, 27–28. v.2010, 7 ♂, 6♀ (A. Kirk-Spriggs) (BECE); Gambia: 2km S Kitty, 7km SSW Brikama Road junction; in and at fresh water stream, loc. No 7, 27. ii.1977, 1 ♀; Kotu stream about 3km SW Bakau, swept in vegetation, 22–23. xi.1977, 1 ♀ (Cederholm, Danielsson, Hammerstedt, Heqvist & Samuelsson) (ZMLU); Guinea: “Yalanzou”, “Nimba, Guinée ”, 11. vi.1942, 1 ♀, viii.1942, 3 ♂, 3♀, (M. Lamotte) (MHNP); [ Tanzania? Yemen?]: “Maculla, W. Afr.”, 16. vii.1890, 1 ♂ (collector unknown) (“ Chrysomyza (Cliochloria) violacea Hd. det. Dr. W. Hennig 1939”) (DEI); Tanzania: East Uzambara, Amani, 1000 m, 25. i.1977, 1 ♀ (H. Enghoff, G. Londolt, O. Martin) (ZMUC); Namibia: Mahango Game Park, Okavango River at 18º13′ 19″S 21º45′10″E, Malaise trap sample, 18–19. x.1999, 2 ♂ (Kirk-Spriggs, Pape, Hauwanga) (NICW); Nigeria: Ile-Ife, 15. vii.1969, 6 ♂, 4♀ (J. T. Medler) “Olokemeji”, 1914, 1 ♂ (Bridwell) (USNM); Senegal: 1 km NW Bignona, 26 km N Ziguinchor, at light 19:15–20:30 (loc. No 14, UTM 28PCK654170), 3. iii.1977, 1 ♂ (Cederholm, Daqnielsson, Larsson, Mireström, Norling, Samuelssom) (ZMLU); Sierra Leone: 5km SW Kabala, swept along road, 9º35′N 11º35′W, 28. xi.1993, 1 ♂, 1♀; Freetown, Cape Sierra hotel area, 8º31′N 13º17′W, loc. 2, at light on walls, 30. xi.1993, 1 ♀ (Cederholm, Danielsson, Hall) (ZMLU); South Africa: Gauteng Roodepoort, Witwatersrand Botanical Garden, 26.05 S, 27.51 E, ex rotten trunk of Encephalartos longifolius (Zamiaceae) [cycad], 04. x.1995, 4 ♂, 2♀ (M. Mansell), “Transvaal: Kruger Nat. Park, Pafuri”, 22.26 S, 31.12 E, 264 m, Malaise trap, 20–24.i.1985 (G. L. Prinsloo) (SANC); Togo: “Bismarkburg” (nr. modern Brewanaise, 08º12′N 00º47′E, 710m), 15–17. iv.1893, 1 ♂ (Conradt) (MNKB); USA: “Intercepted at Baltimore, MD, in Hold op snip from Africa”, 14. xii.1964, 1 ♂ (G. Steyskal) (USNM).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized from the cell r4+5 apically closed and petiolate, as in P. clausa and P. flavipes , differing from them by the having glossy black non-rugulose, or sparsely rugulose mesonotum with faint or conspicuous cyan to violet sheen, and entirely black femora and tibiae (mesonotum conspicuously shagreened, green with golden or red sheen in P. clausa and cyan to green sheen in P. flavipes ; femora and tibiae at least partly or entirely yellow in P. clausa and P. flavipes ), as well as different structure of the phallus. The specimens of P. violacea from the Subsaharan and Southern Africa clearly differ by the coloration of face and fore coxae (black and yellow, correspondingly).

Description. Head ( Figs. 381–383 ) mostly or entirely black. Frons 1.1–1.15 times as long as wide, with two pairs of calluses in posterior half and slightly concave at middle, entirely black or partly brown in anterior and medial part, shining, with a few sparse and fine whitish setulae above lunule and between frontal calluses, with small round white microtrichose parafrontal spot. Vertical plates and ocellar triangle shining black, bearing 2 pairs of short, slightly reclinate orbital setae and pair of lateroclinate ocellar setae. Face entirely black in specimens from Western and Central Africa or partly brownish yellow in Southern African specimens, dorsal half of facial carina and antennal grooves with entire white microtrichose transverse band. Lunule, facial ridge, parafacial and gena shining yellow (in Southern African specimens) to mostly black, gena 0.25–0.3 times as high as eye; parafacial with narrow, often inconspicuous white microtrichose stripe along anteroventral eye margin; facial ridge and gena without microtrichose marks. Occiput either entirely black, or with brown area behind ocellar triangle and widely brownish postgena; posterior orbit without white microtrichose areas. Medial vertical seta 0.5–0.55 times as long as frons width, 1.2 times as long as lateral vertical and 2.5–3 times as long as ocellar and orbital and twice as long as postocellar setae. Antenna brown to almost black; flagellomere 1 rounded apically, 2–2.2 times as long as wide, white microtrichose; arista bare, yellow in basal ¼, black in the rest.

