Mythenteles deemingi Evenhuis

Evenhuis, Neal L., 2003, World revision of the microbombyliid genus Mythenteles Hall & Evenhuis (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae), Zootaxa 346, pp. 1-28 : 10-12

Mythenteles deemingi Evenhuis , sp. n.

( Figs. 8 , 17 , 25, 31)

DIAGNOSIS. Mythenteles deemingi is closest in appearance to M. silus , sp. n. by virtue of the short proboscis, but can be separated from it by the longer second antennal flagellomere (about 3/4 the length of the first flagellomere; less than 1/3 the length of the first flagellomere in M. silus ), the all black anepisternum (with yellow spot of color in M. silus ), and the thin labellum (the labellum thick in M. silus ).

DESCRIPTION. Male. Length: 0.96–1.12 mm. Head. Black; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1.5 x distance between lateral ocelli; frons depressed medially, yellow to brownish yellow, with brown spot medially; face dark brown; antennae black; scape minute; pedicel cylindrical, slightly wider than long; first flagellomere ( Fig. 8 ) ovoid, length about 1.5 x greatest width; style about 3/4 length of first flagellomere, with apical sensillum; occiput and postgena dark brown; proboscis black, thick, short, slightly protruding from oral margin; labrum sclerotized, stiff, pointed apically, with minute hairs apicolaterally; labellum thin; palpus not evident.

Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum subshining black, with scattered minute erect dark hairs; humeral callus, thin notopleural line to wing base, postalar callus, propleuron, posterior portion of anepimeron, posterodorsal corner of katepisternum, and upper half of meron yellow; coxae and legs dark brown, only tips of femora yellow; halter stem yellowbrown, knob yellow.

Wing ( Fig. 17 ). Hyaline; veins brown; costa ends slightly less than halfway between end of R4+5 and M1; vein Sc incomplete, ending at level about halfway between origin of Rs and end of vein R2+3; Rs evanescent at connection with R1; R4+5 straight to wing margin; vein M1 curved toward wing margin; M2 fairly straight to wing margin; cell dm closed, pointed apically; CuA1 sclerotized to wing margin; A1 fairly straight to wing margin, only slightly curved apically; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing normal in length.

Abdomen. Dorsum dark brown, with scattered dark hairs; yellow extreme posterolaterally on tergites II–IV, sometimes extending medially as posterior fasciae, especially so on tergites V–VII; sternites dark brown, with yellow on posterior portion of segments.

Genitalia (Fig. 25). In lateral view with gonocoxae small, subtriangular, concave in ventral view; gonostyli “7”­shaped, darkly sclerotized, with thorn like process on ventral surface; epiphallic complex with long, thin, gonocoxal apodemes, apodemes slightly longer than aedeagal apodeme; epiphallus cap­like, surrounding aedeagus, with paired pointed dorsal processes; aedeagus with basal bulb small, obconical in ventral view, tapering to long, thin neck; aedeagal apodeme small, subquadrate with shorter fingerlike ventral process, lateral vanes triangular in shape; lateral rami not evident; epandrium roughly 2 x size of gonocoxae, subquadrate, pseudosurstylus oriented posteriorly, slightly incurved, darkly sclerotized; cercus slightly sclerotized, subovoid, not exserted.

Female as in male except as follows: genitalia ( Fig. 31 ) with vaginal furca long, Ushaped, lateral processes thick, with hornlike hooks apically, medial processes small, thin almost connected medially, apical process thick, cleft medially at bursa copulatrix; with two well developed lateral spermathecae and one reduced (non­functional?) medial spermatheca; lateral spermathecal reservoirs spherical, darkly sclerotized, without apical canaliculi; apical spermathecal duct thin, membranous, short, 1/2 length of sperm pump; sperm pump consisting of two parts: apical part thick, membranous, flared apically, basal part with thin tube leading to muscular thin ribbed section, length of apical part subequal in length to lateral process of vaginal furca, length of ribbed basal part; basal duct short, subequal in length to ribbed portion of sperm pump, strongly tortuous to just before base and common duct; common duct very short, almost vestigial; medial spermatheca with smaller spherical spermathecal reservoir and single straight thin spermathecal tube leading to common duct.

Types. Holotype male and 7 male and female paratypes from CYPRUS: Kalavos Dam, 165 m, 30°48'01"N, 30°16'02"E, 24.iv.2002, J. Deeming. Other paratypes: 4 males, 2 females, topotypic, collected with the types, B. Merz (MHNG). Holotype deposited in NMWC. Paratypes deposited in BPBM, MHNG, NLE, and NMWC.

Remarks. There is very little, if any, variation evident in this species. The amount of yellow color above the postalar callus appears to vary from just a small spot to expanding slightly. The apices of the femora can vary from brown to brownish yellow or dusky yellow, but never bright yellow.

Etymology. The specific epithet honors John Deeming, soon to be formerly of the National Museum of Wales, for his excellent collections of microbombyliids from many parts of the world.

Distribution. Known only from Cyprus.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. Mythenteles antennae, diagrammatic to show shapes (all drawn to scale). 7. M. coptopheles Evenhuis, sp. n.; 8. M. deemingi Evenhuis, sp. n.; 9. M. hellenicae Evenhuis, sp. n.; 10. M. hispanicola Evenhuis & Blasco­Zumeta, sp. n.; 11. M. silus Evenhuis, sp. n.; 12. M. wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor, sp. n.

FIGURES 16 – 23. Mythenteles wings. 16. M. coptopheles Evenhuis, sp. n.; 17. M. deemingi Evenhuis, sp. n.; 18. M. freidbergi Evenhuis, sp. n.;, anal lobe folded over 19. M. hellenicae Evenhuis, sp. n.; 20. M. hispanicola Evenhuis & Blasco­Zumeta, sp. n.; 21. M. infrequens Evenhuis & Blasco­ Zumeta, sp. n., anal lobe folded over; 22. M. silus Evenhuis, sp. n.; 23. M. wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor, sp. n.

FIGURES 30 – 35. Mythenteles female genitalia. 30. M. coptopheles Evenhuis, sp. n. 31. M. deemingi Evenhuis, sp. n. 32. M. hellenicae Evenhuis, sp. n. 33. M. propleuralis (Melander); 34. M. silus Evenhuis, sp. n.; 35. M. wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor, sp. n., redrawn from Theodor (1983).