Rossimyiops subapertus (Herting) Herting, 2009

Cerretti, Pierfilippo, Biase, Alessio De & Freidberg, Amnon, 2009, Systematic study of the genus Rossimyiops Mesnil (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 1984, pp. 31-56 : 47-50

Rossimyiops subapertus (Herting) comb. nov.

( Figs. 32–41 )

Mesnilomyia subaperta Herting 1983: 5 . Type locality: Anbar-Abad ( Iran).

Type material examined. Holotype ɗ: S.O. IRAN / [Djiroft] / Anbar-Abad / 21. – 30.IV.1956 / W. Richter leg. // Mesnilomyia / subaperta / B. Herting det. n. sp. Type [ SMNS].

Other material examined. ISRAEL – Herzliyya, 31°9'N 34°51'E: 5 ɗɗ, 1 Ψ, 3.vi.2002, 2 ɗɗ, 11.vi.2002, 3 ɗɗ, 8.iv.2005, A. Freidberg [ TAU, 2 ɗɗ in PCV]; Tel Aviv: 1 Ψ, 22.iv.1998 A. Freidberg, 1 ɗ 1 Ψ, 25.viii.2002, T. Stern [ TAU].

Diagnosis. Ventral facial margin not visible in lateral view ( Fig. 36 ). Prementum 2.0–2.3 times as long as its diameter at mid length. Presutural area of scutum with three longitudinal dark vittae, the lateral pair very small, not reaching the transverse suture posteriorly ( Fig. 38 ); postsutural area of scutum shiny black or nearly so. Scutellum with 3 pairs of marginal setae ( Fig. 39 ). Vein R4+5 with one basal setula. Cell r4+5 closed at wing margin, not petiolate ( Fig. 40 ). Male: postpedicel about 1.7–1.9 times as long as pedicel. Female: vertex shiny black; lateral vertical seta not differentiated from postocular row; fronto-orbital plate shiny black for at most half of its length (mainly around proclinate orbital setae); postpedicel about 1.8 times as long as pedicel.

Description. Male. External morphology, see original description: Herting (1983: 5).

Male terminalia ( Figs. 32–35 ) [described for the first time]. Tergite 6 narrow, fused to segment 7+8 and bare. Epandrium short and convex. Hypandrial arms not joined, sub-parallel. Pregonite ( Figs. 34, 35 ) pointed distally and strongly bent anteriorly, posterior margin with a row of stout setae. Postgonite ( Fig. 34 ) straight, long and narrow; slightly pointed in front distally, slanted postero-apically; distally covered with hair-like setulae. Basiphallus without basal keel. Epiphallus ( Fig. 34 ) in para-basal position, well developed; distal two thirds weakly sclerotized. Dorso-lateral lobes of distiphallus well developed and 'shifted' anteriorly ( Figs. 34, 35 ). Acrophallus not tubular. Cerci ( Figs. 32, 33 ) stout, not fused, apically rounded in posterior view, more or less pointed in lateral view; long setae present at or near base of cerci, the longest of these reaching about 0.75 times length of entire cerci. Surstylus slightly shorter than cerci, distal third bent postero-medially ( Fig. 32 ).

Female [described for the first time]. Body length: 4.0– 4.3 mm.

Colour. Head black, mainly covered with light-grey reflecting microtrichia; vertex shiny black; frontoorbital plate shiny black for at most half of its length (mainly around proclinate orbital setae). Frontal vitta reddish-brown. Scape and pedicel yellowish-red; postpedicel mainly yellowish-brown. Palpus yellow, at most basally brown. Thorax entirely black; presutural area of scutum with three longitudinal dark vittae (the lateral pair very small, not reaching the transverse suture posteriorly) ( Fig. 38 ); postsutural area of scutum shiny black. Ventral and dorsal calypteres white. Wing pattern as in Fig. 40 . Tegula and basicosta brown. Halter yellow. Legs mainly black; fore and hind coxae brown. Abdomen shiny black almost without microtrichia ( Fig. 41 ).

