Bengalia minor Malloch, 1927

Rognes, Knut, 2012, 3553, Zootaxa 3553, pp. 1-79 : 11-14

1. Bengalia minor Malloch, 1927

Figs. 1–19.

Bengalia minor Malloch, 1927: 408 . Holotype male (MNHN, examined), by original designation. Type locality: Mali, Yèlimané [15°07'08.40''N, 10°34'16.21''W] (de Zeltner leg.) ( Fig. 8).

Note. Malloch misinterpreted the handwritten label text when citing the locality as “Yélimené”. It is clearly spelt “Yèlimané” on both the holotype and the paratype labels ( Figs. 8, 9).

Bengalia lepineyi Séguy, 1935: 132 . Holotype male (MNHN, examined), by monotypy. Type locality: Mali (as “ Soudan ” [i.e., French Sudan]), Sokolo [14°44'22.56''N, 6°07'12.83''W], Cercle de Macina (de Lepiney leg.) (label shown in Fig. 19).

Note. Séguy did not state how many specimens he had before him when describing the species. He described the male sex, and said the female was unknown. He did not use the word type or other similar expression to refer to the specimen before him. There is only one specimen in MNHN under B. lepineyi and I interpret the specimen as holotype fixed by monotypy (cf. Rognes 2009 p. 52 under B. unicolor ). I have labelled it as “ HOLOTYPE (by monotypy)”.

Séguy described the ST5 flap as “étranglée à la base et sinueuse à l’apex” (p. 132, in main description), and the ST5 itself as “en croissant à l’apex” (p. 133, in key). He illustrated the ST5 flap in the upper left figure of his fig. 3 on p. 134. Examination of the holotype revealed that Séguy’s descriptions and figure do not apply to the ST5 flap but to the hind half of the cerci freely exposed behind the hind edge of the transverse and true ST5 flap ( Fig. 7). It is astonishing that the artist making the drawing (Séguy himself?) could misinterpret the setose hind ends of the cerci as the ST5 flap, which is always without setae. The drawing shows a deep excavation in the hind edge and as being narrow basally, just as the proximal ends of the cerci appear in ventral view. Nevertheless, Séguy (1935: 132) clearly thought his B. lepineyi to “ressemble étroitement au Bengalia minor Malloch par les caractères chétotaxique et chromatiques”. The true ST5 flap of the holotype as it appears in the microscope after dissection ( Fig. 18) is rectangular and very short, exactly as figured for B. minor by Malloch (1927: 406 fig. 10c).

Bengalia lepineyi: Zumpt 1956: 175 , 173 fig. 103.

Note. Zumpt reproduced Séguy’s figures of the alleged ST5 flap, miscited the country given by Séguy (“ Soudan ”) as “ French Congo ”, and repeated Malloch’s misspelling of the locality.

Bengalia minor: Pont 1980: 791 . Catalogue entry. The reference to “ Congo ” may have been taken from Zumpt (1956).

Bengalia lepineyi: Pont 1980: 791 . Catalogue entry as a new synonym under B. minor .

Afridigalia minor: Lehrer 2005: 54 . Recorded from Chad and Sudan.

Bengalia lepineyi: Rognes 2006: 458 .

Note. Rognes here disagreed with the synonymy of B. lepineyi under B. minor made by Pont (see earlier entry) because of the apparent mismatch between the published figures of the ST5 flap (by Malloch, Séguy and Zumpt). As pointed out above, the structure figured by Séguy (1935) and Zumpt (1956) of an alleged ST5 flap is not that structure at all, but the hind end of the cerci emerging from under the hind edge of the true ST5 flap. The latter is difficult to observe in the holotype of B. lepineyi because of its yellow colour and transparency ( Figs. 7, 18, before and after dissection).

Afridigalia minor: Lehrer 2006: 8 . Recorded by Lehrer from Chad, Malawi (as Nyassaland) and Sudan.

Diagnosis. Male. Length: 9mm (n=2). [ Lehrer (2005: 55) gives 10mm]. Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.33–0.34 (mean 0.33, n=2). A very pale species recognisable among peuhi subgroup members by the shape of the ST5 flap in combination with a yellow epandrium. Lunula bare (holotype) or setose (male from Nigeria in CNC has three black setulae on lunula) .

Fore tibia without (holotype of B. minor ) ( Fig. 1) or with 2–3 strong but short v spine-like setae near middle, hardly half as long as tibial diameter (holotype of B. lepineyi , paratype of B. minor , specimen from Nigeria in CNC) ( Figs. 2–4). A few erect pv setae on distal fifth forming an indistinct fringe. Mid tibia with a fringe of long setae on distal half of v and pv surfaces, also invading av surface to a slight degree. Hind tibia with a single pd seta a little above middle ( B. minor holotype, B. lepineyi holotype), in the holotype of B. lepineyi a very small additional pd seta a little above it. Distinct fringe of long setae on distal two thirds or more of a, av and pv surfaces. Basitarsus on hind leg without long av setae, setae in this position not remarkable, opposite the condition in B. peuhi and B. unicolor .

T5 with 1–2 medial and 1–3 lateral discal setae [4 discals in B. minor holotype; 5 in B. minor paratype (2 on left, 3 on right side), 3 in B. lepineyi holotype (2 lateral and a single medial discal; second medial discal absent), 5 in specimen from Nigeria (3 on left, 2 on right side)]. Epandrium yellow.

