Scatella (Scatella) septemfenestrata Lamb, 1912

Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz & Irwin, Anthony G., 2018, Taxonomic notes on the genera Scatella and Scatophila (Diptera: Ephydridae) with a remark on Trixoscelis chilensis (Trixoscelididae), Zootaxa 4377 (1), pp. 91-109 : 98-100

Scatella (Scatella) septemfenestrata Lamb

( Fig. 10–11 )

Scatella septemfenestrata Lamb, 1912: 328 .

Scatella septempunctata Malloch, 1933a: 8 , new synonym. Scatella gratiellae Canzoneri & Raffone, 1987: 58 , new synonym.

Type material examined or photographed: The female lectotype of the senior synonym ( Fig. 10 ), designated by Mathis and Zatwarnicki (2003), is labelled: "Type H.T. [round label with a red border]/Seychelles Is. Prof. J. S. Gardiner. 1914-537/TYPE [blue label glued to the larger determination label] Scatella septemfenestrata . Lamb det CGL [except for the "TYPE" label, handwritten]." The lectotype is glued to a rectangular card by its left side (card also has the number "108" handwritten on top; on the underside of the card, a label with "Mahe, '08-9. Seychelles Exp." is glued), is in fair condition (left side obscured by card and glue), and is in the NHMUK. In addition, there is a second female, its head is missing, with the same locality label. The holotype of S. septempunctata Malloch is labelled: “Vaituha Eiao”, “ X-3-29 200 ft ”, “Marquesas Islands”, “A. M. Adamson collector”, “Pacific Entomological Survey”, “ Scatella septempunctata Type det JRMALLOCH 1180” (with black submarginal line; det JRMALLOCH printed), and 22 paratypes: ten specimens labelled: “Vaituha Eiao”, “ X-3-29 200 ft ”, “Marquesas Islands”, “A. M. Adamson collector”, “Pacific Entomo- logical Survey”, “Paratype” (yellow) ( Fig. 11 ); five specimens labelled: “Hanamenino Valley Sea level, VII.17.1930”, “Tahuata Marquesas Is.”, “LeBronnec & H. Tauraa, Coll.”, “Pacific Entomo- logical Survey”; six specimens labelled: “Oomoa [= Omoa] Valley Near sea-level VIII.21.1930”, “Fatuhiva Marquesas Is.”, “LeBronnec Collector”, “Pacific Entomo- logical Survey”, and one specimen labelled: “Tahauku VII - 10-1929 ”, “Marquesas Is. Hivaoa”, “Mumford & Adamson”, “Pacific Entomological Survey” preserved in BPBM. The holotype of S. gratiellae is labelled: "KENYA L. NAIVASHA 14. VII. 79 W. ROSSI" (handwritten), "HOLOTYPUS ♀ scatella gratiellae nov. det. Canzoneri S. & G. Raffone" (red, name and ♀ handwritten), and one paratype bearing the same locality label, preserved in MSNVE.

