Bama (Bama) ismayi, McAlpine, 2015

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 : 38-39

Bama (Bama) ismayi n.sp.

Fig. 22

Type material. Holotype ♀. Central Province: 5 km NW of Brown River bridge, forest [lowland, c. 9°10'S 147°11'E], 13.iii.1983, J.W.I. ( AM K352859 ). On micropin through foam plastic . Paratype. Central Province: 1 ♀, same data as above ( AM) .

Description (♀, ♂ unknown). Moderately elongate predominantly black fly, with heavily marked wing.

Coloration. Head black to dark brown. Antenna tawnyorange; arista tawny-brown. Prelabrum dark brown; palpus brown basally, tawny-orange distally. Thorax black, slightly shining, with blue-tinted reflections. Coxae brown, hind coxa paler; femora yellow; tibiae and tarsi blackish. Wing hyaline, pale yellow at extreme base, with yellowish costal and marginal cells and dark brown markings as in Fig. 22 ; halter yellow. Abdomen black, dorsally with purple-tinted reflections.

Head. Postfrons almost parallel-sided, convex anteriorly, near mid-length c. 0.41× as wide as head; height of cheek c. 0.21 of height of eye; face in profile only slightly concave on upper half, slightly convex on lower half, with lower margin not prominent; fronto-orbital bristles rather small, but distinct; ocellar and postvertical bristles minute. Antennal segment 3 slightly tapered distally, c. 2.7× as long as deep; segment 6 with moderately short hairs on most of length. Palpus rather narrow.

Thorax. Mesoscutum bare between setulae on much of dorsal surface, rather broadly pubescent-pruinescent laterally; mesopleuron pruinescent mainly on upper-central region, largely glossy elsewhere; scutellum minutely pubescent on entire dorsal surface; thoracic chaetotaxy as given for B. robertsi . Fore femur with long, moderately stout posteroventral bristles, posterodorsal bristles less developed; mid coxa with moderately developed distomedial lobe and well developed series of large and small marginal setulae. Wing: first costal cell bare, except on short brown distal zone; second costal cell entirely microtrichose; stem vein with few minute dorsal setulae; vein 2 with gentle sigmoid curvature; second section of vein 4 with slight, almost even (non-sigmoid) curvature; penultimate section of vein 4 c. as long as discal crossvein; first basal, second basal and anal cells bare, except on very limited brown zones; hyaline zones on distal half of wing finely microtrichose; discal crossvein with slight sigmoid curvature, its general orientation slightly oblique; anal crossvein with maximum curvature only slightly anterior to mid-length.

Abdomen. Compound tergite 1+2 c. 0.6–0.7× as long as exposed part of tergite 3; sternite 1 moderately large; sternites 2 and 3 larger; sternite 4 slightly shorter, sternites 5 and 6 transversely almost linear.

Dimensions. Total length, 7.0– 7.1 mm; length of thorax, 2.9 mm; length of wing, 7.1–7.2 mm.

Notes. Bama ismayi is most easily recognized by the wing markings and vein proportions ( Fig. 22 ), but it is conceivable that the dark markings may be less extensive in the still unknown male.

The specific epithet refers to John W. Ismay who has made significant research collections of many families of Diptera in Papua New Guinea.

Figures

Fig. 22. Bama ismayi n.sp., holotype female, right wing and adjacent parts.