Estheria, Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830

Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Liang, Hou-Can & Li, He-Nan, 2019, Four new species of Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from China and Nepal, with a review of the East Palearctic and Oriental species, Zootaxa 4603 (1), pp. 1-38 : 4-5

Key to the East Palearctic and Oriental species of Estheria

1 Parafacial entirely bare, or at most with short hair-like setae below lowest frontal seta............................... 2

- Parafacial with hair-like setae at least on upper half......................................................... 15

2 Lower calypter with long hairs along outer margin, much longer than marginal hairs of upper calypter; facial carina developed, straight in lateral view or with a nipple-like protrusion in lower portion; upper 1/3 of occiput at most with a few scattered black hair-like setulae; arista with trichia 1.0–2.2 times width of 1 st flagellomere ; middorsal excavation of syntergite 1+2 extending to posterior margin.................................................................................... 3

- Lower calypter with long hairs only at base, the remaining marginal hairs shorter than or at most as long as marginal hairs of upper calypter; facial carina not developed; upper half of occiput usually with at least a row of black hair-like setulae; arista short plumose; middorsal excavation of syntergite 1+2 not or extending to posterior margin........................... 7

3 Facial carina with a nipple-like protrusion in lower portion; palpi dark brown, at most with reddish-brown base in female; scutum with 2–3 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; scutellum entirely black, at most covered with brownish grayyellow pruinosity; legs in both sexes dark brown except for median portion of tibia reddish brown and apex of femur yellow.................................................................................................... 4

- Facial carina sometimes with indistinct nipple-like protrusion, narrow and straight in lateral view; palpi dark brown in male, reddish-yellow in female; scutum with 3 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; scutellum reddish-yellow at apex; femora dark brown in male, tibiae reddish-yellow............................................................ 5

4 Facial carina with an indistinct nipple-like protrusion in lower portion; prementum 5–6 times as long as wide in lateral view; lower calypter brown to dark brown in male; thorax, including scutellum, with dense brownish gray-yellow pruinosity; abdomen covered with brownish-gray pruinosity, tergite 3 with a triangular brown marking or with a pair of small brown markings.............................................................................. tibetensis sp. nov.

- Facial carina with a distinct nipple-like protrusion in lower portion; prementum 7–8 times as long as wide in lateral view; lower calypter pale brownish to brown in male; thorax and abdomen with dense gray or yellowish-gray pruinosity; abdominal tergite 3 without brown markings or with a pair of small brown markings............................. prostata sp. nov.

5 Prementum 4–5 times as long as wide; abdominal tergite 3 with a pair of large brown markings and tergites 3 and 4 each with a pair of median discal setae............................................................... magna (Baranov)

- Prementum 6–8 times as long as wide; abdominal tergite 3 with a pair of small brown markings or without brown markings and tergites 3 and 4 each with 2–4 median discal setae........................................................ 6

6 Palpi dark in male; thoracic dorsum and abdomen covered with yellowish-gray pruinosity, tergites 3 and 4 each with a pair of small brown markings and each usually with 2–4 median discal setae in male and 2 median discal setae in female.................................................................................................... wangi sp. nov.

- Palpi reddish-yellow in male; thoracic dorsum and abdomen densely covered with gray pruinosity, without brown markings, and tergites 3 and 4 each with 2 median discal setae in both sexes.............................. .. flavipennis Herting

7 Hair-like setulae on genal dilation, pleurae, coxae, trochanters, femora and ventral surface of abdominal tergites 1+2 and 3 pale yellow; proboscis short, labella longer than prementum, which is 2–3 times as long as wide in lateral view; arista with trichia 2–3 times width of 1 st flagellomere ; upper half of occiput with at most a few scattered black hair-like setulae.................................................................................................. pallicornis (Loew)

- Hair-like setulae on genal dilation, pleurae, coxae, trochanters, femora and ventral surface of abdominal tergites 1+2 and 3 black; labella distinctly shorter than prementum, which is at least 4 times as long as wide in lateral view; arista short plumose or with short trichia; upper occiput with at least a row of black hair-like setulae; second costal sector bare ventrally........ 8 8 Postpronotum with 4–6 setae, the three strongest in most cases arranged in a triangle; scutum with 3–4 presutural and 3–4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; scutellum reddish or yellowish at least apically; wing cell r 4+5 closed at wing margin, at most with a short petiole; mid tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae; abdominal syntergite 1+2 excavated to posterior margin.......... 9

- Postpronotum with 3–4 setae, the three strongest more or less arranged in a straight line; scutum with 2–3 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; wing cell r 4+5 open or closed at wing margin; mid tibia with 1 or 2 anterodorsal setae; abdominal syntergite 1+2 excavated to posterior margin or not.......................................................... 10