Compound eye in live or freshly killed specimens yellow to green with pattern of four or five wide purple longitudinal bands; of them, two medial bands medially constricted, with two pairs of semicircular dilations ( Figs. 381–382 ).

Clypeus black (brownish yellow in some Southern African specimens). Palp black, microtrichose, with moderately long black setulae. Mouthparts black.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum ( Fig. 382 ) black, finely shagreened, glossy, with faint violet (in Western African specimens), or conspicuously, but finely shagreened, with blue transiting into syan or violet (in Southern African specimens) metallic reflection, as well as pleura either entirely glossy black (in Western African specimens), or with shagreened posterodorsal part of anepisternum (in Southern African specimens); supra-alar area and tympanal fossa matt grey, sparse grey microtrichia, as well as postscutellum; posterior part of katatergite and anatergite subshining green with sparse microtrichia; postero-ventral margin of scutellum white microtrichose at middle. Mesonotal scutum with one (or two very close) acrostichal row(s) of setulae, pair of regular dorsocentral and intra-alar rows (latter having shape of digit ‘3’), all setulae very fine and short, black; acrostichal seta vestigial, as long as setulae; dorsocentral setahair-like. Other setae as in P. clausa . Scutellum with 4–5 fine black subapical setulae and 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing ( Fig. 385 ). Entirely hyaline, with pale yellow veins; cell r4+5 closed, vein M before wing apex falling into R4+5 and forming petiole at wing tip; postero-apical extension of cell cup as long as vein CuA2+A1, and 3–5 times as long as transverse section of vein CuA2. Length 3.2–4.8.

Legs. Black, fore coxae black in Western African specimens, yellow in Southern African specimens; femora and tibia black (mid and hind tibia often brown in Southern African specimens), fore tarsus black with metatarsus creamy white with apex narrowly brown; fore femur with black setulae; postero-ventrally with 4–6 thickened setae in apical half; mid and hind femora black setulose; mid and hind tarsi with 1–2 apical tarsomeres brown.

Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites black, with faint blue reflection; abdominal tergite 1conspicuously microtrichose at base; tergite 2 black setulose on sides, in female, with pair of dimple-like structures laterally. Male postabdomen brown; epandrium as on Fig. 390 , surstyli simple, nipple-like structures of cerci moderately wide; phallus ( Fig. 387 ) with stipe not widened, almost as long as preglans and glans combined; caecum long, 3–4 times as long as stipe width; preglans non-spinulose; glans with one moderately long recursive lobe, one long claw-like, one short claw-like and one thumb-tack lobes ( Figs. 388–389 ). Hypandrium with symmetrical phallapodeme having widely separated, parallel posterior branches and equal vanes of phallapodeme; left gonite developed ( Fig. 391 ). Female terminalia: aculeus 8–10 times as long as wide at base ( Figs. 392–393 ); 3 spherical spermathecae ( Fig. 394 ).

Distribution: Afrotropical Region: Subsaharan Africa from Guinea to Tanzania; Southern Africa.

Biology. Larvae live in rotting stems of the gymnosperm cycad “palm” Encephalartos longifolius (Zamiaceae) in South Africa; adults are attracted to feces and fermented fruits. The adults were also captured at UV light (Richfield, 2015).

Remark. Chrysomyza melanopa (Bezzi, 1914) and Chrysomyza prema (Séguy, 1953) have been synonymized with P. violacea by Steyskal (1980) based on study of type material; the synonymy of C. prema is confirmed in the current study based on numerous additional material from its type locality.

In the case of C. melanopa , despite the type species has not been located and studied, the original description fits the diagnosis of P. violacea , and we entirely rely on Steyskal’s opinion.

The specimens of P. violacea from the Subsaharan and Southern Africa with different coloration of face and fore coxae (black and yellow, correspondingly), but the structure of the phallus glans looks to be identical, and we consider them to be groups of populations possibly deserving status of subspecies. An additional material from the intermediate zone needs further study.

A fly similar, but not identical to P. violacea has been recently collected and photographed in Townsville (West Australia) based on photographs alone, is highly probable because the plants used by this species as larval substrate, are present there, and this fly species could be easily introduced with plant matter from Africa in the past. Further collecting is necessary to confirm its presence in West Australia.

Figures

FIGURES 380 – 386. Physiphora violacea: 380, habitus, left and dorsal; 381, 382, head and thorax, left and dorsal; 383, head, anterior; 384, fore legs; 385, wing; 386, label. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 387 – 394. Physiphora violacea: 387, ♂ phallus; 388, glans; 389, same, enlarged; 390, epandrium, posterior; 391, hypandrium, ventral; 392, ♀, ovipositer; 393, aculeus tip, enlarged; 394, spermathecae.