Material examined: AUSTRALIA: Norfolk Island, shade house in plant nursery, 2. XII. 2014, R . A. Broadley, 1 ♂ (AGI) ; Queensland, Hermit Park, malaise trap, 1. VII. 2015, G. Cocks, 1 ♂ (AGI). KENYA : Tsavo National Park (West), 4 –7. IV. 1968, B. Cogan & A. Hutson, 1 ♂ ( NHMUK). MALAYSIA : Malay Peninsula, Pahang, F.M.S. Gunong Jahan Padang 5550', H. M. Pendlebury, 11. XII. 1922, 1 ♀ ; 5. I. 1923, 1 ♂ ( NHMUK). MAURITIUS : La Re'duit, 26. V. 2000, J. W. Ismay, 3 ♂ and 50 in plastic container; Plaine Lievre , 28. V. 2000, J. W. Ismay, 2 ♀ (NMWC); Rodrigues I. , VIII–XI.1918, H. J. Snell & H. P. Thomasset, 1 ♂ ( NHMUK). NAMIBIA : Ameib Farm (W. 30), on vegetation around pools, 31. I.–2. II. 1972, South Western Africa Expedition, 1 ♂ ( NHMUK) ; Namib Desert Park, Kuiseb River at Gobabeb, 400 m, Riverine forest and sand, 12. II. 1974, ME & BJ Irwin, 2 ♂, 6 ♀ ( NMSA) ; L. Lyneborg, 1 ♂ ( NHMUK). NIGERIA : Lake Chad . Mallam Fatori , 13. IV. 1967, J. C. Deeming, 1 ♀ ( NHMUK). REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Kwa Zulu Natal: Kosi Bay Nature Res. (82 m), Malaise trap, woodland, savanna, 26°57.17'S, 32°49.27'E , 13.–17. XII. 2010, A . H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♀; Ndumo Game Reserve, Malaise trap, grassy foodplain, 26°54.288"S, 32°17.974"E, 9.–10. XII. 2009, A . H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♀; Ndumo Game Reserve, Skokwe area, Ficus forest , 26°52.125'S, 32°13.731'E, 37 m, 30. XI.–4. XII. 2009, A . H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Umlazai Nat. R., 10 m, sweeping, dune forest, 28°57'40"S, 31°46'04"E, 17. XII. 2010, A . H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♀; Orange Free State : Harrismith Dist. , Scotland Farm, Malaise trap, dense Leucosedeadominated scrub, 27°58'59.5"S, 29°37'09.8"E, 10–12. III. 2 0 12, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, 1 ♀ ( BMSA) . SAINT HELENA. Sud: Sandy Bay, sur pierres pres d'un ruisseau, 1. III. 1967, J. Decelle, N. & J. Lelup, 96 ex; Est: Basse Fisher's Valley , irrigations, 1000 ft , 14–19. XII. 1965, P. Basilewsky, P.L.G. Benoit, N. Lelup, 176 ex; Est: Basse Fisher's Valley , Bradley Ruins, 1000 ft , 25. XI. 1965, P. Basilewsky, P.L.G. Benoit, N. Lelup, 12 ex; Basse Fisher's Valley , 26. I. 1967, J. Decelle, N. & J. Lelup, 3 ex; ( RMCA); Basse Fisher's Valley , 6. V. 1967, J. Decelle, N. & J. Lelup, 24 ex ( RMCA, NHMUK). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES : Al-Ain, Mubazzarah, hot spring, 16. III. 2010, T. Zatwarnicki, 1 ♀; Kalba , beach, 3 . III. 2 0 10, T. Zatwarnicki, 1 ♂ (TZPC); NARC, near Sweihan, light trap, 14–28. III. 2005, A . van Harten, 1 ♂ ( NMWC); Wadi Asimah , 435 m , 8. III. 2010, T. Zatwarnicki, 7 ♂, 11 ♀ ( TZPC); Wadi Maidaq , 390 m , 3. II. 2010, T. Zatwarnicki, 2 ♂, 1 ♀ ( TZPC); Wadi Shawkah , reservoir 300 m , 27. II. 2010, T. Zatwarnicki, 3 ♂, 15 ♀ (TZPC).

Type localities: Lamb (1912) reported S. septemfenestrata from Mahé ( Seychelles): from a marsh just behind the beach at Port Glaud (coordinates: 4°39′S 55°24′E). Type locality of S. septempunctata is Vaituha, which is a valley on island Eiao (coordinates: 8°S 140.7°W; Marquesas, French Polynesia). Type locality of S. gratiellae is Lake Naivasha in Kenya (coordinates: 0°46′6.70″S 36°21′2.32″E).

Diagnosis. This species is closely related to S. ciliata Collin but is distinguished from other species by the wing having six to seven hyaline spots within a dark coloured background (sometimes the apical spot in cell R3 is indistinct), and legs greyish to mostly brownish black; tarsi mostly black.

Distribution. Afrotropical: Ascension Island, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rodriguez, Saint Helena, Seychelles, Sudan, Republic of South Africa (Free State; Kwa Zulu Natal). Australasian/Oceanian: Australia (Queensland), French Polynesia (Marquesas), Norfolk Island. Oriental: Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Malaysia. Palaearctic: United Arab Emirates.

Remarks. Canzoneri & Raffone (1987) compared their new species with the Palaearctic S. stagnalis (Fallén) and S. subguttata (Meigen) , but not with S. septemfenestrata , which was recorded in the same paper. Marginal spots of specimens selected as the new species are less distinct (“slightly lightened” in original description), than typical specimens of S. septemfenestrata .

In his description of Scatella septempunctata, Malloch compared his species with S. stagnalis but did not consider S. septemfenestrata , which had been described from the Seychelles (over 16,000 km away). Thanks to the kindness of Neal Evenhuis, we were able to compare high quality stacked images of one of the paratypes of Scatella septempunctata Malloch (collected from Vaituha, Eiao, French Polynesia by Adamson on 3.X.1929). This demonstrated that S. septempunctata shows no discernable differences from, and falls within the range of variation of S. septemfenestrata from Australia, the Indian Ocean, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean.

Figures

FIGURES 10–11. Type specimens, lateral view. 10. Lectotype male of Scatella septemfenestrata Lamb, 1912. 11. Paratype male of Scatella septempunctata Malloch, 1933 (Eiao, Vaituha, Marquesas, 3.X.1929, Adamson; BPBM, photographed by Neal Evenhuis).