Megaselia kurinai Disney, 2013

Disney, R. Henry L., Kurina, Olavi, Tedersoo, Leho & Cakpo, Yvonne, 2013, Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) reared from fungi in Benin, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 357-357 : 364-366

Megaselia kurinai Disney , sp. n.

Figs 11–16

Etymology: Named for Olavi Kurina.

Description:

Male.

Frons brown, clearly broader than long, with 28–52 hairs and dense but very fine microtrichia. Supra-antennal bristles (SAs) very unequal, lower pair being at most 0.75× as long as apical bristles of palps. The antials lower on frons than ALs and further from upper SAs as either is from AL. Pre-ocellars about as far apart than either is from ML, which is about the same level on frons. Cheek with 4–6 bristles and jowl with two longer ones. The subglobose postpedicels yellow, without subcutaneous pit sensilla (SPS) vesicles. Palps yellow, only about 0.2× as broad as postpedicel but at least as long as breadth of latter, with 4–6 bristles and as many hairs. Labrum pale yellow and about 3× as wide as a palp. Labella coloured as palps and with only a few short spinules below. Thorax yellow. Three notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Mesopleuron bare. Scutellum with anterior pair of hairs (about as long as those in middle of scutum) and posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal T1 and T2 largely yellow but with brown patches in rear of outer thirds at most. T3 and T4 largely brown with yellow median bands. T5 yellow with small brown smudges at front in outer thirds. T6 entirely yellow.All tergites with fine hairs, which are longest at rear of T6. Venter yellow, with a few small hairs on segment 6 only. Hypopygium largely brown, with yellowish brown anal tube; right lobe of hypandrium small ( Fig. 16 ). With 4 rectal papillae. Legs yellow apart from brown patches on mid coxae and slightly brown tips to hind femora. Fore tarsus with pd hair palisade on segments 1–5, and segment 5 about as long as 4. Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends about ⅔ of its length. Segments 3–5 of mid tarsus as Fig. 12 . Hairs below basal half of hind femur longer than those of av row of outer half. Base of hind tibia as Fig. 11 , with about a dozen differentiated pd hairs and spinules of apical combs simple. Segments 3–5 of hind tarsus as Fig. 13 . Wings 1.1–1.4mm long. Costal index 0.42–0.46. Costal ratios 3.7–4.2:2.4–2.7:1. Costal cilia (section 3) 0.05–0.07 mm long. No hair at base of vein 3. With 2 axillary bristles, outer being longer than costal cilia. Sc not reaching R1. Thick veins yellowish grey, thin veins 4–6 grey and 7 very pale. Membrane lightly tinged grey (only just evident to naked eye when viewed against a white background). Haltere knob brown.

Female.

Head similar to male but labrum about 0.9× as wide as diameter of postpedicel but 3× as wide as a palp. Thorax as male. Abdominal tergites yellow with hairs mainly at hind margins and longest at rear of T6. Venter yellow and with a few hairs at rear of segment 6. Retractile terminal segments dark. Tergite and sternite 7 represented by a few hairs only. Posterolateral lobes at rear of sternum 8 with narrow, dark and bare tips ( Figs 14, 15 ). Cerci vestigial ( Fig. 15 ). With 4 rectal papillae. Furca not evident. Dufour’s crop mechanism at least twice as long as broad and rounded behind. Legs similar to male but segments 5 of the mid and hind tarsi shorter than 4 th segments. Wing as male except 1.4–1.5 mm long. Costal index 0.45–0.46. Costal ratios 4.3–5.3:2.9–3.0:1. Haltere as male.

Holotype: ♂ BENIN: Koussanzamou , ex Russula sp. 2 ( TU116098 ), 5.vii, emerged 15–18.vii ( UCMZ, 42-9).

Paratypes and other material examined: 1♀ same data as holotype (42-9) ; 1♂ same locality , ex Tylopilus sp. ( TU116106 ), 5.vii, emerged 17–20.vii (42-5) ; 2♂ 1♀ (47♂ 65♀) same locality , ex Boletaceae sp. ( TU116120 ), 5.vii, emerged 15–20.vii (42-5) ; 1♂ 1♀ (1♂ 4♀) Kpessou, ex Russula sp. ( TU116010 ), 30.vii, emerged 12–19. vii (42-11) ; 1♂ (1♂) same locality , ex Boletaceae sp. ( TU116073 ), 4.vii, emerged 15–20.vii (42-12) .

Remarks: In Beyer’s (1965) keys both sexes run to the same couplets on page 54 as the previous species, to M. nubila , and is likewise distinguished from this species. Specimens with the costal index less than 0.44 will run to couplet 10 on page 57, but the combination of yellow legs and postpedicels and 3 bristles on the notopleuron rules out the two species of this couplet.

Figures

Figs 11–16. Megaselia kurinai sp. n., ♂ (11–13, 16) and ♀ (14, 15): (11) anterior face of base of hind tibia, (12) segments 3–5 of mid tarsus, (13) segments 3–5 of hind tarsus, (14) lobes at rear of abdominal sternum 8, (15) left face of tip of abdomen, (16) left face of hypopygium. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.