Stylogaster smithi, Stuke, 2012

Stuke, Jens-Hermann, 2012, A revision of Afrotropical species of Stylogaster Macquart (Diptera: Conopidae), with descriptions of twenty-one new species and an identification key, African Invertebrates 53 (1), pp. 267-267 : 340-343

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5733/afin.053.0118
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7917595
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B906C41A-8179-FF9B-CD7E-FCFEE61AFA17
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Stylogaster smithi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Stylogaster smithi View in CoL sp. n.

Figs 260–272 View Figs 260–266 View Figs 267–272

Etymology: The species is named in honour of Kenneth G.V. Smith, who published some of the most important papers concerning Afrotropical Conopidae , especially a significant work concerning Afrotropical Stylogaster .

Diagnosis: Stylogaster smithi sp. n. belongs to a species-group with dark markings on the abdomen and long setulae on the mid femur, but without long setulae on the hind femur. Of the species belonging to this group, only S. smithi sp. n. and S. schachti sp. n. exhibit the blackish brown mesoscutum ( Fig. 260 View Figs 260–266 ). S. schachti sp. n. has an elongated basal flagellomere ( Fig. 238 View Figs 236–241 ), which distinguishes it from S. smithi sp. n. The male terminalia of the last-mentioned species distinguishes it from all other species of this group.

Description (based on holotype):

Male.

Overall length: ca 5.5 mm.

Head: 1.2 mm high. Eye brown, with a few scattered inconspicuous ommatrichia. Facets on inner side slightly enlarged. Ocelli yellow-brown. Ocellar tubercle dark brown, with 1 pair of ocellar setae. Ocellar triangle occupies virtually entire frons, reaching as far as antennae ( Fig. 265 View Figs 260–266 ). Ocellar triangle dark brown. Frons blackish brown lateral to ocellar triangle, with 1 proclinate fronto-orbital seta. Scapus and pedicellus yellow-brown, basal flagellomere pale brown. Arista brown, only 2 segments evident. Arista situated dorsally on basal flagellomere ( Fig. 264 View Figs 260–266 ). Scapus with a few black setulae dorsally. Pedicellus with black setulae. Shape of antenna as illustrated in Fig. 264 View Figs 260–266 . One distinct black vertical seta (1 damaged). Face pale yellow with silver pruinosity. Occiput black, distinctly silver pruinose; with a row of regularly-arranged small white setulae dorsally, and several longer white setulae ventrally. Some long white setulae on mouth opening. Proboscis yellow-brown basally, becoming dark brown distally, except for the yellow-brown distal division of labellum. Labrum ca 2.3 mm, labellum approximately same length.

Thorax:Yellow-brown; mesoscutum (with exception of postpronotum and postalar calli), scutellum and mediotergite blackish brown. Setae black, with exception of golden seta on propleuron. Two notopleural setae, 1 supra-alar seta, 2 postalar setae, 1 praescutellar dorsocentral seta, 1 apical scutellar seta, 1 seta on anepimeron and 1 seta above fore coxa on propleuron. A few black setulae on anepimeron. Black semi-adpressed setulae on mesoscutum.

Wing: Length 4.2 mm. Generally clothed in microtrichia, but base of br, bm, very narrowly at base of dm and cup almost without microtrichia. Hind margin of wing with pale brown setulae. Venation as in Fig. 266 View Figs 260–266 . Haltere uniformly pale yellow, knob brown, with areas of sensillae at base.

Legs: Whitish yellow, hind femur brown dorsally at apex and dorsally at base, leaving a lighter area in-between. Legs mainly with black or brown setulae, only fore and mid tibiae with pale yellow setulae. Setae on fore coxa white, setae on mid and hind coxae black. Fore coxa with 2 long yellow setae and some shorter setulae. Mid coxa with 1 black seta and some shorter setulae. Hind coxa on inner surface with group of black distal setae, and 1 black seta on outer surface. Hind trochanter without teeth or conspicuous setulae. Mid femur with a row of regularly-arranged black setulae posteriorly on basal half and strong black setulae ventrally, slightly longer than diameter of mid tibia. Hind tibia with 3 or 4 short black spines on anterior surface. Claws brown basally, distally black. Pulvilli yellow-white. Empodia short, yellow-white.

Abdomen: Yellow-brown, with tergite 1 broadly brown medially, tergite 2 with brown posterior margin and broad median fascia, tergite 3 with brown posterior margin and smaller median fascia, tergite 4 with brown posterior margin and no median fascia, tergites 5–6 with broad brown medial fascia, and epandrium only with indistinct pale brown markings ( Fig. 263 View Figs 260–266 ). Tergites with semiadpressed black setulae and longer setulae laterally on tergite 5. Tergite 1 with long white setulae laterally, tergite 2 with 5 lateral white setae on either side of anterior margin. Terminalia as illustrated in Figs 267–272 View Figs 267–272 . Cercus broad distally ( Fig. 269 View Figs 267–272 ). Dorsal margin straight. Cercus with long tooth, black distally and several strong black setae on dorsal inner surface ( Fig. 270 View Figs 267–272 ). Inner surface with long dense setulae distally. Surstylus without black teeth. Some setulae on inner surface. Phallus sheath as illustrated in Fig. 271 View Figs 267–272 . Some setulae conspicuous distally.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype: ♂ MADAGASCAR: (1) “ Madagascar: Province / Fianarantsoa, Parc National / Ranomafana , radio tower / at forest edge, elev 1130m / 26 May 12 June 2005 / 21°15.05'S 47°24.43'E “; (2) “coll: M. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala / California Acad of Sciences / malaise, mixed tropical / forest MA0209B116”; (3) “CASLOT 033465”; (4) “ Holotypus / Stylogaster / smithi ♂ / des. Stuke, 2011” ( CAS). Some setae damaged, left wing torn, right wing damaged and deposited in glycerine.Abdomen dissected, macerated and deposited in glycerine in microvial pinned beneath specimen, holotype otherwise in good condition. GoogleMaps

Distribution: Endemic to Madagascar.

Bionomics: Sampled in primary rainforest at moderately high elevation (1130 m).