Rossimyiops djerbaensis Cerretti

Cerretti, Pierfilippo, Biase, Alessio De & Freidberg, Amnon, 2009, Systematic study of the genus Rossimyiops Mesnil (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 1984, pp. 31-56 : 42-44

Rossimyiops djerbaensis Cerretti sp. nov.

( Figs. 17–19 )

Type material examined. Holotype Ψ: TUNESIEN, Jerba / 5 km w Midoun / 22.5.1993 / leg. Miksch [ SMNS].

Etymology. From the type locality Djerba (also transliterated as Jerba, Jarbah or Girba).

Diagnosis. Female. Palpus basally yellowish-brown shading into black distally. Thorax and femora black; coxae varied from black to reddish. Ventral facial margin not protruding and hardly visible in profile. Parafacial at its narrowest point about 0.75 times as wide as postpedicel (about 3–4 times as wide as maximum diameter of arista) ( Fig. 17 ). Scutellum with 3 pairs of marginal setae ( Fig. 18 ). Ventral seta of mid tibia shorter than maximum diameter of mid tibia and very weak. Wing membrane slightly smoky anteromedially and around veins ( Fig. 19 ); cell r4+5 long petiolate ( Fig. 19 ); base of R4+5 bare. Abdomen entirely black. Male unknown.

Description. Female. Body length: 3.5 mm.

Colour. Head mainly black with yellow gena, covered with light grey reflecting microtrichia; vertex and ocellar triangle shiny black; fronto-orbital plate only slightly microtrichose. Frontal vitta reddish-brown. Scape, pedicel and most of postpedicel yellowish-red; postpedicel blackish-brown only along dorsal and distal surface. Palpus yellowish-brown basally, shading into black distally. Thorax entirely black, very slightly microtrichose on postpronotum, anterolateral portion of scutum, anterior to transverse suture, and pleura. Ventral and dorsal calypteres white. Wing slightly smoky anteromedially and around veins ( Fig. 19 ); portion of membrane posterior to cells r4+5 and dm milky. Tegula and basicosta blackish-brown. Halter blackish-brown. Legs black; fore coxa brown. Abdomen shiny black almost without microtrichia.

Head ( Fig. 17 ). Arista thickened on basal third. First and second aristomeres as long as wide. Postpedicel about 2.7 times as long as pedicel. Vertex at its narrowest point 1.13 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Ocellar seta well developed, proclinate. Ocelli in form of equilateral triangle. Medial vertical seta well developed, reclinate. One or 2 dorsal orbital setae (asymmetric in the holotype). Three proclinate orbital setae. Eight frontal setae descending to level of base of scape or slightly more ventrally. Parafacial at its narrowest point about 0.75 times as wide as postpedicel (about 3–4 times as wide as maximum diameter of arista). Face and ventral facial margin not visible in lateral view. Vibrissa well developed, arising slightly above level of ventral facial margin. Facial ridge with only few decumbent setulae above vibrissa. Gena in profile 0.27 times as high as compound eye. Postocular setae short. Occiput flat, without white hair-like setulae. Prementum about 2.0–2.5 times as long as wide. Palpus slightly clavate with several setulae apically.

Thorax ( Fig. 18 ). Postpronotum with 2 setae. Scutum with 2 + 2–3 acrostichal, 2 + 3 dorsocentral, 1 + 2 intra-alar, 2 posthumeral, 1 presutural, 2 notopleural and 2 postsutural supra-alar setae; postalar callus with 2 setae. Anatergite bare. 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); lateral pair about 0.65–0.75 times as long as basal; 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 about 0.33 times as long as tarsomere 5. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta, 2 posterior setae, 1 ventral seta very weak and shorter than maximum diameter of mid tibia. Posterior margin of hind coxa bare; hind tibia with 2–4 anterodorsal setae, irregular in length and thickness.

Wing ( Fig. 19 ). Base of R4+5 bare. Bend of M rounded. Crossvein dm-cu not oblique. Petiole of r4+5 about as long as post-angular portion of M.

Abdomen. 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 10 marginal setae. Tergite 5 with a row of 8 marginal setae.

Hosts. Unknown.

Distribution. Tunisia ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Known distribution of Rossimyiops spp.

FIGURES 17 – 22. Rossimyiops spp. 17 – 19. Rossimyiops djerbaensis sp. nov. (holotype female). 17. Head in anterolateral view, scale bar: 0.3 mm; a- width of parafacial at its narrowest point. 18. Scutellum, subscutellum and ventral calypter in right posterolateral view (a, l and b show base of apical, lateral and basal scutellar setae, respectively), scale bar: 0.3 mm. 19. Left wing in ventral view. 20 – 22. Rossimyiops exquisitus (Richter). 20. Head in anterolateral view (holotype female of Persedea exquisita Richter), scale bar: 0.5 mm; a- width of parafacial at its narrowest point. 21. Scutum, scutellum, ventral calypter and abdominal tergites 1 + 2 in dorsal view (same specimen as before), scale bar: 0.5 mm. 22. Scutellum and abdominal syntergite 1 + 2 in right dorsolateral view (paratype female of Mesnilomyia rufipes Zeegers), scale bar: 0.5 mm.