Megaselia cumpapillarum, Zuha & Disney, 2018

Zuha, Raja Muhammad & Disney, R. Henry L., 2018, Four new Megaselia species (Diptera: Phoridae) from animal carcasses in Bangi, Malaysia, Zootaxa 4508 (4), pp. 551-561 : 554-555

Megaselia cumpapillarum sp. nov.

( Figs 7–10 )

Description. Male only.

As Fig. 7 . Frons brown, clearly broader than long, with about 100 hairs and dense but very fine microtrichia. SAs very unequal. The antial bristles almost level with the upper SAs and about midway between them and the anterolaterals, which are distinctly higher on frons. Pre-ocellars about as far apart as either is from a mediolateral bristle, which is at about the same level on frons. Cheek with 2 bristles and jowl with two that are a little longer. Postpedicels light brown ( Fig. 7 ), without SPS vesicles. Palps pale yellow, about 0.03–0.04 mm greatest breadth, with 5 bristles, the longest about 0.04 mm long, and fewer hairs. Labrum pale and not as wide as a palp. Labella pale and with numerous, densely crowded spinules below. Thorax brown. Two notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Mesopleuron bare. Scutellum with an anterior pair of hairs and a posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites brown ( Fig. 7 ) with hairs on T6 longer than on T1 to T5. Venter ( Fig. 7 ) with smaller hairs on segments 3–5. Segment 6 with a pair of protuberances (papillae) ( Fig. 8 ) bearing microtrichia in addition to hairs ( Fig. 9 ). Hypopygium brown, with a yellow anal tube ( Figs 7 & 8 ). Epandrium with 3 hairs, almost equal in length to those on cercus and proctiger. Hypandrium lobes vestigial but bristles long. All hairs on epandrium shorter than hairs on T6. Legs yellow ( Fig. 7 ) but hind femur brown at tip. Fore tarsus with posterodorsal hair palisade on segments 1–4½ and 5 clearly longer than 4. Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends about 0.8 times its length. Hairs below basal half of hind femur ( Fig. 10 ) longer than those of anteroventral row of outer half. Mid tarsus long and slender. Hind tibia with 10 only moderately differentiated posterodorsal hairs, without anterodorsals, and spinules of apical combs simple. Wings 0.96 mm long. Costal index 0.39. Vein 3 unforked and costal ratios 1.2–1.3: 1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.03 mm long. No hair at base of vein 3. With 2 axillary bristles, the outer being longer 0.06–0.07 mm long. Sc not reaching R1. Thick veins brownish, thin veins 4–7 pale. Membrane pale. Haltere knob yellowish brown ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology. The name refers to the two papillae on the abdomen.

Recognition. In the keys of Borgmeier (1967) for Group VIII species it runs to couplet 3, where the papillae on segment 6 of the venter immediately distinguish it from M. orbata Borgmeier. In addition the hypandrium lacks posterior lobes. Borgmeier’s keys, being based in pinned specimens, rely heavily on small differences in the wings. His somewhat sketchy Fig. 137 of the hypopygium fails to depict the left hypandrial lobe (cf Fig. 9 in Disney (2008)). The hypopygium of M. abstinens Borgmeier is clearly different (Borgmeier’s Fig. 135). The subsequently described M. sorobata Disney (Disney & Ševčík 2011) also runs to couplet 3. Like M. cumpapillarum it lacks hypandrial lobes but its epandrium (their Fig. 2 ) clearly differs from that of M. abstinens (Borgmeier’s Fig. 135). However, M. sorobata lacks papillae on segment 6 of the venter ( Figs 11 and 12 ).

Material. Holotype, ♂, MALAYSIA: Selangor, Bangi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia , rabbit carcass in luggage, 15.xii.2010 ( UCZM, 41–42).

Figures

FIGURES 7–10. Megaselia cumpapillarum sp. n. male: 7—whole fly; 8—left face of abdomen; 9—papilla on segment 6; 10—hind femur.

FIGURES 1–6. Megaselia bangiensis sp. n. male: 1—frons; 2—thorax and abdomen; 3–5—hypopygium; 3—left face; 4— hypandrium; 5—right face; 6—hind femur.

FIGURES 11–12. Megaselia sorobata Disney male: 11—left face of abdominal segment 6 and hypopygium; 12—segment 6.