Asiosarcophila kashanensis, Zhang & Xu & Pape & Pei & Zhang, 2021

Zhang, Ming, Xu, Wen-Tian, Pape, Thomas, Pei, Wen-Ya & Zhang, Dong, 2021, Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of Kalamaili Mountain Ungulate Nature Reserve (China: Xinjiang): checklist and description of four new species, Zootaxa 5063 (1), pp. 1-95 : 40-46

23. Asiosarcophila kashanensis sp. nov.

( Figs 35 , 36A, C , 37–38 )

Diagnosis. Pregonite distinctly curved. Postgonite hook-shaped distally. Phallus elongate and slender and with the paired lateral sclerotizations projecting almost perpendicular to the phallic tube.

Description. Male ( Fig. 35 ). Body length 8–10 mm.

Head. Eye bare, fronto-orbital plate, parafacial plate and postocular plates with thick silvery pollinosity. Parafacial bare, about 1.1 × as broad as fronto-orbital plate at its narrowest point. Frontal vitta about 1.5 × as wide as fronto-orbital plate in median part, sparsely pollinose in upper part. Frons at vertex 0.3 × head width, with rows of 6‒7 frontal setae. Outer vertical seta well differentiated from postocular setae. Proclinate 0, reclinate fronto-orbital setae 0. One pair of strong ocellar setae directed laterally. Gena silvery pollinose on black ground color, with sparse black setae, 0.3 × eye height in lateral view. Antenna brown, not reaching level of vibrissal insertion. Arista bare in basal 1/2, and swollen in basal 1/3. Postpedicel 2.2 × as long as pedicel. Vibrissa developed. Palpus black, distinctly expanded in distal part.

Thorax black in ground color, with silvery microtomentum and with three black dorsal vittae. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 2+1; dorsocentrals 2+3; intra-alars 1+2; supra-alars 2, postpronotals 3. Scutellum with 1 pair of proximal setae, 1 pair of subapical setae, 1 pair of apical setae and one pair of discal setae, and with thick black setae on both sides. Katepisternal setae 1 + 1. Wing hyaline; subcostal sclerite and basicosta yellow; cell r 4+5 narrowly open at wing margin; costal spine not differentiated; node of R 2+3 and R 4+5 with five setae dorsally and two setae ventrally. Calypter white. Legs blackish. Fore femur with one row of dorsal setae, one row of posterodorsal setae and one row of posteroventral setae. Fore tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae in basal part and 1 median posterior seta. Mid femur with 2 median anterior setae, 2 posterodorsal setae. Mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae, 1 posterodorsal seta, and 2 posterior setae. Hind femur with one row of anterodorsal setae and 1 anteroventral seta in distal part. Hind tibia with 1 row of anterodorsal setae, 1 anteroventral seta, and 2 posterodorsal setae.

Abdomen long oval, with silvery microtomentum. Syntergite 1+2 black. Tergites 3–4 with three median dorsal black spots respectively. Tergites 4 and 5 with a complete row of marginal setae. Terminalia ( Figs 36A, C , 37 ). Epandrium black. Cercus short, broad in basal part, triangular in lateral view. Surstylus wide, with a gently curved anterior margin, a mostly straight posterior margin, and a rounded apex. Pregonite distinctly curved. Postgonite hook-shaped distally. Phallus elongate, slender, and with the paired lateral sclerotizations projecting almost perpendicular to the phallic tube.

Female ( Fig. 38 ): Body length 7.80 mm. Differs from male in the following characters: Parafacial about 0.70 × as broad as fronto-orbital plate at its narrowest point. Frontal vitta about 1.45 × as wide as fronto-orbital plate in median part. Frons at vertex 0.4 × head width. Two proclinate and one reclinate fronto-orbital setae. Gena 0.28 × eye height in lateral view. Antenna broader and longer than male, postpedicel 2.3 × as long as pedicel.

Type material. Holotype ♂ [ BFUM]: Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 3.VI.2014, DZ & MZ leg . Paratypes [ BFUM]: 1 ♂ : 3.VI.2014, DZ & MZ leg.; 1 ♂: 6.VI.2014, MZ leg. (phallus lost); 1 ♀: 24.IV.2015, MZ & CW leg.; 2 ♀ ♀: 26.V.2015, MZ leg.; 2 ♂♂, 18.V.2015, MZ & CW leg.

Etymology. The new species is named after its type locality, the Chinese province Xinjiang, Kalamaili Mountain Ungulate Nature Reserve (abbreviated as “Kashan”).

Distribution. China (Xinjiang).

Remarks. The genus Asiosarcophila Rohdendorf & Verves, 1978 was established with the single species Asiosarcophila kaszabi Rohdendorf & Verves, 1978 . The authors suggested a sister-group relationship with Sarcophila Rondani, 1856 , while Pape (1998) suggested a sister-group relationship with Wohlfahrtia Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 , although both hypotheses were provided without detailing any synapomorphies. Phylotranscriptomic data have recently been found to support Asiosarcophila as a sister-taxon of Sarcophila ( Yan et al. 2020) . Asiosarcophila kashanensis sp. nov. is here assessed to be a member of the genus Asiosarcophila , argued from the row of short setae along the anterior margin of the surstylus. This setal configuration is shared by A. kashanensis and A. kaszabi and is to our knowledge not found in any other species in the subfamily. The slender lateral sclerotizations of the distiphallic, curved at their base and projecting more or less perpendicular to the phallic tube, may be a synapomorphy with the genus Sarcophila . The new species can be distinguished from A. kaszabi by pregonite distinctly curved, postgonite hook-shaped distally, and phallus elongate and slender and with the paired lateral sclerotizations projecting almost perpendicular to the phallic tube (compare Fig. 36A, C with Fig. 36B, D ).

Figures

FIGURE 35. Asiosarcophila kashanensis sp. nov., holotype, male, Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 3.VI.2014, DZ & MZ leg. A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Head, anterior view. D. Head, anterolateral view. E. Habitus, dorsal view. F. Terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: A, E = 2.0 mm, B–D = 1.0 mm, F = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 36. Asiosarcophila spp., male terminalia. A, C. Asiosarcophila kashanensis sp. nov. B, D. Asiosarcophila kaszabi Rohdendorf & Verves, 1978 [adapted from Rohdendorf & Verves (1978: 246, figs 3, 5)]. Abbreviations: acrp = acrophallus; cerc = cercus; dp = distiphallus; epand = epandrium; hypd apod = hypandrial apodeme; j = juxta; lsc = lateral sclerotization of distiphallus; pogt = postgonite; prgt = pregonite; sur = surstylus. Scale bars: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 37. Asiosarcophila kashanensis sp. nov., male, paratype, Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 6.VI.2014, MZ leg., terminalia. A. Epandrium, cercus and surstylus, lateral view. B. Sternite 5. C. Epandrium, cerci and surstyli, posterior view. D. Gonites, distiphallus and juxta, lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc = cercus; epand = epandrium; j = juxta; lsc = lateral sclerotization of distiphallus; pogt = postgonite; prgt = pregonite; sur = surstylus. Scale bars: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 38. Asiosarcophila kashanensis sp. nov., female, Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 24.IV.2015, MZ & CW leg. A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Head, anterior view. D. Head, anterolateral view. E. Wing, dorsal view. F. Abdomen, dorsal view. Scale bars: A = 2.0 mm, B–F = 1.0 mm.