Billaea chinensis Zhang et Shima

Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Wang, Qiang & Tschorsnig, Hans-Peter, 2015, A review of Billaea Robineau-Desvoidy of the eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 3949 (1), pp. 1-40 : 8-9

Billaea chinensis Zhang et Shima sp. nov.

Figs. 12–15 , 67 , 76 , 90

Diagnosis. Strong ocellar setae, short vibrissa inserted above level of lower margin of face, arista plumose; fore tibia with 1 posterior seta, fore claws and pulvilli short in male, abdomen laterally reddish yellow to brown, with a pair of large triangular black markings on tergites 3 and 4.

Description. Body length 5.3–12.3 mm.

Male. Head ( Figs. 67 , 76 ). With dense whitish pruinosity, frontal vitta dark brown, fronto-orbital plate with yellowish gray pruinosity, lunule reddish brown; antenna reddish brown except apical 1/2–3/4 of flagellomere 1 slightly darkened; palpus yellow. Vertex 0.18–0.22 of head width; frontal vitta strongly widened anteriorly, 1– 1.5 times as wide as fronto-orbital plate; fronto-orbital plate with 1–4 rows of fine short black hairs, a few hairs just below lowest frontal seta; parafacial bare, nearly parallel-sided, 2.2–2.5 times as wide as flagellomere 1; face rather well concave, facial carina very weak and short, only visible at basal 1/2 of antenna; lower margin of face rather weakly protruding forward; genal height 0.33–0.4 of eye height; occiput flattened. Inner vertical seta about as long as 1/2 of eye height; ocellar setae usually stronger than upper frontal setae; 11–13 pairs of inclinate frontal setae, lowest frontal seta nearly level with base of antenna; vibrissa inserted above level of lower margin of face, usually weak, shorter than antennal length. Flagellomere 1 about 3 times as long as pedicel; arista plumose, total width including plumosity slightly more than twice as wide as flagellomere 1. Palpus slightly longer than pedicel and flagellomere 1 combined, about as long as prementum or genal height. Prementum 2.5–3 times as long as wide.

Thorax. Black with dense grayish white to yellowish gray pruinosity; dorsum with 2 broad outer and 2 narrow inner dark brown longitudinal vittae, and 1 brown median vitta which is 1–1.5 times as wide as inner vitta or absent; inner vitta about as wide as pruinose portion between inner and outer vittae on presutural scutum, extending to anterior 2/5 of postsutural scutum; scutellum black in ground color, with gray pruinosity on apical 2/3. Prosternum 1–2 times as long as wide; postpronotal lobe with 4 setae, 3 basal setae standing in a straight line; 1–3 presutural and 2–3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 3 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae, 2 postsutural intra-alar setae; 3–4 supra-alar setae; 2 katepisternal setae; 1–2 pairs of short discal scutellar setae. Wing. Hyaline, tinged with brown; tegula and basicosta dark brown; halter yellow. Relative lengths of 2nd, 3rd and 4th costal sectors approximately as 1.2:2:1; bend of vein M about right-angled, with short appendage, distinctly closer to wing margin than to dm-cu crossvein (2–2.5:1), with a short appendage which is shorter than 1/2 length of r-m crossvein or without it; cell r4+5 open. Lower calypter pale yellowish white to whitish. Legs. Black, pulvilli pale yellowish. Fore tarsi subequal in length to head height; claws and pulvilli slightly shorter than 5th tarsomere, fore tibia with a row of short anterodorsal setae on basal 2/3 and usually 1 (seldom 2) posterior seta; mid tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal, 2–4 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with 3–5 posterodorsal and usually 1–3 ventral setae and a row of rather closely set anterodorsal setae.

Abdomen (Fig. 90). Long ovate. Reddish yellow to brown in ground color, densely covered with pale yellowish white pruinosity on anterior 2/3 and middle longitudinal portion of tergites 3 to 5, with a pair of large triangular dark brown markings on posterior 4/5 of tergite 3, 2/3 of 4 and 1/2 of 5. Abdominal syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 each with a pair of lateral marginal setae, without median marginal setae, tergites 4 and 5 each with a row of strong marginal setae, dense fine and recumbent hairs on tergite 5, sparser on venter. Male terminalia ( Figs. 12–15 ). Cerci and surstyli long and narrowed, and pointed apically in caudal view, and apex of surstylus bluntly bent posteriorly in lateral view; postgonite about as long as basiphallus; distiphallus long, membranous apical part about as long as sclerotized basal part.

Female. Vertex 0.28–0.30 of head width and strongly widened anteriorly; genal height about 1/2 of eye height; 9–10 frontal setae, the upper two smaller; 2 proclinate orbital setae; 1 upwardly directed prevertical setae; outer vertical seta about 3/4 as long as inner vertical seta, ocellar seta proclinate, about as long as inner vertical seta; katepisternal setae usually 2, sometimes 3; abdomen ovate. Other characters are same as in male.

