Bengalia taksina ( Lehrer, 2005 ) Rognes, Knut, 2009

Rognes, Knut, 2009, Revision of the Oriental species of the Bengalia peuhi speciesgroup (Diptera, Calliphoridae), Zootaxa 2251 (1), pp. 1-76 : 49-52

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2251.1.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B74687E8-850B-0873-4396-FAF7A4BE571D
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Bengalia taksina ( Lehrer, 2005 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

10. Bengalia taksina ( Lehrer, 2005) View in CoL , comb. nov.

Figs. 130–138 View FIGURES 130–138 , 182 View FIGURES 173–186 , 195 View FIGURES 187–198 , 207 View FIGURES 199–210 .

Holotype male, Thailand ( BMNH), by original designation. For details see Type material below.

Bengalia varicolor: James, 1977: 530 View in CoL , in part. Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Catalogue entry for Laos, Malaya, Vietnam.

Bengalia varicolor: Inder Singh et al., 1979: 8 View in CoL . Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Malaysia ( Bukit Mandul , 20km S Kuala Lumpur, “ 1.XI.1975 ”).

Note. Tentative synonymy. I have not seen the material from Malaysia, but I assume that Kurahashi considers the Malaysia material to be the same as the Thailand material (mis)identified as varicolor View in CoL by Tumrasvin et al. (1979).

Bengalia varicolor: Tumrasvin et al., 1979: 261 View in CoL , Plate 1 fig. 6 (ST5 flap), Plate 2 fig. 22 (aedeagus in profile), Plate 3 fig. 34 (cerci, surstyli, epandrium in profile), Plate 4 fig. 45 (cerci, surstyli, dorsal view). Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Thailand.

Note. Not examined, but fig. 22 in Tumrasvin et al. (1979) fits exactly the concept of taksina View in CoL .

Bengalia varicolor: Kurahashi & Thapa, 1994: 219 View in CoL . Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Nepal.

Note. Tentative synonymy. I have not seen material from Nepal, but I assume Kurahashi considers the Nepal material to be the same as the Thailand material misidentified as varicolor View in CoL by Tumrasvin et al. (1979). The ST5 flap ( Kurahashi & Thapa 1994: fig. 8a) is also similar.

Bengalia varicolor: Kurahashi et al., 1997: 43 View in CoL . Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Malaysia (Bukit Mamdul [sic],

Bengalia varicolor: Kurahashi & Chowanadisai, 2001: 203 View in CoL . Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Vietnam.

Note. I have examined 3 males (1 male dissected) from Vietnam listed by Kurahashi & Chowanadisai as varicolor View in CoL , and 1 female from Laos and 1 female from Vietnam (identified by Kurahashi as varicolor View in CoL , but not published by Kurahashi & Chowanadisai, see below) .

Afridigalia taksina Lehrer, 2005: 71 . Holotype male, by original designation, Thailand (Doi Chom Chang, nr. Chiengmai) (BMNH). Examined.

Bengalia varicolor: Verves, 2005: 240 View in CoL , in part. Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Catalogue entry for Thailand, Laos, Vietnam.

Afridigalia thaisia Lehrer, 2008: 28 . Holotype male, by original designation, Thailand ( Soppong , 8km S Rt 1095, near Ban Nam Rim) (TAU). Not examined. Syn. nov.

Note. Lehrer does not state what features led him to describe thaisia as a species different from taksina . The ST5 flap of thaisia differs from the one in taksina both by being slightly asymmetric and rather short. I do not consider the asymmetry as sufficient reason for regarding it as a separate species. The ST5 flap in pseudovaricolor View in CoL is also slightly asymmetric, just as in some of the specimens of taksina from Vietnam, and also in other species. The shortness must be treated as within an expected range of variation.

Bengalia varicolor: Heo et al., 2008: 263 View in CoL . Misidentification, not varicolor Fabricius. View in CoL Malaysia (Malaya).

Note. Tentative synonymy. I have not seen this material but I assume their concept of varicolor View in CoL is the same as the one of, e.g., Kurahashi et al. (1997) (cf. above), a paper cited in their work.

Diagnosis. Male. Length: 8–13mm (n=4). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.275 –0.286 (mean 0.282, n=4). Lunula bare. Fronto-orbital plate without proclinate orbital setae. 1–2 prst dc in front of main prst dc. Anepimeron with a small bundle of black ground setulae in upper two-fifths, none reaching katepisternum; densely set yellow ground setulae in the three-fifths below it; lowermost black setulae widely separated from katepisternum. All femora darkened. Fore tibia with 4–5 small and inconspicuous ventral spine-like setae in basal half ( Fig. 182 View FIGURES 173–186 ) [difficult to observe since 2 of 3 specimens had the fore tibia and femur closely appressed]. Mid tibia without fringe distally ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 187–198 ). Hind tibia with conspicuous av fringe ( Fig. 207 View FIGURES 199–210 ) with short erect setae also on v side.

