Melanophora asetosa Kugler, 1978

Cerretti, Pierfilippo & Pape, Thomas, 2009, Phylogeny and re-definition of the genus Melanophora (Diptera: Rhinophoridae), with description of a new species from Sardinia *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 552-565 : 558-560

Melanophora asetosa Kugler, 1978

( Figs 13–17)

Melanophora asetosa Kugler, 1978: 70 , 78. Type locality: Yeruhan (Negev), Israel.

Material examined. 1 ♂, Israel: ' Enot Qane , 31.i.1995, A. Freidberg leg. ( TAU) . 1 ♂, Israel, Zomet Mash'abbim , 11.vii.2008, I. Renan leg. ( TAU) . 1 ♂, Yeroham , 20.iv.1992, A. Freidberg leg. ( TAU) . 1 ♀, Israel, Ein-Mot , 21.ix.1983, leg. Nussbaum ( TAU) .

References. Kugler 1978: 78; Pape 1986: 24.

Description.

Male:

Body length. 3.7–5.0 mm.

Colour. Head predominantly brownish-black, covered with brownish microtomentum; frontal vitta reddish-brown; palpus and prementum black; pedicel basally brown shading into yellowish distally; postpedicel dark brown. Thorax blackish-brown. Abdomen shiny brown, without microtomentum ( Fig. 16). Legs brownish-black. Halter with black knob and brownish-orange stem. Upper and lower calypteres brownish infuscated. Wing membrane evenly brownish ( Fig. 14).

Head ( Fig. 13). Compound eye bare. Arista thickened only at base, covered with microtrichia at most as long as its maximum diameter. First aristomere shorter than wide; second aristomere about 1.5 times as long as wide. Postpedicel at most as long as pedicel. Frons at its narrowest point 1.6 times as wide as eye in dorsal view. Ocellar setae shorter than upper reclinate orbital seta, proclinate and divergent. Medial vertical seta strong, convergent and reclinate. Lateral vertical seta well developed. One reclinate upper orbital seta. Five or 6 proclinate orbital setae. Eight or 9 frontal setae descending anteroventrally to level of proximal edge of pedicel; three dorsalmost pairs of frontal setae reclinate. Parafacial with some proclinate, fine setulae on dorsal half. Parafacial, at its narrowest point, about as wide as postpedicel or slightly more (lateral view). Face and lower facial margin not visible in lateral view. Vibrissa well developed. Vibrissal angle receding. Facial ridge strongly concave, with a few robust, decumbent setulae on ventral half. Genal dilation well developed, covered with stout setulae. Gena in profile about 0.4 times as high as eye. Postocular setae short. Occiput slightly convex, covered with black setulae. Oral cavity narrow and mouthparts reduced (vestigial) ( Fig. 13). Palpus very short, stout and bare ( Fig. 13).

Thorax ( Fig. 15). Prosternum and proepisternal depression bare. Anteroventral proepisternal seta well developed and oriented anteroventrally. Ventral proepimeral seta oriented anteriorly. Postpronotum with 2 strong setae. Scutum with 0–3 + 0–5 acrostichal setae, 1–3 + 3 dorsocentral, 0 + 2 intra-alar and 1 + 1 supraalar setae (first postsutural supra-alar seta absent); 1 posthumeral, 2 well developed notopleural setae. Anatergite with a few thin, erected setulae just below lower calypter ( Fig. 15). Two dorsal katepisternal setae sub-equal in length and thickness. One short anepimeral seta. Katepimeron bare. Scutellum with 1 pair of subparallel marginal setae (subapical). One pair of short discal scutellar setae.

Wing ( Fig. 14). Costal spine not differentiated from costal spinulae. Costal segment Cs 6 distinctly shorter than Cs 4. Base of R 4+5 with 1 setula dorsally. Postangular portion of M lacking (M vein ends on the membrane about where the bend of M should be). Vein dm-Cu lacking.

Abdomen ( Fig. 16). Mid-dorsal depression on syntergite 1+2 confined to anterior fourth of that segment. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 without median marginal setae but with 1 or 2 pairs of lateral marginals. Tergite 4 and 5 each with a row of marginal setae.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 17). Cercal bases, in posterior view, enlarged and not fused medially.

Female. See Kugler (1978).

Distribution. Israel.