Blepharicera asiatica (Brodsky, 1930)

Kang, Zehui & Yang, Ding, 2014, Species of Blepharicera Macquart from China with descriptions of two new species (Diptera: Blephariceridae), Zootaxa 3866 (3), pp. 421-434 : 422-423

Blepharicera asiatica (Brodsky, 1930)

( Figs. 1–5 )

Blepharicera asiatica Brodsky, 1930: 135 ( Blepharocera , as subsp. of fasciata Westwood). Type locality: “Sailiiski Alatau (Transiliische), Flub Issyk”.

Blepharocera kuenlunensis Lackschewitz, 1935: 391 . Type locality: “Sanju-Pass to Sanju Bazar, Karakorum”.

Blepharocera tertia Kaul, 1971: 419 . Type locality: India.

Blepharocera autumnalis Kaul, 1971: 423 . Type locality: India.

Diagnosis. Upper division of eye about 1/10 as large as lower division. Rs straight, as long as r-m. Each lobe of cercus pentagonal, posterior margin tapered medially; outer gonostylus swollen and slightly notched apically in lateral view; inner gonocoxal lobe transparent, slender, swollen apically, bar-like.

Description. Male. Body length 4.0 mm, wing length 5.5 mm, wing width 2.0 mm. Head uniformly black. Ocellar triangle black. Head mostly without hairs, except eyes with a row of several long hairs along dorsal margin. Compound eyes dichoptic, boundary of upper division and lower division unconspicuous; upper division smaller than lower division, about 1/10 as large as lower division, brick-red with pubescences; lower division black with pubescences; ocelli brick-red, prominent. Antenna longer than head width, scape and pedicel short, first flagellomere constricted basally, other flagellomeres elliptic; antenna uniformly dark brown with brown short hairs. Proboscis dark brown with brown hairs. Palpus five-segmented, first segment short, brown; segments 2–3 long, yellow with brown hairs; segments 4–5 dark brown with brown hairs.

Thoracic tergum uniformly dark brown. Thoracic pleuron mostly dark brown except metapleuron brown. Only scutellum with dense patches of hairs on anterior margin. Legs mostly brown except coxae, trochanters and bases of femora yellow brown; trochanters with black spots anteriorly; legs with uniformly short black hairs, fore trochanter with two black long hairs. Tibiae without spurs. Wing ( Fig. 2 ) subhyaline, apically with light brown cloud; veins brown. Sc rudimentary, not ending at base of Rs; apex of R1 slightly rudimentary; Rs straight, as long as r-m; r-m straight. Base of halter yellow, with light hairs; apex of halter dark brown, with short black hairs.

Abdominal tergites mainly dark brown except tergites 2–6 with brown band anteriorly, sternites mostly brown, each sternite with light brown band anteriorly; abdomen with short black hairs. Male genitalia ( Figs. 3–5 ): Posterior margin epandrium of concaved medially, with uniformly short hairs; hypandrium rectangular, slightly narrow basally, posteromedial margin concave; cercus bilobate, each lobe of cercus pentagonal, posterior margin tapered medially, with uniformly short hairs; outer gonostylus swollen and slightly notched apically in lateral view, with uniformly hairs; inner gonocoxal lobe transparent, slender, swollen apically, bar-like; paramere slender, transparent.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined: 1♂, CHINA, Yunnan, Gongshan, Danzhu 2007. V.18, Xingyue Liu; 25♂, Yunnan, Gongshan, Dimaluo, 2007. V.19, 1600 m, Xingyue Liu; 1♂, Guangxi, Jinxiu, Luoxiang, 2008. IV. 28, 500 m, Gang Yao.

Distribution. China (Yunnan; Guangxi); Russia; Afghanistan; Pakistan; India.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Blepharicera asiatica (Brodsky) (male). 1. Habitus of male, lateral view; 2: Wing. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 3 – 5. Blepharicera asiatica (Brodsky) (male). 3: Genitalia, dorsal view; 4: Genitalia, ventral view; 5: Gonostylus, dorsal view. Scale bar: 4 – 5 = 0.5 mm. Abbreviations: c = cercus; ep = epandrium; gs = gonostylus; gx = gonocoxite; hyd = hypandrium; og = outer gonostylus; ig = inner gonostylus; pa = parameres.