ST5 flap ( Fig. 136 View FIGURES 130–138 ) with lateral edges not diverging as much as in pseudovaricolor , distal excavation somewhat deeper. Slightly asymmetric, strongly so in a small Vietnam male in BPBM.

Cerci curved in lateral view ( Fig. 134 View FIGURES 130–138 ). Surstyli bare below.

Distiphallus with horizontal dorsolateral wings. Antlers simple, with a very small basal tooth, sometimes minute. Upper lip not projecting beyond base of antlers. Distal edge of upper lip straight in dorsal view. Vertical sclerotised sheet prominent, without (holotypes of taksina and thaisia ) or with ( Vietnam male dissected) a depression in the anterior edge above the lateral finger; the latter is bent laterally at the tip. External hypophallic lobe folded in anterior part and forming an almost transverse forwardly facing wall with a strongly projecting pointed ventral finger. Internal hypophallic lobes strongly converging. Parastomal sclerites ( Figs. 131, 132, 137 View FIGURES 130–138 ) long, originating close together just below upper lip, curved, with concavity facing forwards, a small forward projection present slightly above middle.

Female. Length: 12mm (n=1). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.283 –0.300 (mean 0.292, n=2), thus quite narrow for a female. Anepimeron with a small bundle of black ground setulae in upper third, none reaching katepisternum; densely set yellow ground setulae in the two-thirds below it; lowermost black setulae widely separated from katepisternum. ST2, ST3, ST4 each with a pair of strong erect marginal setae. ST5 broad distally without marginal setae.

Discussion. Bengalia taksina is obviously very closely related to B. pseudovaricolor , both having a very narrow frons and a similar distiphallus in the male. The ST5 flap in B. taksina differs slightly from the one in B. pseudovaricolor , but may not be diagnostic when more specimens are studied. The latter species has no ventral spine-like setae on fore tibia (despite the description by Kurahashi & Tumrasvin to the contrary), whereas B. taksina has a few inconspicuous ones. The best characters to distinguish the two species seem to be the presence of a conspicuous fringe on the hind tibia in the male B. taksina , and the large number of long yellow ground setulae below the bundle of black ones on the anepimeron. In B. pseudovaricolor there are 0.25mm ( Figures 130, 131, 132, 138 View FIGURES 130–138 ). Abbreviations: d. o. = dorsal opening; l. f. = lateral finger; pst. scl. = parastomal sclerite (arrow points to its lower end); v. f. = ventral finger.

Distribution. Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam.

Material examined. Type material. Afridigalia taksina Lehrer, 2005 . Holotype male, in BMNH, labelled (1) “HOLO- / TYPE” [printed on round white label with red margin] (2) “ HOLOTYPUS ” [printed on red label]; (3) “N. Siam: / Doi Chom Chang , / nr. Chiangmai. / 10.IV.1921. / Dr. M. E. Barnes / 1921.393.” [handwritten on yellowish label]; (4) “ Afridigalia ♂ / taksina Lehrer n. sp. / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2005” [printed] ( Fig. 133 View FIGURES 130–138 ). Dissected by Lehrer; dissected parts transferred from large opaque plastic vial to glass microvial by K. R.

Other material. BPBM: 3 males labelled (1) “ VIET NAM: Dalat / 6 km S., 1400–1500m / 9.VI— 7.VII.1961 ” [printed]; (2) “ N. R. Spencer / Collector” [printed]; (3) “ Bengalia ♂ / varicolor / (Fab., 1805) / Det. H. Kurahashi ” [printed]; (4) My determination label ( taksina Lehrer ). One of the males dissected by K. R. T1–5 glued to card on pin; ST1–5 and dissected genitalia in glass microvial; ST5 flap lost by accident . 1 female labelled: (1) “ LAOS: / Vientiane Prov. / Ban Van Eue / 15.III.1966 ” [printed]; (2) “ Malaise Trap ” [printed]; (3) “Native Collector / BISHOP MUS.” [printed]; (4) “ Bengalia ♀ / varicolor / (Fab., 1805) / Det. H. Kurahashi ” [printed]; (5) My determination label ( taksina Lehrer ). [Not published by Kurahashi & Chowanadisai (2001)] . 1 female labelled (1) “ VIET NAM. Dak Song / 76 km SW of / BanMe Thuot , 870m / 19–21.V.1960 ” [printed]; (2) “ L. W. Quate / Collector” [printed]; (3) “ Bengalia ♀ / varicolor / (Fab., 1805) / Det. H. Kurahashi ” [printed]; (4) My determination label ( taksina Lehrer ). Dissected by Kurahashi. Abdomen with ovipositor in glass vial on pin with cork stopper. [Not published by Kurahashi & Chowanadisai (2001)] .

BPBM	Bishop Museum

Copyright notice

No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Diptera
Family	Calliphoridae
Genus	Bengalia