Parastratiosphecomyia freidbergi Woodley

Woodley, Norman E., 2012, Revision of the southeast Asian soldier-fly genus Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti, 1923 (Diptera, Stratiomyidae, Pachygastrinae), ZooKeys 238, pp. 1-21 : 8-10

Parastratiosphecomyia freidbergi Woodley sp. n. Figs 1, 3, 7, 10, 16-20

Diagnosis.

Parastratiosphecomyia freidbergi can easily be distinguished from Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides because its antennal scape is not produced ventrally (Fig. 10) and its scutellum (Figs 1, 3) is more extensively black. It differs from Parastratiosphecomyia rozkosnyi and Parastratiosphecomyia szechuanensis by having the hind coxa uniformly pale, without any darkened areas, and by the structure of the male terminalia.

Description.

Differs from Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides as follows: Male.Head: Lower frons with dark spots larger and more distinct; face with a pair of nearly quadrate blackish spots below antennal bases, medial part not convex and only vaguely impressed medially, concave on lowest part between conical processes, medial portion shiny and only vaguely striate, conical process on lower, outer margin of antennal socket minute; pilosity on dark portion of lower face dark; antennal scape more evenly pilose, cylindrical, not produced ventrally, and with less evident concave area at inner base; second segment of palpus with basal half to entirely pale yellow.

Thorax: Scutum with pale spots at transverse suture more ovoid; scutellum with basal two-thirds to three-fourths blackish, with broad yellow margin; ventral part of katepisternum with mostly dark hair-like setae on dark cuticular region; front femur pale yellow at base, becoming brownish yellow on slightly less than apical half; middle femur pale yellow with distinct dark brown coloration on slightly less than apical half that is sharply delimited; hind femur entirely dark brown with extreme apex becoming yellowish; hind tibia almost completely dark brown, apicoventral third vaguely paler; wing with apical infuscation somewhat darker, the infuscation extending nearly to the wing apex, darkest area includes apical half of cell r2+3 and all of r4.

Abdomen: Medial portion of tergite 2 and basal portion of tergite 3 yellowish but the cuticular coloration largely obscured by dark pilosity; narrow lateral margins of tergites 2-5 distinctly yellow.

Terminalia: Gonocoxites (Fig. 16) with lateral margins nearly parallel, with a pair of ovoid dorsal processes that project posteriorly just anterior to gonocoxal apodemes and that have weakly serrate medial margins; posterior margin of synsternite with a pair of sharp, conical processes just ventral to gonostyli and a narrowly rounded medial process; gonocoxal apodemes just reaching anterior margin of genital capsule; gonostylus (Figs 16, 17) arcuate, with a large, subapical dorsal tooth and a small, narrowly rounded process just posterior to tooth; phallic complex (Figs 18, 19) larger than i n Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides , more elongate, with medial lobe slightly longer than lateral lobes; epandrium (Fig. 20) large, evenly convex, posterior margin with rounded medial projection; epiproct and hypoproct deflexed ventrally.

Length: 11.3-12.0 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

Known only from Meghalaya state in northeastern India.

Type material.

Holotype male (Fig. 3; USNM), INDIA: Meghalaya, Nongph [= Nongpoh] Forest, 25-28.iv.1980, Amnon Freidberg. The holotype is in excellent condition. Paratype: 1 male (USNM), same data as holotype.

Etymology.

The species epithet, friedbergi, is a patronym in honor of Amnon Freidberg of Tel Aviv, Israel, whose excellent collecting over many years has produced numerous interesting Stratiomyidae .

Remarks.

This is the only species of Parastratiosphecomyia known from India and this represents the western-most record of the genus.