Schildia adina, Dikow & Bayless, 2009

Dikow, Torsten & Bayless, Keith M., 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Schildia Aldrich, 1923 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) with the description of new extant and extinct species, Insect Systematics & Evolution 40, pp. 253-289 : 262-265

Schildia adina sp.n. ( Figs 1 , 11, 13–15)

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the long posteriorly oriented postsutural dorsocentral setae, the very short, dense trichoid spicules, which are not symmetrical dorsally and ventrally, the presence of long apical scutellar setae, and the distribution restricted to Madagascar.

Etymology. Latinized Malagasy adjective adino = forgotten. Refers to the fact that this species was initially discovered as subfossilized specimens preserved in Malagasy copal (see Discussion).

Description. Head: Face silver pruinose, wide, wider than an adjacent ommatidium; mystax light yellow, 4 setae, 2 short median and 2 long lateral setae; vertex wide, wider than face at clypeal–facial margin, silver pruinose; occipital triangle apruinose, distance between triangle and median eye margin more than adjacent ommatidium; occiput brown pruinose, median dorso-ventral stripe silver pruinose; postocular setae brown; proboscis light brown; Antennae: scape and pedicel light yellow, light brown setae dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel proximally light yellow, brown distally, silver pruinose, about 1.5 times as long as combined length of scape and pedicel; stylus brown, about 1/4–1/3 as long as postpedicel, composed of 2 elements, short cylindrical element which bears the apical ‘seta-like’ sensory element.

Th orax: Yellow and brown, silver pruinose; antepronotum, postpronotum and median postpronotal lobes silver pruinose; lateral postpronotal lobes apruinose, light yellow; scutum brown, 2 yellow longitudinal stripes lateral to midline, neither reaching anterior nor posterior margin, predominantly apruinose, lateral and posterior margins silver pruinose; presutural dc setae: 6 short, postsutural dc setae: 1 long, 2 shorter posteriorly oriented, 5–6 short anteriorly oriented, 3–4 short acr setae, 1 npl and 1 spa seta; anepisternum dorsally yellow, ventrally brown, silver pruinose, few yellow anepisternal 8setae on anterior and dorsal margins; anepimeron brown, silver pruinose, proepimeron silver pruinose, katepisternum dorsally yellow, ventrally brown, mostly silver pruinose but with central apruinose spot, meron+metanepisternum anteriorly brown, posteriorly yellow, medially apruinose, metkatepisternum brown, silver pruinose; scutellum brown, brown pruinose, 5–7 apical scutellar setae; Legs: light yellow to brown; pro and met coxae light yellow, mes coxa brown; trochanters light yellow, met trochanter light brown ventrally; pro and mes femora light yellow proximally and distally, brown otherwise with 1 median transverse yellow band, met femur proximally light yellow, distal half clubbed and brown, proximal and distal part of club yellow, scattered brown setae on pro and mes femora, met femur with distinct rows of brown macrosetae; pro and mes tibiae light brown with median light yellow transverse band, met tibia brown with median yellow transverse band, 2 times wider than width of tibia, all tibiae with brown erect macrosetae in rows, pro and mes tibiae with 2 long apical macrosetae, met tibia with 2 median sub-apical macrosetae; tarsus light yellow to light brown, proximal tarsomere always longer than two following tarsomeres combined, short and long macrosetae on all tarsomeres; all empodia minute; median claw more than half as long as lateral claw; Wings: length = 3.8–4.8 mm; microtrichia densely arranged in distal cells, trichoid spicules very short, dense, not symmetrical dorsally and ventrally, 40–50 on M 1 between r-m and diversion of M 1 and M 2; cell d large, terminating in M1, M2 and M3, r-m situated at separation of M3 and CuA1; R1 reaching C well proximal to R5 and M1 joining C, R2+3 more or less straight throughout, but posterior-most point at separation of R 4 and R 5; halter light yellow, knob dark brown, length = 0.72–0.88 mm.

Abdomen: Brown, T3-6 yellow posteriorly; T2 length = 1.7–1.8 mm, T2–8 with irregularly spaced macrosetae, T7–8 without lateral sensory areas; Male terminalia ( Figs 13–15 ): epandrial halves separated medially and only joining proximally, distal tip straight, pointed; gonocoxite and hypandrium fused to form a gonocoxitehypandrial complex, which is partly fused to epandrium proximally, but distinct suture discernible; Aedeagus: protruding slightly from hypopygium, prong tubular; Female genitalia: spermathecae occupying segments 7–8, individual spermathecal ducts more or less straight; spermathecal reservoirs clearly sclerotized and wider than ducts, loosely intertwined and not forming a coil.

