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 : 3-4

Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830

Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 305 . Type species: Estheria imperatoriae Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (= Dexia cristata Meigen, 1826 ), by subsequent designation of Townsend (1916: 7) [Palearctic]. References: Brauer & Bergenstamm (1891: 362; notes); Stein (1924: 233; key and notes); Townsend (1936: 135; key); Townsend (1938: 333; notes); Emden (1954: 31; key); Herting (1974: 39; notes); Zimin et al. (1988: 1271; key); Herting & Dely-Draskovits (1993: 362; Palearctic catalog); Tschorsnig & Herting (1994: 80; key); O’Hara & Wood (2004: 26; Nearctic catalog); O’Hara et al. (2009: 30; catalog of China); Cerretti & Tschorsnig (2012: 271; European and Mediterranean species and key); Zhang et al. (2013: 139; checklist); O’Hara & Cerretti (2016: 43; Afrotropical catalog).

Generic definition. Male. Head. Eye bare. Frons less than 1/7 of head width, fronto-orbital plate with dense black setulae, facial carina usually undeveloped but distinct, sometimes developed with a nipple-like protrusion, parafacial bare or hairy, about twice as wide as first flagellomere; gena broad, 0.4–0.7 of eye height in lateral view; outer vertical seta hair-like, frontal setae descending at most to level of upper margin of pedicel; proclinate orbital seta absent; vibrissa usually inserted above level of lower facial margin; upper occiput usually with 1–2 rows of black setulae below postocular setae; antenna usually short, at most as long as height of gena; first flagellomere 1.2–2.0 times as long as pedicel, arista plumose or short-haired.

Thorax. Proepisternum and prosternum bare; postpronotal lobe with 2–5 setae, the three strongest usually arranged in a triangle; usually 3 katepisternal setae, sometimes 2; katepimeron usually setulose; anterior and posterior lappets of posterior thoracic spiracle unequal in size, posterior lappet subcircular; lower calypter with long or short fringe on outer margin. Wing. Second costal sector usually bare ventrally (in some species setulose), veins M and wing cell r 4+5 usually open, sometimes closed at wing margin or with a petiole at most 0.20 times as long as postangular section of vein M. Leg. Inner anterior surface of fore coxa bare or predominately bare; fore tibia usually with a row of short anterodorsal setae on basal 2/3 and 2 median posterior setae; fore claws and pulvilli longer than or equal to 5th tarsomere; mid tibia with 1–3 anterodorsal, 2 posterior and 1–2 ventral setae; hind tibia with 3–5 median anterodorsal, 2–5 median posterodorsal and 1–4 ventral setae, 2 apically dorsal, 1 apically anteroventral and 1 short apically posteroventral seta.

Abdomen. Long ovate, black or reddish brown, covered with gray or yellowish pruinosity; syntergite 1+2 excavate to base way from posterior margin or to posterior margin, usually without median marginal setae; tergites 3 and 4 each with median discal setae. Terminalia. Sternite 5 wide, quadrangular, with posterior lateral lobes usually wide, bluntly rounded apically, with deep V-shaped median cleft; cercus usually short, often bent backward apically, slender, straight and pointed in apical half; surstylus long, wide and rounded at apex; pregonite short, bent posteriorly at apex; distiphallus long and slender, with spinules on membranous ventral surface; membranous apical part of distiphallus distinctly shorter than sclerotized basal part.

Female. As male, except as follows: Frons more than 1/3 of head width, parafacial more than twice as wide as first flagellomere; gena 0.6–0.7 times eye height in lateral view. Two proclinate orbital setae, 1 lateroclinate prevertical seta; fore claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomere; abdomen black, ovate or predominantly red yellow.

Distribution. Afrotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic and Nearctic regions ( O’Hara & Henderson 2018).

Remarks. This genus has characters in common with the Dexia Meigen , such as pregonite short, distiphallus long, membranous apical part of distiphallus shorter than sclerotized basal part and proepisternum bare, but Estheria is different from the latter in having fronto-orbital plate setulose and femora, tibiae and abdomen dark. Estheria and Zeuxia Meigen appear to be similar in having fronto-orbital plate with dense hairs and proclinate orbital setae, proepisternum bare, second costal sector often bare ventrally, femora and abdomen dark, pregonite short and membranous apical part of distiphallus shorter than sclerotized basal part, but Estheria differs from Zeuxia (anterior and posterior lappets of posterior thoracic spiracle equal in size, hind tibia usually with 3 preapical dorsal setae, and wide male frons with a row of proclinate orbital setae) in having narrow male frons without a row of proclinate orbital setae, anterior and posterior lappets of posterior thoracic spiracle unequal in size, posterior lappet subcircular, hind tibia with 2 preapical dorsal setae.