Usia greatheadi Gibbs

Gibbs, David, 2014, A world revision of the bee fly tribe Usiini (Diptera, Bombyliidae) Part 2: Usia sensu stricto, Zootaxa 3799 (1), pp. 1-85 : 33-36

Usia greatheadi Gibbs sp. nov.

( Figure 6 , Plate VI)

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE; Turkey, 5 June 2005, Içel, Camalan , 663m, N37°11′33.1″ E34°48′33.9″, Leg. Dils J. Faes J. [♂ in NMWC] . PARATYPES; Greece, Lesvos, Ag. Georious, S of Mytilini/ 24 April 2001, [leg.] D.J. Greathead [6♂ 5♀ in BMNH] . Turkey, 5 June 2005, Içel, Camalan, 663m, N37°11′33.1″ E34°48′33.9″, Leg. Dils J. Faes J. [2♂ 6♀ in PCJD, 1♀ in NMWC] ; 29 April 2001, Mulğa, Mumcular (Karaova), 200m, N37°4′9″ E27°40′54″, Leg. J. Dils-J. Faes [8♂ 6♀ in PCJD, 1♀ NMWC, 1♂ in OUMNH] ; 22 April 2001, Mulğa, Reşadiye Yarimadasi, N36°45′51″ E27°45′59″, Leg. J. Dils-J. Faes [12♂ 6♀ in PCJD, 1♀ in NMWC] ; 24 April 2001, Mulğa 50m, Yuvacik, N36°49′41″ E28°11′27″, Leg. J. Dils-J. Faes [4♂ 2♀ in PCDG, 1♀ in NMWC] ; 6 June 2005, Adana, Pozanti, 656m, N37°23′51″ E34°51′20.3″, Leg. Dils J.·Faes J. [6♀ in PCJD, 1♀in NMWC, 1♀ in OUMNH] ; Antalya Prov., Olympos , 25km S Kemer , 26 April 2000, 0m, leg. Merz & Senay [♂ in MHNG] ; Cavusköy ( Andrasan ), 28 April 2000, 50m, leg. Merz & Senay [1♂ 2♀ in MHNG] ; Kursunlu Selalesi , 29 April 2000, 150m, leg. Merz & Senay [5♂ 1♀ in MHNG] ; Phaselis, 10km S Kemer , 27 April 2000, 0m, leg. Merz & Senay [♂ in MHNG] ; Mulğa, Sazak-Otmanlar, 1050m, N37°0′13″ E28°55′6″, 11 June 2005, leg. D.J. Gibbs [2♂ 3♀ in PCDG] ; Road 635 between Göltarla and Calallar, N36°31′35″ E30°00′39″, 850m, 10 May 2001, leg. D. Mann & Barclay [1♂ in OUMNH] ; Rt. 685, 30km N Antalya, 400m, 5 May 2000, A. Freidberg, H. Ackerman, L. Friedman [2♀ in TAU].

Other material examined. Greece, Lesvos, 10 km S Mytilene, 100m N39°0′51″ E26°35′26″ Poor phrygana simple landscape/ blue pantrap#4, 23–25 April 2004 (leg. Dahm/Greenwell/Lamborn/Messinger)/ Aegean University 0 0 0 6721 1♂ ; 0 0 0 6747, 1♂ ; 23 April 2004 10.45–11.15 (leg. M. Greenwell)/ Aegean University 0 0 14073 1♀ ; 9.1 km S Mytilene, 130m 39°02'19"N 26°35'58"E, Phryganic habitat complex landscape/ blue pantrap#5, 11–13 May 2004 (leg. Dahm/Greenwell/Lamborn/Messinger)/ Aegean University 0 0 0 7005 1♂ ; white pantrap#2, 16–18 May 2004 (leg. Dahm/Lamborn/Messinger)/ Aegean University 0 0 0 4534, 1♀ ; 8.9 km SSE Mytilene, 60m, N39°02′16″ E26°36′13″, Olive grove complex landscape/ white pantrap#2, 16–18 April 2004 (leg. Dahm/Greenwell/Lamborn/Messinger)/ Aegean University 0 0 0 2842 1♂.

Etymology. Named in memory of David John Greathead who helped me considerably in getting started with this revision.

Diagnosis. A relatively small blue-black species that appears to be fairly common in western Turkey and on Lesvos. An all black species, often with bluish and coppery reflections and short, erect whitish vestiture. Occiput densely grey dusted, including triangle behind ocellar tubercle, oral margin very narrow, in male almost invisible, frons narrow, male eyes separated by no more than distance across lateral ocelli, about one seventh head width. Anterolateral dust spots extending almost to level of anterior ocellus, in male coalescing. Mesonotal vestiture short and neat, very even in length. Wings brown tinged, most intense in first basal cell, both veins and wing yellower basally. Genitalia typical of the group differing only subtly from close congeners; epandrium with apical membranous ‘V’.

Description. Measurements. Body length. 3.5–5.7mm. Wing length. 2.9–4.5mm.