9 Wing cell r 4+5 with a petiole at least as long as crossvein r-m; wing not brown-clouded along crossveins dM-Cu and r-m; mid tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal setae......................................................................... 11

- Wing cell r 4+5 closed at wing margin or at with at most a very short petiole; wing brown-clouded along crossveins dM-Cu and r-m; mid tibia with 1 or 3 anterodorsal setae................................................................ 12

10 Frons of male about 1/7 of head width; abdomen reddish-yellow; middorsal excavation of syntergite 1+2 extending to posterior margin; length of prementum unknown......................................... bucharensis (Kolomiets)

- Frons of male about 1/15 of head width; abdomen dark brown; middorsal excavation of syntergite 1+2 not extending to posterior margin; prementum 5–6 times as long as wide....................................... .. hirtinerva sp. nov.

11 Cell r 4+5 with petiole longer than crossvein r-m; height of gena and length of prementum about 1/2 of eye height; frontal vitta about twice as wide as fronto-orbital plate; scutum with 4 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae.... cinerella Mesnil

- Cellr 4+5 with petiole at most as long as crossvein r-m; height of gena more than 1/2 of eye height; length of prementum slightly less than 1/2 of eye height; frontal vitta about as wide as fronto-orbital plate; scutum with 3–4 presutural and 3–4 postsutural dorsocentral setae...................................................................... lacteipennis Mesnil

12 Scutum with 3–4 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; mid tibia with 3 strong anterodorsal setae; wing darkened along crossveins r-m or dM-Cu; abdominal tergites 3 and 4 each with a pair of laterodiscal setae...................... 13

- Scutum with 3 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; mid tibia with 1 or 3 anterodorsal setae; wing not darkened along crossveins r-m or dM-Cu; abdominal tergites 3 and 4 without laterodiscal setae............................... 14

13 Prementum 3.5–5 times as long as wide. Male frons 0.20–0.30 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view; male abdomen usually more or less dark red in ground colour, female abdomen predominantly red or yellow............... acuta (Portschinsky)

- Prementum 6–7 times as long as wide. Male frons at most 0.20 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view; male abdomen usually dark brown in ground colour [female abdomen unknown].................................... maculipennis Herting

14 Postpronotum with 4–6 setae, the three strongest arranged in more or less a straight line; mid tibia with 1 long lower and 2 short upper anterodorsal setae.............................................................. cristata (Meigen)

- Postpronotum with 4 setae, the three strongest arranged in a triangle; mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta..... alticola Mesnil

15 Postpronotum at least partly yellow; abdominal ground colour varying from black to mostly reddish-yellow; basicosta yellow to light brown (distinctly lighter than tegula); 1 st flagellomere yellow, rarely light brown; scutellum entirely reddish-yellow, covered with grayish pruinosity; male frons 0.25–0.45 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view........................ 16

- Postpronotum entirely black; abdominal ground colour black; basicosta varying from yellow to black; 1 st flagellomere light brown to black; scutellum darker near anterior margin and reddish-yellow at apex; male frons 0.20–0.35 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view....................................................................................17

16 Lateral presutural black vitta sharply outlined, wedge-shaped, reaching level of medial posthumeral seta anteriorly; median presutural vittae narrow, separated by a distance of 5–10 times the width of a vitta (in posterior view); wing membrane almost entirely hyaline, brownish around crossvein r-m; outer posthumeral seta and presutural seta on yellow ground colour; abdominal ground colour varying from reddish-yellow with a narrow black middorsal vitta to black; male frons 0.25–0.35 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view............................................................. decolor (Pandellé)

- Lateral presutural black vitta less distinctly outlined, more or less rectangular, reaching beyond medial posthumeral seta; median presutural vittae wider, separated by a distance of 2–5 times the width of a vitta (in posterior view); wing membrane usually brownish also around crossvein dM-Cu and postangular section of vein M; outer posthumeral seta and presutural seta on black ground colour; abdominal ground colour varying from black to brown (lighter specimens have a wide longitudinal middorsal black vitta); male frons 0.35–0.45 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view...................... picta (Meigen)

17 Inner margin of lower calypter (along scutellum) dark brown or black; arista plumose, the longest aristal hairs 0.9–1.4 times width of 1 st flagellomere ; lateral presutural black vitta rectangular, reaching beyond median posthumeral seta; median presutural vittae wider, separated by a distance of 2–5 times width of a vitta; distiphallus unknown......... nigripes (Villeneuve)

- Inner margin of lower calypter (along scutellum) yellowish or brownish; arista short-haired or short plumose, the longest aristal hairs about 0.5 times width of 1 st flagellomere ; lateral presutural black vitta almost rectangular in shape, reaching further than medial posthumeral seta anteriorly; distiphallus not thickened at mid length, with very small spines almost to apex..................................................................................... petiolata (Bonsdorff)