ST5 flap a short, transverse piece, half as long as wide.

Cerci shining dark brown prongs, slightly curved as seen in lateral view. Lower bacilliform sclerite with a medial projection near its lower end ( Fig. 12).

Distal part of external hypophallic lobes projecting laterally outside of proximal part of that lobe, as seen in ventral view of distiphallus. Lateral finger small, not projecting beyond outer / lateral edge of distal part of external hypophallic lobe as seen in ventral view. Dorsolateral wings as seen from front of aedeagus forming an angle of slightly less than a right angle, the outermost part of the wings rather horizontal, transparent and visible in dorsal view of the aedeagus; their distal edges widest apart about at level of distalmost part of external hypophallic lobe. Antler tip with 2–3 small tines close together.

Female. Length: 9.5mm (n=1). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.36 (n=1). In CNC there is a female from Nigeria with the same capture data as a male B. minor , which I refer to this species. The setae on the legs and the abdomen are strikingly stout, remarkably on the dorsal side of the fore femur. T5 has 3 strong discal setae on left side, 4 on the right side. The marginal setae on T5 are also strong (4 on left, 5 on right side). The vestiture of the ST2–5 is very similar to that of B. peuhi , perhaps the setae are even shorter and stubbier. The tip of the ovipositor has only “soft” setae, no spine-like stiff ones. The frons is rather broad.

Discussion. The misunderstandings of Séguy (1935) concerning the true structure of the ST5 flap is discussed above under the entry for B. lepineyi in the synonymy above. Lehrer’s figure (2005: 55 fig. 22C) shows a quite prominent bifurcation at the tip of the antler, and in the key on p. 23 he describes the antlers as “minces, courtes et apparemment [sic] bifides au bout”. By using the word “apparemment” he appears not to have made up his mind about the real structure of the antler tip. My own dissection of the B. lepineyi holotype shows at most three extremely tiny tines on the tip of the antlers ( Fig. 16). Malloch’s figure (1927: 406, fig. 10b) does not show a bifurcation like the one figured by Lehrer, but a simple pointed structure. Malloch perhaps overlooked the very tiny tines (tags) on the antler tip.

Biology. Capture dates in the material I have seen are from June, July and September / October. Lehrer (2005, 2006) reports capture dates from October and December. Nothing else is known about the biology of this species.

Distribution. Chad, Malawi, * Mali, * Nigeria, Saudi Arabia ( Dawah & Abdullah 2009) and Sudan.

Material examined. Type material. Bengalia minor Malloch, 1927 . Holotype male, in MNHN, labelled (1) MUSEUM PARIS [black print on blue label]; (2) TYPE [black print on red label]; (3) Yèlimané / de Zeltner [black handwriting]; (4) Bengalia / ( Ochromyia ) / minor / Type / Det. JRMalloch [handwritten by Malloch except last line which is printed on white label with black margin] (labels 2–4 shown on Fig. 8). Dissected by Malloch who must have used this specimen for his illustrations ( Malloch 1927: 406 figs 10a–10c). The abdominal T4–6 and ST4–5 including the ST5 flap are glued to the tip of the blue museum label uppermost on the pin, but the genitalia are not present. Specimen in good condition with all legs intact. Paratype. MNHN: 1 male labelled: (1) MUSEUM PARIS [black print on blue label]; (2) Yèlimané / de Zeltner [black handwriting]; (3) TYPE [red print on white label]; (4) B. minor [handwritten in pencil] ( Fig. 9). Not dissected.

Bengalia lepineyi Séguy, 1935: 132 . Holotype male, in MNHN, labelled (1) Soudan Sokolo / Cle [= Cercle] de Macina / de Lepineyi [printed]; (2) 1ere quinz. / Juillet 1933 [printed]; (3) TYPE [black print on red label]; (4) Bengalia / Lepineyi ♂ / typ E. SÉGUY det. 1935 [handwritten by Séguy, but last line printed except “typ” and “35”which are also handwritten] ( Fig. 19); (5) “ HOLOTYPE / Bengalia (m) / lepineyi / Séguy, 1935: 132 / (by monotypy) / K. Rognes 27.v.2011 ” [printed on red label]. I have dissected the specimen. The dried abdominal tergites T1–5 are glued as a unit to a card above other labels; the genitalia are kept in glycerol in a glass microvial below the labels. The single specimen is in good condition, and all legs are intact. Pin heavily corroded above and below specimen.

Other material. CNC: Nigeria: 1 male labelled (1) N. NIGERIA / Kano State / Dambatta / VI – 30 – 73 / C.R.Hergert [lines 3 and 4 handwritten]; (2) Bengalia / sp. [handwritten]; (3) Bengalia minor / Malloch, 1927 ♂ / Det. T. I. Tantawi [handwritten]; (4) My determination label. 1 female labelled (1) N. NIGERIA / Kano State / Dambatta / VI – 30 – 73 / C.R.Hergert [lines 3 and 4 handwritten]; (2) May be the ♀ / of B. minor ?? / T. I. Tantawi; (3) My determination label. MNHN: Mali: 1 male labelled (1) Muséum Paris / Mali Adrar des Iforas / sept. oct. 1986 / Ehya ag Sidiyanae / Rec [handwriting on blue label, first line printed]; (2) Bengalia / minor Malloch / N.P.Wyatt det. 1987 [handwritten, last line is printed, except for handwritten last digit]; (3) My determination label.