Mythenteles wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor

Evenhuis, Neal L., 2003, World revision of the microbombyliid genus Mythenteles Hall & Evenhuis (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae), Zootaxa 346, pp. 1-28 : 25-27

Mythenteles wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor , sp. n.

( Figs. 12 , 23 , 29, 35)

“New genus”. Theodor, 1983: 29.

DIAGNOSIS. This species is easily distinguished from the congeners by the generally yellow mesonotum with black to brown mesonotal pattern and the yellow scutellum (other species of Mythenteles have a predominantly black mesonotum and scutellum).

DESCRIPTION. Male. Length: 1.50–2.00 mm. Head. Subshining black; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1.5 x distance between lateral ocelli; frons depressed medially, yellow to yellow­white with a brownish medial spot; face yellow, tip of oral margin brown; antennae ( Fig. 12 ) black; scape minute; pedicel cylindrical, slightly wider than long; first flagellomere ovoid, length about 1.5 x greatest width; second flagellomere about 1/4 to 1/3 length of first flagellomere, with apical sensillum; occiput and postgena subshining black; mentum brown with yellow medially surrounding oral margin; proboscis black, thick, length slightly less than head height; labrum sclerotized, stiff, pointed apically; palpus not evident.

Thorax. Mesonotum yellow with subshining black medial pattern, with scattered dark hairs; scutellum yellow; pleura predominantly yellow, blackish on lower portions of anepimeron, anepisternum, katepimeron, and katepisternum; coxae and legs dark brown; halter stem yellow, knob white.

Wing ( Fig. 23 ). Hyaline; veins pale brown to yellow; costa ends slightly about onethird way 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, not curved; vein M separating cells bm and br very faint, but present; vein M1 curved toward wing margin; M2 fairly straight to wing margin; cell dm open apically, crossvein dm­cu absent; CuA1 uniformly sclerotized to wing margin; A1 very faint, straight to wing margin, not curved or sinuous; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing of normal length.

Abdomen. Dorsum dark brown on tergites I–IV, yellow to white on apical tergites, with scattered dark hairs, tergite I yellow laterally, tergites II–IV with thin yellow posterior fascia, tergites V–VIII and sternites all yellow.

Genitalia (Fig. 29). Gonocoxae subtriangular in lateral view, with minute subapically placed gonostyli; epiphallus consisting of long apodemal arms, flared apically in lateral view and upper portion with paired long, thin darkly sclerotized bifid projections recurved 90° ventrally; aedeagus long, thin recurved 90° dorsally at apex, apical two­thirds with transverse ribs or striations (cf. Fig. 29b); aedeagal apodeme slipper­shaped in lateral view, with tiny lateral vanes in ventral view; epandrium subquadrate in lateral view, with darkly sclerotized pseudosurstylus bearing knob­like apex with a few scattered setae (Fig. 29d); cerci small, slightly exerted.

Female. Same as male except as follows: body generally orangish; mesonotal pattern paler brown, with pair of distinctive admedian vittae. Genitalia ( Fig. 35 ) with vaginal furca U­shaped, similar in shape to M. coptopheles , bearing distinctive spike­like sclerotization on lateral processes, medial processes not present; with only two functional spermathecae; medial spermatheca reduced, consisting only of basal duct and sperm pump; two functional spermathecal reservoirs, darkly sclerotized, of distinctive shape, boxing­glovelike, with the “thumb” of the glove the attachment for the apical spermathecal duct; apical spermathecal duct, long, thin, membranous, leading to sperm pump; sperm pump with apical valve recurved 180°, leading to muscular ribbed portion, length about equal to length of lateral processes of vaginal furca; basal duct thicker than apical, membranous, leading to membranous common duct.

Types. Holotype male and paratype female from ISRAEL: ‘En Mur, 19.iv.1975, A. Freidberg ( TAU). Paratypes: ISRAEL: 1 female, Mashabe Sade, 26.xi. 1984, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 2 females, Nahal Ramon, 30.x.1984, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 male, Shefech Zohar, 6.iv.1988, F. Kaplan ( TAU); 2 males, 1 female, Ein Boqeq, 22.ii.1985, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 4 females, Nahal Deragot, 25.ii.1987, F. Kaplan, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 female, Tanur, 6.iii.1985, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 female, Ein Akrabim [Aqrabbim], 1.iv.1983, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 female, Mitzpe Shalem East, 9.iv.1986, A. Shlagman ( TAU); 1 female, Mitzpe Shalem Palms South, 9.iv.1986, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 male, ‘En Gedi, 23.iii.1987, F. Kaplan ( TAU); 1 male, 2 females, Elot, 26.iii.1993, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 female, Sedom [Sodom], 13.iii.1994, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 3 males, 3 females, ‘En Yahav, 11.iv.1992, A. Freidberg ( TAU); 1 male, Rt. 90 nr. ‘En Admon, 11.iv.1994, A. Freidberg & F. Kaplan ( TAU); 1 male, ‘Enot Zukim, 10.iv.1994, A. Freidberg & F. Kaplan ( TAU); 1 male, Arava Valley, Iddan, side wadi below date orchard, ­ 640 ft. [­ 268 m], 10.iv.1996, 30°49'05"N, 35°16'55"E, Malaise trap, M.E. Irwin (INHS). PALESTINE ( WEST BANK): 1 male, 1 female, Nahal Qumran, 22.iii.1993, A. Freidberg ( TAU). Holotype deposited in TAU. Paratypes to be deposited in TAU, INHS, and BPBM.

Remarks. This species was originally described in an unpublished manuscript by the late Oskar Theodor (1898–1987) on the “ Bombyliidae ” of Israel. The male and female genitalia were illustrated in Theodor (1983). The name used here is Theodor’s; the description is a modification of Theodor’s original manuscript description with additions by me based on additional material collected since Theodor’s manuscript was written.

Hypercyanic specimens appear orangish in color, but the patterns of dark and yellow can still be seen.

Var ia t io n. There is some amount of variation evident in the specimens examined in the extent of yellow color in the prescutellar markings, varying from an all yellow rectangle to two admedian yellow bands (separated at base of scutellum and converging on mesonotum near level of postalar calli); concurrently, the scutellum can vary from all yellow to yellow with at most a small basomedial brownish area.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the type locality “Wadi Mur” [= En Mur] in southern Israel.

Distribution. Known only from Israel and Palestine. Given its relatively widespread distribution throughout eastern Israel and Palestine, it is presumed that future collecting may show it to also occur in neighboring parts of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan.

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).