Phaonia signata species group, 1830

Michelsen, Verner & Pont, Adrian C., 2024, Macaronesian Muscidae (Diptera). V. The genera Phaonia Robineau-Desvoidy and Muscina Robineau-Desvoidy, Zootaxa 5458 (4), pp. 581-596 : 583

The Phaonia signata species group

Included species: Phaonia signata (Meigen) , P. tuguriorum (Scopoli) .

Description. Medium sized, wing length 6.0–8.4 mm. Body dark except for tip of scutellum being translucent ochre brown to yellow; cross-veins r-m and dm-cu or at least r-m distinctly shadowed; legs, apart from black tarsi and extensively darkened fore femur, ranging from orange yellow to dark brown. Eyes with long, dense pile. Longest aristal branches c. 1.5 times as long as width of postpedicel. Male frons at narrowest point narrower than ocellar tubercle, with contiguous or narrowly separated fronto-orbital plates; frontal setae reaching to middle of frons; postgenal setulae dark. Notopleuron with setulae; prealar seta long; dorsocentral setae 2+4; presutural acrostichal field with setulae only; katepisternal setae 1+2; katepimeron bare, exceptionally with a few fine setulae. Vein C without dorsal setulae; radial node without setulae. Fore tibia with 1–2 p setae; mid tibia with 3–4 pd/p setae; male hind femur with rows of av and pv setae that on basal third become fine and are supplemented with long v setulae; female hind femur with pv setae short and confined to basal third and without long v setulae. Male abdomen broadly ovoid in dorsal aspect; terminalia as Figs 2D–F .

Key to the species of the Phaonia signata group

1 Wing length 6.0–8.4 mm. Male with eye facets markedly enlarged medio-dorsally. Male frons at narrowest point with fronto-orbital plates contiguous, narrower than diameter of anterior ocellus. Basal antennal segments brownish black to fuscous ochre yellow; palp wholly dark. Calypteres variable in colour. Facial parts of female head extensively dark brown pruinose................................................................................... Phaonia tuguriorum (Scopoli)

- Wing length 6.0–7.3 mm. Male with medio-dorsal eye facets slightly enlarged. Male frons at narrowest point with fronto-orbital plates contiguous or narrowly separated and as broad as or broader than diameter of anterior ocellus. Basal antennal segments brightly orange yellow, contrasting with black postpedicel; dark palp orange yellow towards base. Calypteres whitish to cream, paler than wing base. Facial parts of female head greyish brown pruinose...................... Phaonia signata (Meigen

Figures

FIGURE 2. Phaonia tuguriorum canariensis Villeneuve. Habitus, male (A), and female (B); abdomen, male (C); sternite V, male (D); hypopygium, caudal (E) and lateral (F).