Pachylophus punctifrons Becker, 1910

Deeming, John C., 2018, A revision of the Afrotropical species of Pachylophus Loew (Diptera: Chloropidae) and some related Ovoviviparous genera, Zootaxa 4482 (1), pp. 1-51 : 21-22

Pachylophus punctifrons Becker, 1910

( Plate 11 , Figs 54, 55)

Pachylophus punctifrons Becker, 1910: 392

Described from Madagascar. Material: 8♂ 33♀ , MADAGASCAR: Tulear District, Antanimieva , 22°22'S 44°43'E, 20.vi.1994, C.C.D. Tingle ( NMWC & NHMUK); 13♂ 7♀, Amparafaravola (O. du Lac Alaotra) 1921, R. Decary ; 1♂ 2♀, Imerimandroso, Rive N. du Lac Alaotra, 1921, R. Decary ; 1♀, Tananarive, 11.1921, R. Decary; 1 ex. (abdomen missing) Env. de Tananarive , i.1928, R. Decary ; 3♀, Prov. d'Analalava, Maromandia, 1922, R. Decary (all in MNHN); 4♂ 5♀, Perinet, between Antananarivo and Toamasina, Malaise trap, 11–13.x.1993, C. Kassebeer (X1190), ( ZSM, apart from 2♂ in NMWC) ; 11♂ 11♀, same data but 29.ii–4.iii.1984, (X1187), ( ZSM) ; 8♂ 12♀, 44 road km S. of Ambositra on Route Nationale 7, 27.ii.1984, (X1186) ; 6♂ 4♀, Menarandra , river bank, 22.ii.1984, (X1184) ; 27♂ 26♀, S. bank of River Mangoky, Beoay , 19.ii.1984, (X1182) ; 4♂ 5♀, Ampasikibo, 6 km SSW of Analamisampy , 17.ii.1984, (X1181) ; 13♂ 11♀, Hazovotsy River 13km WSW of Ihosy , 11.ii.1984, all M. v. Tschirnhaus (all ZSM).

All of Decary's material stood in the MNHN collections under halteratus and madagascariensis Séguy (in Séguy's handwriting), this latter a MS sp. name and without any type labelled as such.

Dr. Ebejer has kindly compared a male from Antanimieva with the types. He informs me that, whereas this specimen has the dark borders of the frontal triangle well defined, the types have the frontal triangle uniformly darker. The total material examined presents some variation in the dusting of the frontal triangle, in most specimens only the extreme lateral margins being free of dust, but in some specimens the dusting is more restricted. A dissected female from Antanimieva was found to contain a larva of two thirds of the length of the mother's abdomen and which had the cephaloskeleton almost black.

Figures

PLATE 11. Figs 50–55. Pachylophus spp. 50, P. minimus Becker, frons; 51, same, habitus; 52, P. punctifemur Sabrosky, frons; 53, same, habitus; 54, P. punctifrons Becker, frons; 55, same, habitus.