Pygophora Schiner, 1868

Yoshizawa, Satoshi & Tachi, Takuji, 2018, Taxonomic review of the genus Pygophora Schiner of Japan (Diptera: Muscidae), Zootaxa 4418 (5), pp. 449-468 : 450

Genus Pygophora Schiner, 1868

Pygophora Schiner, 1868: 295 . Type species: Pygophora apicalis Schiner, 1868 (by original designation). See Couri & Pont (2000) for complete list of synonyms.

Diagnostic characters of Japanese species.

Male. Head. Occiput black in ground color, with gray pruinosity; prementum dark or reddish brown. Vertex 1/ 5–1/4 of head width; parafacial very narrow in the middle, 1/25–1/17 of head width; gena narrow, 1/13–1/7 of head height; ocellar triangle small, not reaching lunule; 2 frontal setae; 2 reclinate orbital setae; fronto-orbital plate without any supplemental setula; 1–2 supravibrissal setae; 1 vibrissa; 1–3 subvibrissal setulae; 1–2 genal setae; compound eye bare. First aristomere as long as wide; 2nd aristomere longer than wide; 3rd aristomere thickened on basal 1/5; arista plumose only on basal half.

Thorax. Two proepisternal setae, anterior one shorter than posterior; 2–3 proepimeral setae; 2–3 postpronotal setae; acrostichal seta fine; 1–2 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 1 presutural and 1–3 postsutural intra-alar setae; 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supra-alar setae; 2 postalar setae; 2 notopleural setae; 4–6 anepisternal setae; 3 katepisternal setae, forming equilateral triangle; anepimeron, katepimeron, meron, katatergite, and anatergite bare; apical scutellar seta as long as basal one; prosternum bare.

Wing. Tegula, basicosta, and all veins brown; upper and lower calypters white; halter creamy. Vein M not bending anteriorly at apical part; distance of M between crossveins r-m and dm-cu shorter than distance between crossvein dm-cu and wing margin; crossvein dm-cu nearly straight, longer than ultimate section of vein CuA1.

Legs. All tibiae, tarsi, and pulvilli creamy yellow; all claws brown. Fore tibia with 1 posterior, 2 preapical dorsal, and 3 apical ventral setae; mid femur with 2 preapical posterior setae; mid tibia with 2–3 posterodorsal, 2 preapical dorsal, and 3 apical ventral setae; hind tibia with 2 preapical dorsal and 3 apical ventral setae; pulvillus rectangular in shape.

Abdomen. Tergites 3–5 with several discal and marginal setae.

Male terminalia. Tergite 6 greatly reduced or very slender; syntergosternite 7+8 small with several setae; sternite 6 slender and symmetric; epandrium semicircular and notched laterally with many setae; surstylus and cerci fused with epandrium; hypandrial arms fused and broad; pregonite small and round apically; phallus curved dorsally at middle; distiphallus broad and orbicular with large membranous areas laterally, apical part hook-like.

Female. Similar to male in general appearance, differing from male by the body color, length of 1 st flagellomere , shape of hind leg, shape of segment 5 of abdomen, and chaetotaxy.

Female terminalia. Tergite 6, sternites 7 and 8 strongly reduced with some setulae; sternite 6 broad with setae; hemitergite 7 small and bare; hemitergite 8 narrow with some setulae at posterior margin.

Remarks. Shinonaga (2003) recorded Pygophora trimaculata Karl, 1935 from Iriomotejima Is. We examined the specimens of P. trimaculata identified by Dr. Shinonaga, which are deposited in EUM. However, they are identified as P. longicornis and therefore the record of P. trimaculata from Japan is incorrect.

Within this genus, there are few differences between the females. In particular, the abdominal characters (terminalia) are very similar as mentioned in the redescriptions below. Therefore, it is very difficult to distinguish closely related species such as P. boninensis and P. macularis by the female morphological characters.