Bama McAlpine, 2001

McAlpine, David K., 2015, Signal Flies of the Genus Bama (Diptera: Platystomatidae) in Papua New Guinea, Records of the Australian Museum 67 (2), pp. 25-53 : 25-26

Genus Bama McAlpine

Bama McAlpine, 2001: 165–166 . Type species (original designation) Xiria papuana Hennig.

Relationships and identification. Hendel (1914a,b) recognized a subtribe Cleitamiina to include the New Guinea genera Loriomyia Kertész , Cleitamia Macquart, and Laglaisia Bigot , which he separated from some other platystomatine taxa in his key (1914b: 8) by having the crossveins (anterior and discal) strongly approximated, tergite 5 of male abdomen with some long posteriormarginal bristles, and the squama (or lower calypter) small. The genus Loriomyia (j. syn. Agnostophana Hering ) must now be excluded as belonging in the family Tephritidae ( Korneyev, 2001) , although convergent in some venational characters with Cleitamia . The New Guinea genera Cleitamoides Malloch and Bama also belong in this Cleitamia alliance. However, I do not at present recognize formal tribes or subtribes within the subfamily Platystomatinae (as delimited by McAlpine, 1973, 2001), to which the four genera of this alliance belong.

Examples of the genus Bama can generally be determined as such by means of the key to Australasian platystomatid genera given by McAlpine (2001), where Bama occurs in three places, according to the combination of diagnostic characters possessed by the various species. Some significant character states for the genus are here given, though, as indicated, some of these are not present in all included species.

• Two pairs of fronto-orbital bristles present. This condition occurs in many platystomatine genera, but its consistent presence helps to distinguish Bama spp . from the apparently related Laglaisia spp., which consistently have a single, large fronto-orbital pair.

• Face (fused prefrons and clypeus—see McAlpine, 2007a) without central, steep-sided, platform-

like carina. Such carina is generally present in

the platystomatine genera Euprosopia Macquart , Lamprogaster Macquart , Achias Fabricius , and Duomyia Walker.

• Antennal segment 6 (occupying most of length of arista) with fairly uniform armature of non-dense short hairs (or long pubescence). Bama signifer n.sp. is exceptional, totally lacking these hairs.

• Stem vein (base of R) with fine, usually black dorsal setulae (see Fig. 37 ). Setulae in this position are present in all known Bama spp . except B. shinonagai McAlpine and B. robertsi n.sp. They are generally present in the genera Euprosopia and Pterogenia Bigot , which are not closely related to Bama , but are quite rarely present in other platystomatids.

• Anal cell (cup) of wing largely bare, usually with small distal zone of microtrichia and linear anterior marginal microtrichose stripe. In related genera (including Laglaisia, Cleitamia ) the membrane of the anal cell is generally extensively or entirely microtrichose.

• Squama (lower calypter) reduced. It is significantly smaller than in Euprosopia , Lamprogaster , Pterogenia , and most Achias spp. In B. shinonagai the squama is less reduced than in other Bama spp ., but still occupies less than a semicircle in relation to its basal line of attachment to the thorax.

• Anterior plate of mid coxa laterally with two differentiated black bristles and mesad of these a marginal comb of finer setulae. This is a common condition in many platystomatid genera, but the major bristles are less distinct in Achias , Lamprogaster , and many Euprosopia spp. There are specific differences in the marginal comb among Bama spp .

• Mid tibia with one large terminal ventral spur much longer than tibial diameter, any additional spurs

being very small. This condition is diagnostic for the Cleitamia alliance as above delimited, most other platystomatids having the mid-tibial spur relatively short. However, in Euxestomoea de Meijere there are two long apical spurs on the mid tibia.

• In female, abdominal tergite 3 enlarged; tergites 4

and 5 much reduced in size and often more or less concealed in dried specimens. This is one of the most marked diagnostic traits for the genus Bama , and does not occur in Cleitamia , Cleitamoides, Laglaisia , and any other platystomatine genus of Australasia.

• In male, aedeagus with pair of tapering terminal filaments of unequal size, arising from apex of elongate bulb. The cuticle of both filaments bears closely placed sclerotized rings on most of its length. The unequal size of the terminal filaments seems to distinguish Bama from species of the related genera Cleitamia , Cleitamoides , and Laglaisia, so far as

this has been observed. Unequal pairs of terminal filaments occur in a few species of Lamprogaster (see McAlpine, 1973) and Euprosopia ( McAlpine, 2007b) , but the aedeagus of such species does not otherwise resemble that of Bama spp .

In the present study, I have slightly altered the terminology for parts of the aedeagus from that used previously ( McAlpine, 2001: figs 75, 78). The part immediately preceding the glans is now termed the flexible section of the aedeagus, instead of the preglans, and the variably differentiated part preceding this is termed the preglans ( Figs 41 , 46 , in accordance with my more recent studies of Duomyia spp. ( McAlpine, 2011: fig. 1).

Abdominal tergite 5 in males of Bama spp . generally has the posterior-marginal bristles less enlarged than in Cleitamia and Laglaisia.

Figures

Figures 37, 38. Bama martini n.sp., holotype female. (37) First costal cell and adjacent region of left wing,

Figures 39–41. Bama aurantium n.sp. (39) Wing of female (Stony Logging Area).(40) Mid coxae, male.(41) Distal part of aedeagus (Upper Manki), scale = 0.2 mm.bu, bulb; fs, flexible section of aedeagus; g, glans; lg,

Figures 45–47.Bama monstrans n.sp.(45) Distal part of aedeagus of holotype, right lateral view,scale = 0.3 mm.(46) Preglans from left side, scale = 0.1 mm.(47) Pair of mid coxae of male, left lateroventral view. bu, bulb; fs, flexible section of aedeagus; g, glans; lg, distal lobe of glans; pg, lobe of preglans; st, stipe; tf, terminal filaments.