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Taibai Mountain, Qinling, Shaanxi, 9–16.vi.1989, M.-F. Wang ( SYNU). Paratypes. CHINA. Guangxi: 2♂♂, Dayaoshan Mountain (110°19′E, 24°01′N), 1200 m, Jinxiu, 17.v.2011, C. Fu ( SYNU). Shaanxi: 1♂, Hongling Forest Station, Fengxian, Qinling Mountain, 1600–1800 m, 23.vii.1973, X.-Z. Zhang ( IZCAS); 1♂, Yingpan Forest Center, 1750 m, Zuoshui, 21.vi.1997, H. Shima; 1♂, Liangfengya, 2000– 2100 m, 12 km WNW Longcaoping, Fuping, 24.vi.1997, H. Shima; 17♂♂, Wankoushang, 1400–1500 m, Fuping, 25.vi.1997, H. Shima; 39♂♂, Dadianzi, 1659–1680 m, 5 km N. of Donghetai, Fuping, 26.vi.1997, H. Shima; 8♂♂, Bridge 3 km NW of Donghetai, 1500 m, Fuping, 1–2.vii.1997, H. Shima, A. Naganishi; 2♂♂, 1♀, Shuimoping, 1500–1700 m, SSW of Banfangzi, 6–7.vii.1997, H. Shima; 1♂, Yingpan Linchang, 1750 m, 21.vi.1997, H. Shima ( BLKU, KUM); 1♂, Yaogou, Fuping, 25.vii.1998, J. Chen ( IZCAS); 18♂♂, Taibai Mountain, 9–16.vi.1989, M.-F. Wang; 11♂♂, Hanzhong, Liping, 1500 m, 16.vii.2012, P. Hou; 3♂♂, Liuba, Zakoushi-Zhangliang Temple, 18– 24.vii.2012, C.-T. Zhang and P. Hou; 3♂♂, Mt. Tianzhu, 1800 m, Shanyang, 21.vii.2013, Q. Wang; 13♂♂, Liping, 1500 m, Hanzhong, P. Hou ( SYNU). Xizang: 3♂♂, Mangkang, Haitong, 3200–3250 m, 9.viii.1970, 11.vii.1982, 10.viii.1982, S.-Y. Wang, X.-Z. Zhang. Yunnan: 2♂♂, Weixi, 2920 m, 11–21.vii.1981, X.-Z. Zhang; 2♂♂, Gezan, 3150 m, Zhongdian, 13.viii.1981, X.-Z. Zhang ( IZCAS); 1♂, Ailaoshan, Ecological Station, 2200–2500 m, 19– 23.viii.1990, H. Shima; 1♂, 3♀♀, Mengla, 147 km, 700–1000 m, Xishuangbanna, 4–5.viii.1990, S. Lin & H. Shima; 1♀, Botanical garden, 800 m, Menglun, Xishuangbanna, 10–11.ix.1993, Y.-X. Gan; 1♂, Mt. Huangliang, 1800–1900 m, Honghe, 9.iii.1995, B. Yang; 1♂, Weixi, Tuozhi, 2450 m, Denqen, 10.vi.1994, W.-X. Zhang; 1♀, Tuguan Vil., 2500–3000 m, Deqin, Zhongdian, 3–5.vi.1994, W.-X. Zhang; 1♂, Dabaoping, 1900–2400 m, Baoshan, 7–9.ix.1996, H. Shima (KUM). VIETNAM: 4♂♂, Vinh Phu Prov., Mt. Tam Dao (10538′E, 2129′N), 930–1230 m, 15–17.v.1999, H. Kurahashi ( BLKU). 1♀, Cao Bang Prov., Mt. Pia Oac, 1320 m, 23–27.v.1999, H. Kurahashi ( BLKU).

Etymology. The specific name is taken from the country of the type locality, China.

Distribution. China (Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Vietnam.

Remarks. This species is widely distributed in China and closely similar to B. atkinsoni with antenna reddish brown except apical 1/2–3/4 of flagellomere 1 darkened, arista plumose, and a pair of large triangular dark brown markings on tergites 3 and 4, but it may be distinguished from the latter in having stronger ocellar setae, weaker vibrissae, and reddish yellow to brown abdomen.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 15. 1 – 4. Billaea atkinsoni (Baranov). 5 – 8. B. brevicauda sp. nov. 9 – 11. B. carinata sp. nov. 12 – 15. B. chinensis sp. nov. 1 – 2, 5 – 6, 9 – 10, 12 – 13. Cerci, surstyli and epandrium of male in lateral and caudal views. 3, 7, 11, 14. Ejaculatory apodeme (except 3), aedeagal apodeme, hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite, basiphallus, distiphallus in lateral view. 4, 8, 15. Sternite 5. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 64 – 72. Billaea spp., heads of male in lateral view. 64. B. atkinsoni (Baranov). 65. B. brevicauda sp. nov. 66. B. carinata sp. nov. 67. B. chinensis sp. nov. 68. B. ficorum (Townsend). 69. B. flava sp. nov. 70. B. fortis (Rondani). 71. B. kolomyetzi Mesnil. 72. B. kurahashii sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 73 – 81. Billaea spp., heads of male in anterior view. 73. B. atkinsoni (Baranov). 74. B. brevicauda sp. nov. 75. B. carinata sp. nov. 76. B. chinensis sp. nov. 77. B. ficorum (Townsend). 78. B. flava sp. nov. 79. B. fortis (Rondani). 80. B. kolomyetzi Mesnil. 81. B. kurahashii sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.