Strongylophthalmyia thaii Papp

Evenhuis, Neal L., 2016, World review of the genus Strongylophthalmyia Heller (Diptera: Strongylophthalmyiidae). Part I: Introduction, morphology, species groups, and review of the Strongylophthalmyia punctata subgroup, Zootaxa 4189 (2), pp. 201-243 : 239

Strongylophthalmyia thaii Papp

( Figs. 36 , 60 , 76 )

Strongylophthalmyia thaii Papp in Papp et al. 2006: 171 . Shatalkin 2007: 360. Iwasa & Evenhuis 2014: 104. Galinskaya & Shatalkin 2016: 139 .

Diagnosis. Among the cluster of species possessing an anepisternal tuft of hairs and an S-shaped dorsal antennal process, this species in most similar to S. thailandica , n. sp. both species of which possess white coxal hairs and a non-flared male palpus, but S. thaii can be easily distinguished from it by coloration of the antennal flagellomere (darker and with brown along the anterior edge in S. thaii ; yellowish white in S. thailandica ), reddish brown tergites I–II (tergites I–II yellowish in S. thailandica ) and the different pattern of arrangement of the dorsal spicules on the fore femur (3 spicules basally and 5 spicules apically in S. thailandica ; 5 spicules in S. thaii ).

Material examined: Paratype ♂ from THAILAND: Nan Province: Ban Na Lae, near Pua , 5 Nov 2004, over a rocky forest brook, M. Földvári, No. 19 ( BPBM).

Remarks. The original description covers the salient descriptive characters. I provide two additions: the fore femur ( Fig. 76 ) dorsally has 5 short thorn-like spicules, and there are scattered stiff black hairs laterally and apically. The WIP ( Fig. 60 ) is generally brassy posteriorly and distally; blue-green at base of radial field, becoming blue, and purple in succession distally to medial portion of radial field; thin band of blue and blue-green along costa to R4+5; distomedial portion of radial and medial fields brassy orange-colored; anal lobe with mixture of blue and brassy colors subbasally, otherwise, golden brassy. A photo of the antenna ( Fig. 36 ) is provided here for direct comparison to other species in this subgroup.

Nothing further can be added based on examination in this study of a paratype. The ftwo emales from Vietnam identified as S. thaii by Galinskaya & Shatalkin (2016) may not be this species (females of the S. punctata subgroup are difficult to associate with males unless they were collected together, and preferably in copula). Until irrefutable characters can be found to associate males and females, I prefer to treat their S. thaii female as undetermined.

Distribution: Thailand.

Figures

FIGURES 34 – 37. Male Strongylophthalmyia, antennae. 34. S. punctata Hennig, holotype; 35. S. sumatrana, n. sp., arrow points to minute dorsal antennal process; 36. S. thaii Papp; 37. S. thailandica, n. sp.

FIGURES 54 – 61. Male Strongylophthalmyia, right wing, dorsal view, Wing Interference Patterns. 54. S. immaculata Hennig; 55. S. lowi, n. sp.; 56. S. malayensis, n. sp.; 57. S. microstyla Shatalkin; 58. S. pappi, n. sp.; 59. S. sumatrana, n. sp.; 60. S. thaii Papp; 61. S. thailandica, n. sp.

FIGURES 70 – 77. Male Strongylophthalmyia, fore femur, left lateral view. 70. S. microstyla Shatalkin,, arrow points ventral thorn-like seta; 71. S. nigripalpis, n. sp., arrow points to tight thorn-like cluster of setae; 72. S. palpalis Papp, holotype, photo: courtesy HNHM, arrow points to tight thorn-like cluster of setae; 73. S. pappi, n. sp.; 74. S. punctata Hennig, holotype; 75. S. spinosa Frey, holotype, photo: courtesy MZH; 76. S. thaii Papp; 77. S. thailandica, n. sp.