Cyrtosia pusilla Loew

Gharali, Babak & Evenhuis, Neal, 2017, Review of the genus Cyrtosia Perris (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae: Platypyginae) in Iran, with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4269 (2), pp. 230-244 : 239-240

Cyrtosia pusilla Loew

( Fig. 6 )

Cyrtosia pusilla Loew, 1873: 206 .

Material examined. 1 male, Turkmenistan, Ashkabad , Coll. Lichtwardt ( ZMHB).

Diagnosis. This species is recognized from the congeners in Iran by the almost all black frons and all black scutellum. Other known species in Iran have either an almost all yellow frons or the scutellum with a yellow posterior margin. Here we provide a brief description to aid in identification.

Description. Head ( Fig. 6 a) matte, longer than high; frons black except base of antennae yellow; face and occiput completely black; proboscis about equal to head height, black, matte. Thorax. Mesonotum ( Fig. 6 b) completely black on disk, dusted; lateral margin from postpronotal lobe to postalar callus very narrowly yellow, interrupted at wing base by broad black stripe; pleura almost all black except yellow on the following: anterior margin and spot at posterior margin, upper margin of katepisternum, upper margin of anepimeron and katepimeron; scutellum black, dusted; halter stem and knob yellow.Legs. Coxae brown; femora brown except apical part narrowly yellow; tibiae yellowish brown; metatarsi yellowish, remainder brown. Wing. Hyaline ( Fig. 6 c), Sc incomplete, ending at level about equal to origin of vein R2+3; vein R2+3 ending in wing margin equidistant from end of vein R1 and R4+5; cell dm open, without crossvein closing it apically; vein M1+2 one-half length of fork point to margin of wing; length of cell br 1.5 times that of cell bm, anal cell open widely at wing margin, width 1.5 times rm crossvein; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing minute. Abdomen. Almost all black, except posterior margin of tergites narrowly yellow. Genitalia. Not dissected.

Remarks. This species is originally described based on a single male specimen from the region Kisilkum ( Uzbekistan), a Turkish word meaning golden sandy land. Becker & Stein (1912) recorded C. pusilla Loew from Iran when recording specimens collected by Zarudny in 1898 in two provinces of southeast of Iran , Sistan- Baluchistan and Kerman .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Cyrtosia pusilla Loew, 1873, male: a. habitus in lateral view; b. mesonotum dorsal view; c. wing.