Male. Head. Oral margin exceedingly narrow, barely discernable even close to insertion of proboscis, shining black above, yellow below. Frons black, rather matt due to rough surface sculpture, conspicuously grey-dusted, the dusting extending almost to anterior ocellus, the area in front of anterior ocellus dusted across whole width of frons ( Figure 6 ). Eyes separated at their narrowest by about one seventh head width, no more than the width across lateral ocelli inclusive. Lateral ocellus separated from the eye margin by less than half the diameter of that ocellus. Ocellar tubercle shining, undusted, eye margins in front of anterior ocellus parallel initially before diverging relatively rapidly, then running parallel to insertion of proboscis before diverging rapidly to rear of oral opening. Translucent white hairs on ocellar tubercle averaging a little longer than width across lateral ocelli, rear of frons forward of anterior ocellus often with tiny, adpressed setulae close to eye margins, absent or invisible in some males, front of frons with a scattering of short setulae across most of width. Occiput grey dusted, the black ground colour just showing through, including on the triangular area behind ocellar tubercle. A fairly dense covering of translucent white hairs across dusted area, shorter and more even above, significantly longer close to lower oral margin. Ommatidia uniform in size across the eyes. Antennae black, third segment, a little less than twice length of scape and pedicel together, narrow swollen below basally, concave medio-ventrally, sensilla inconspicuous, white to translucent brownish. All antennal segments with very short yellowish hairs above, longest just before apical sulcus. Palps small, black, apically, clavate tip noticeably broader than the very narrow oral margin, the pale brown apical setae about two thirds as long as the length of the palps. Proboscis about as long as thorax and scutellum together, black, dorsally hairless. Thorax. Mesonotum shining black, often with bluish and coppery reflections, grey dusting on upper part of post-pronotal lobe, notopleuron narrowly and above wing root. Disc densely punctorugose, anterolaterally the individual punctures often discernable and separated by about their diameter. On disc surface sculpture shagreened and transversely wrinkled effacing the individual punctures. Paramedian vittae usually discernable by their different surface sculpture, more strongly transversely wrinkled, extending from anterior slope of thorax almost to wing insertions. Mesonotum fairly densely clothed with fine whitish vestiture, on the disc and posteriorly these are short, neat, erect to slightly proclinate, longer and orientated inwards laterally, most hairs little longer than those on upper occiput. Acrostichal hairs between the bare paramedian vittae multiserial, entirely erect to slightly proclinate, the front most more reclinate, widening posteriorly, dorsocentrals not distinguishable from the general vestiture. Scutellum shining as adjacent parts of mesonotum, hairing as mesonotum. Pleurae uniformly grey dusted largely obscuring ground colour, often thinner in upper front corner of anepisternum. White hairs, similar to those on mesonotum, on pronotum and upper and posterior corner of the anepisternum. Wing. Membrane brown tinged, this infuscation more intense in first basal cell in most individuals, the veins brown, but sc yellower and all veins proximal to basal cells yellow, membrane here also yellow tinged, squama very pale yellow. Crossvein r-m at or a little before the middle of discal cell, conspicuously beyond dm-cu. Anal lobe relatively narrow, trailing edge only slightly curved, about half to two-thirds width of anal cell. Haltere. Pale yellow, base of stem slightly brownish. Legs. Coxae black with a coating of grey dust like that on the pleurae. Remainder of legs black, undusted, shining below the setulae. Coxae externally and femora ventrally covered with moderately long, white hairs, on the mid and hind femora a little more than the greatest depth of the tibia, slightly shorter on front femora. Femora dorsally and tibia rather densely covered with short, recumbent, white hairs. Abdomen. All tergites shining aeneous black, often with bluish, greenish or coppery reflections, undusted. Each tergite densely puncto-rugose, the punctures seriate, shining apical margin with longitudinal groves. Disc uniformly and densely covered with very short, whitish, recumbent hairs, longer, and more erect laterally. Sternites grey dusted, faintly punctate, with fairly long, erect white to very pale yellow hairs. Genitalia. Relatively small and simple, globular. Epandrium flask-shaped with apicolateral blunt extensions and a distinct median ‘V’-notch, in undissected specimens this can often be discerned as an apicomedian crease. Shining black, the cuticle punctate evenly coated with pale yellow hairs. Gonocoxite about twice as broad as long, shining black basally, rufous brown apically, the tips well separated, haired as epandrium, gonostylus simple, curved with basal ‘thumb’.

Female. As male except as follows: oral margin broader, although still narrower than most species. Frons appreciably wider, about one-sixth head width, lateral ocelli separated from eye margin by about their diameter. Dusting of frons extending up to level of anterior ocellus but not coalescing, centre of frons shining black. Lateral setulae on frons in front of anterior ocellus more numerous and conspicuous but still short. Mesonotal and scutellar vestiture often slightly shorter. Genitalia. Tip of abdomen coming to a rounded point; apical sternite rhomboidal, apical notch present but small, difficulty to see in undissected specimens. Main part of apical sternite domed and transversely wrinkled clothed with long whitish hairs. Furca typical of the group, tip sclerotised but variable in structure, pointed, blunt-ended or partially membranous, arms long and strongly curved, conspicuous triangular, dark-pigmented vaginal plate.

Discussion. A distinct species, externally very similar to U. bicolor Macquart but with male genitalia closer to U. manca Loew. Probably not very closely related to either but clearly part of the lata species group.

Distribution. Greece (Lesvos), western half of Turkey, from sea level to just over 1000m.

Figures

FIGURE 6. ♂ U. greatheadi head and mesonotum dorsal.