Phasia argentifrons

Sun, Xuekui & Marshall, Stephen A., 2003, Systematics of Phasia Latreille (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 276 (1), pp. 1-320 : 22-24

3.2. The Phasia argentifrons species­group

The Phasia argentifrons species­group includes all species previously placed in the subgenus Mormonomya Brauer and Bergenstamm ( Crosskey 1973, 1984, Cantrell and Crosskey 1989), the genus Epaulophasia Townsend ( Townsend 1934, Guimarães 1971) and the genus Campbellia Miller (Miller 1932, Dugdale 1969, Cantrell and Crosskey 1989).

Diagnosis: Head compressed anteriorly or spherical; fronto­orbital plate entirely bare laterally, not swollen; dorsal facets of eyes larger than ventral ones; inner margins of eye divergent. Parafacial bare; lower margin of face strongly projecting, almost forming a right angle with face. Sublunular bulla spherical or knob­like; first flagellomere short. Length of oral opening more than 2.5 times width; occipital hairs white. Thorax black; scale­like setae sometimes present in male; scutellum black; subscutellum exceptionally prominent. M meeting R 4+5 at right angle. Abdomen subovate. Male surstylus longer than cercus; phallus short, haired or bare; apex of pregonite broad; postgonite well developed.

Key to species of the Phasia argentifrons species­group

(The males of Phasia jeanneli , Phasia furcata and Phasia nigromaculata and the females of Phasia distincta and Phasia brachyptera are unknown. Unrevised [Neotropical] species are marked with an asterisk)

1. Female ....................................................................................................................... 2

­ Male ........................................................................................................................ 10

2. Apex of sternite VII bent or directed ventrally ......................................................... 3

­ Apex of sternite VII straight or directed dorsally ..................................................... 8

3. Sternite VII broad, strongly bent downward posteriorly .......................................... 4

­ Sternite VII narrow, only slightly bent downward .................................................... 6

4. Lower margin of face orange yellow; posterior margin of sternite VII almost spherical, with a shallow median notch............................. P. argentifrons Walker, 1849 ♀

­ Lower margin of face brown, or black; posterior margin of sternite VII not as above .................................................................................................................................... 5

5. Sternite VII branched ................................................ P. furcata Sun , new species ♀

­ Sternite VII pointed (Fig. I­32.1). ............................ P. lepidofera ( Malloch, 1929) ♀

6. Sternite VII laterally flattened in apical half, narrowest at middle in profile (Fig. I­13.6) ...................................................................................... P. campbelli ( Miller, 1923) ♀

­ Sternite VII not as above ........................................................................................... 7

7. Apex of sternite VII distinctly knobbed in profile (Fig. I­39.7) ................................. ............................................................................................ P. nasuta ( Loew, 1852) ♀

­ Apex of sternite VII straight in profile (Fig. I­27.3)..... P. jeanneli ( Mesnil, 1953) ♀

8. Sternite VII arrow shaped in ventral view (as in Fig. I­42.6) ..................................... .............................................................................. * P. officialis ( Townsend, 1934) ♀

­ Sternite VII broadened near apex, with a straight posterior margin in ventral view (Fig. I­34.6) .................................................... P. nigromaculata Sun , new species ♀

­ Sternite VII tapered in ventral view .......................................................................... 9

9. Sternite VII slightly flattened at base (Afrotropical) .................................................. ..................................................................... P. nigrofimbriata ( Villeneuve, 1935) ♀

­ Sternite VII not flattened (Australasian and Pacific) .... P. sensua ( Curran, 1927) ♀

­ Sternite VII flattened in apical half (Neotropical) ..................................................... ................................................................................ * P. capitata ( Townsend, 1927) ♀

10. Lower margin of face orange yellow ...................................................................... 11

­ Lower margin of face brown to black ..................................................................... 12

11. Distiphallus well sclerotized; phallus not haired; syncercus deeply notched posteriorly (Fig. I­6.3­4) ..................................................... P. argentifrons Walker, 1849 ♂

­ Distiphallus membranous; phallus sparsely haired dorsally; syncercus with a shallow notch posteriorly (Fig. I­13.4­5) .......................... P. campbelli ( Miller, 1923) ♂

12. Parafacial 2.8 times as wide as first flagellomere; both basiphallus and distiphallus well sclerotized (Fig. I­15.6); wing base and hind femur with scale­like setae........... .................................................................................. P. distincta Sun , new species ♂

­ Parafacial less than 2.0 times as wide as first flagellomere; basiphallus usually membranous; wing base and hind femur with or without scale­like setae ..................... 13

13. Abdomen with yellow spot or area laterally; ejaculatory apodeme fan­like (Fig. I­12.4) ............................................................................ P. brachyptera Sun , new species ♂

­ Abdomen black; ejaculatory apodeme not fan­like ............................................... 14

14. Phallus haired dorsally ............................................................................................ 15

­ Phallus not haired .................................................................................................... 16

15. Syncercus slender, with a deep U­shaped notch posteriorly; surstylus strongly arched ........................................................................................ P. sensua ( Curran, 1927) ♂

­ Syncercus broad and short, with a V­shaped notch posteriorly; surstylus slightly arched ................................................................................. P. lepidofera ( Malloch, 1929) ♂

16. Syncercus with a pair of teeth posteriorly, phallapodeme not strongly arched....... 17

­ Syncercus usually without teeth posteriorly; if teeth present, phallapodeme strongly arched ............................................................................................................... 18

17. Teeth of syncercus situated in the middle of notch; distiphallus partly sclerotized .... .................................................................................* P. capitata ( Townsend, 1927) ♂

­ Teeth of syncercus situated at posterior margin of notch; distiphallus membranous (Fig. I­39.3­4) .................................................................... P. nasuta ( Loew, 1852) ♂

18. Phallapodeme strongly arched; notch of syncercus trapezoid, with two small teeth in middle (Fig. I­41.3­4)................................... P. nigrofimbriata ( Villeneuve, 1935) ♂

­ Phallapodeme less arched; notch of syncercus funnel­shaped, without teeth ............. ............................................................................... * P. officialis ( Townsend, 1934) ♂