Megaselia species

Disney, R. H. L., Prescher, S. & Ashmole, N. P., 2010, Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) of the Canary Islands, Journal of Natural History 44 (3 - 4), pp. 107-218 : 197

Megaselia species Y

( Figure 70 )

This species cannot be named until associated with its male.

Female

Frons brown, clearly broader than long, with 40–50 hairs and dense but fine microsetae. SAs robust but the lower pair are shorter and weaker. Upper SAs at about the same level on frons but clearly closer to anterolaterals, which are a little higher on frons. Pre-ocellars only slightly further apart than upper SAs but a little closer together than either is from a mediolateral bristle, which is at about the same level on frons. Cheek with two or three bristles and jowl with two longer ones. Postpedicels subglobose, light brown, without SPS vesicles. Palps pale yellow, with five or six bristles and as many hairs. Labrum coloured as palps and about 0.8 times as wide as postpedicel. Labella also pale and with only a few short spinules below. Thorax brown. Mesopleuron bare. Three notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Scutellum with an anterior pair of minute hairs (at most as long as hairs in middle of scutum) and a posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites brown. T5–T7 as Figure 70 . Venter brownish grey, and with hairs below segments 3–6. Sternite 7 absent. Posterolateral lobes at rear of sternum 8 indicated by a patch of five small hairs each side. Cerci pale and about 3.9 times as long as broad. Furca not evident. Dufour’s crop mechanism> 5 times as long as broad. Legs dusky straw yellow, but hind femur shading to light brown in distal third. Fore tarsus with posterodorsal hair palisade on segments 1–3 and 5 a little longer than 4. Middle legs missing. Hairs below basal half of hind femur a little longer than those of anteroventral row of outer half. Hind tibia with a dozen weakly differentiated posterodorsal hairs. Spinules of apical combs simple. Wings 1.1 mm long. Costal index 0.39. Costal ratios 3.3–3.4: 1.6–1.7: 1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.09 mm long. A small hair at base of vein 3. With two axillary bristles, both being shorter than costal cilia. Sc not reaching R1. Thick veins yellowish brown, thin veins 4–6 light grey and 7 paler. Membrane lightly tinged grey. Haltere knob pale yellow.

Recognition

See keys above.

Only record

One female, La Palma: Parc National de la Caldera de Taburiente , Roque de la Cumbrecita, 1377 m, 22 September 1999 ( T. Domingo-Quero, MNCNM – 19-148) .

Figures

Figure 70. Megaselia species Y female, abdominal tergites 5–7. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.