Head ( Figs. 36, 37 ). Arista thickened on basal third. First aristomere as long as wide; second aristomere about 1.5 times as long as wide. Postpedicel about 1.8 times as long as pedicel. Vertex at its narrowest point 0.67 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Ocellar seta well developed, proclinate. Ocelli in form of isosceles triangle (distance between posterior ocelli is smaller than distance between posterior and anterior ocelli). Medial vertical seta strong, reclinate, sub-parallel. One dorsal orbital seta; 3 proclinate orbital setae. Six frontal setae descending anteroventrally to level of base of scape or slightly more ventrally. Parafacial at its narrowest point about 0.4-0.6 times as wide as postpedicel. Face and ventral facial margin not visible in lateral view. Vibrissa well developed, arising above level of ventral facial margin. Facial ridge with only one decumbent setula above vibrissa. Gena in profile 0.14-0.17 times as high as compound eye. Postocular setae short. Occiput flat or slightly convex, without white hair-like setulae. Prementum about 2.3 times as long as wide. Palpus about 0.8 times as long as postpedicel.

Thorax ( Fig. 38, 39 ). Postpronotum with 2 setae. Scutum with 1–2 + 0–3 (very indistinct) acrostichal, 2–3 + 3 dorsocentral, 1 + 2–3 intra-alar, 2 posthumeral, 1 presutural, 2 notopleural and 0–1 postsutural supra-alar setae; postalar callus with 2 setae. Anatergite bare or with small patch of short, black, erect setulae (asymmetric). Katepisternum with 2 setae. One short anepimeral seta, about 0.5–0.7 times as long as katepisternal setae. Scutellum with 3 pairs of marginal setae (basal, lateral and apical) of about equal length; apical pair crossed and horizontal.

Legs. Fore tibia with 2 posterior setae; preapical anterodorsal seta of fore tibia as long and robust as preapical dorsal seta; fore claws shorter than tarsomere 5. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta, 2 posterior setae, 1 ventral seta. Posterior margin of hind coxa bare; hind tibia with an irregular row of 8–9 anterodorsal setae.

Wing ( Fig. 40 ). Base of R4+5 with 1 short setula dorsally. Bend of M rounded, obtuse. Crossvein dm-cu not oblique (nearly at a right angle). Wing cell r4+5 just closed at wing margin.

Abdomen ( Fig. 41 ). Tergites not fused. Syntergite 1+2 with 1 pair of short and weak median marginal setae. Tergite 3 with 1 pair of median marginal setae. Tergite 4 with a row of 8 erect marginal setae. Tergite 5 with a row of 4 marginal setae. “Marginal” setae of abdomen displaced anteriorly in discal or sub-discal position.

Hosts. Unknown.

Distribution. Iran, Israel (new record), Turkmenistan ( Ziegler 1991) ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Known distribution of Rossimyiops spp.

FIGURES 32 – 35. Rossimyiops subapertus (Herting) (male: Israel, Tel Aviv) scale bar: 0.1 mm. 32 – 33. Epandrial complex. 32. Left lateral view. 33. Posterior view. 34. Pregonite, postgonite and phallus in left lateral view. 35. Pregonites and phallus in ventral view. Abbreviations: ep, epiphallus; l, dorso-lateral lobe of distiphallus; postg, postgonite; preg, pregonite.

FIGURES 36 – 41. Rossimyiops subapertus (Herting). 36. Head and thorax in left lateral view (female: Israel, Tel Aviv). 37. Head in anterodorsal view (same specimen as before). 38. Head and scutum in dorsal view (male: Israel, Herzliyya). 39. Scutellum in posterodorsal view (female: Israel, Tel Aviv), scale bar: 0.3 mm. 40. Left wing in ventral view (same specimen as before). 41. Abdomen in dorsal view (same specimen as before).