Type material. The ♂ holotype is labeled “ MADAGASCAR: Province Fianarantsoa, near Isalo National Park, in dry wash east of Interpretive Center 28 March – 9 April 2003 22°37.60’S, 45°21.49’E collector: R. Harin’Hala California Acad of Sciences malaise trap in open area elev 885 m, MA-02-11B-60 / HOLOTYPE Schildia adina sp.n. det. T. Dikow & K. Bayless 2007 (red label)” ( CAS, #18438) the specimen is in good condition and double mounted (minuten in silicone) . Two ♀ paratypes are labeled: “ MADAGASCAR: Tulear Province, Mikea Forest, NW of Manombo , el. 37 m, 22°54.80’S, 43°28.93’E, 6–16 January 2002 collector: R. Harin’Hala California Acad of Sciences malaise trap, spiny forest MA-02-18B-09 / PARATYPE Schildia adina sp.n. det. T. Dikow & K. Bayless 2007 (yellow label)” ( CAS). The specimens are in good condition (one specimen with head attached to pin) and are double mounted (minuten in silicone) . A ♀ paratype is labeled: “ MADAGASCAR: Tulear Province, Beza Mahafaly Reserve, Parcelle I near research station 2–9 January 2002 23°41.19’S, 44°35.46’E California Acad of Sciences coll: R. Harin’Hala malaise trap in dry deciduous forest elev 165 m, MA-02-14A-09 / PARATYPE Schildia adina sp.n. det. T. Dikow & K. Bayless 2007 (yellow label)” ( CAS). The specimen is in good condition and is double mounted (minuten in silicone) . Another ♀ paratype is labeled: “ MADAGASCAR: Tulear Province, Mikea Forest, NW of Manombo, el. 30 m, 22°54.22’S, 43°28.53’E, 28–30 October 2002 collector: R. Harin’Hala California Acad of Sciences malaise trap - in deciduous dry forest MA-02-18A-38 / PARATYPE Schildia adina sp.n. det. T. Dikow & K. Bayless 2007 (yellow label)” ( CAS). The specimen is in good condition and is double mounted (minuten in silicone) .

Specimens. Malagasy Copal : 3♀ 1♂ ( Coll. Hoffeins) ; 1♀ ( AMNH) ; 1♀ 1♂ (additional inclusions: 14 workers of Tetraponera cf. sahlbergii (Forel, 1887) Hymenoptera : Formicidae : Pseudomyrmecinae ) ( Coll. Stark) ; 1♀ ( Coll. Stuke) .

Distribution. Madagascar ( Fig. 1 ). Biodiversity hotspot/high-biodiversity wilderness area: Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands/–.

Remarks. Only Schildia known from the Afrotropical region ( Fig. 1 ). Schildia adina sp.n. was the only species of Leptogastrinae found in the Malagasy copal specimens examined by the authors ( Fig. 11 ). Extant specimens have been caught in malaise traps. See Discussion for comments on the generic placement of this species.

Figures

Fig. 1. Map of the world with extant and extinct distribution of Schildia indicated with solid circles. Note the restricted Old World distribution in Madagascar and Malaysia.

Figs 13–24. Male terminalia of Schildia species with gonostyli (dark grey) and lateral processes of gonostyli (light grey) shaded in lateral views. (13–15) S. adina sp.n.: 13, lateral; 14, dorsal; 15, ventral. (16–18) S. gracillima: 16, lateral; 17, dorsal; 18, ventral. (19–21) S. guatemalae: 19, lateral; 20, dorsal; 21, ventral. (22–24) S. jamaicensis: 22, lateral; 23, dorsal; 24, ventral. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figs 9–12. Photographs of extinct and extant species of Schildia. (9) †Schildia martini sp.n. (holotype, AMNH Luzzi); (10) †Schildia martini sp.n. (paratype, AMNH DR-V-7); (11) Schildia adina sp.n. preserved in Malagasy copal (Coll. Stuke). (12) Schildia fragilis (USNM, Peru).Scale bars = 1 mm.This figure is published in colour in the online edition that can be accessed via http://www.brill.nl/ise