Spathephilus Becker, 1894

Ozerov, A. L. & Krivosheina, M. G., 2015, A review of the genera Cleigastra Macquart, Gonarcticus Becker, Gonatherus Rondani, Hexamitocera Becker, Nanna Strobl, Orthacheta Becker and Spathephilus Becker (Diptera, Scathophagidae) of Russia, Zootaxa 4012 (2), pp. 201-258 : 252

Spathephilus Becker, 1894

Spathephilus Becker, 1894: 121 . Gender: masculine. Type species: Cordylura breviventris Loew, 1873 , by original designation.

Monochaeta Becker, 1894: 87 , 186. Gender: feminine. Junior homonym, preoccupied by Monochaeta Brauer et Bergenstamm, 1890 . Type species: Cordylura breviventris Loew, 1873 , by original designation.

Spathephilus is a monotypic genus with a single species S. nigriventris ( Loew, 1864) .

Slender, about 3.5–5.5 mm long flies. Head. Frontal vitta yellow; face, parafacial and gena pale yellow. Frontal plate black in upper part and yellow in lower one. Postcranium black, greyish dusted, covered with yellow and black hairs, with black postocular setulae. Chaetotaxy: 3 orbital, 3–4 frontal, 1 ocellar, 1 inner vertical, 1 outer vertical (short), 1 postocellar; 1 pair of strong vibrissae and 1–2 pairs of short subvibrissae present. Scape and pedicel black. Postpedicel ( Fig. 4 ) black in ground colour, but usually white inside basally and posteriorly, more or less rounded at apex, approximately 3–3.5 times as long as wide. Arista black, pubescent throughout its length. Palpus long, yellow.

Thorax black. Scutum greyish dusted, but subshining or shining inside from dorsocental lines, with following setae: acrostichals short in two rows, prescutellar pair not differentiated or only slightly longer than the other acrostichals, dorsocentrals (3–4)+3, intra-alars 1+2, supra-alars 1+2, postpronotals 2, notopleurals 2, postalars 2. Proepisternum with hairs in central part, with 2 setae near lower margin. Proepimeron with 1 seta. Anepisternum covered with hairs in posterior half and with 2–4 black setae along posterior margin. Katepisternum covered with long setae in ventral corner (pale yellow in male and black in female) and 3 strong katepisternal setae. Anepimeron bare. Scutellum black, with pair of strong lateral scutellar setae, apical setae or setulae absent ( Fig. 6 ).

Legs yellow, only tarsi of mid and hind legs darkened. Fore femur ( Fig. 185 ) usually with rows of anterodorsal/ anterior and ventral setae. Fore tibia with 1 posterodorsal, 1 dorsal (anterodorsal) and 1 posterior setae at middle, and usually with apical dorsal and posterior setae. Mid femur with row of anterior, 2 anteroventral, 1 preapical posterior, and 2 preapical anterodorsal setae. Mid tibia with 1 posterodorsal, 1 anterodorsal, 1 posterior and 1 ventral (anteroventral) setae at middle, and ring of apicals. Hind femur with row of anterior, 2 preapical anterodorsal setae, and 1–4 anteroventral setae on apical half. Hind tibia with 3 anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal, 1 anteroventral, 1 preapical dorsal setae, and ring of apicals, but apical posteroventral setae absent.

Wing tinged with brownish or distinctly brownish; veins blackish; vein R1 bare. Calypters, margins of calypters, and halteres yellowish.

Abdomen cylindrical, black, subshining or greyish dusted, covered with hairs. Tergites 2–6 each with row of marginal setae. Male sternite 4 simple, approximately 1.5 times as long as wide ( Fig. 187 ). Male sternite 5 with black triangular-shaped lobi ( Fig. 186 ). Surstyli narrow, simple, cerci fused ( Figs 188, 189 ). Ovipositor long, cylindrical ( Figs 179–181 ). Female tergite 7 desclerotized in middle, with lateral margins fused with lateral margins of sternite 7 forming syntergosternite ( Fig. 181 ). Female tergite 8 of V-like form, sternite 8 as two small round sclerites ( Fig. 179 ). The ovipositor was fully described and illustrated by Ovchinnikov (2009: 317, as breviventris ).

Biology unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Nanna flavipes (Fallén) (1, 2, 5, 7), Hexamitocera loxocerata (Fallén) (3), Spathephilus nigriventris (Loew) (4, 6) and Orthacheta cornuta (Loew) (8): 1 — thorax, lateral view; 2 — proepisternum; 3 — head, lateral view; 4, 5 — antenna, lateral view; 6 – 8 — scutellum. Figures 4 – 7 after Ozerov (2010 e, Figures 10 – 13).

FIGURES 185 – 189. Spathephilus nigriventris (Loew): 185 — fore femur, anterior view; 186 — male sternite 5; 187 — male sternite 4; 188 — epandrium, cerci and surstyli, lateral view; 189 — same, dorsal view.

FIGURES 179 – 184. Spathephilus nigriventris (Loew) (179 – 181, 184) and Orthacheta pilosa (Zetterstedt) (182, 183): 179 — end of female abdomen, ventral view; 180 — same, dorsal view; 181 — same, lateral view; 182 — male sternite 5; 183 — male sternite 4; 184 — distribution map.