Bama (Bama) grande, 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 : 42-44

Bama (Bama) grande n.sp.

Figs 33, 34

Type material. Holotype ♀ (unique). Morobe Province: Mount Kaindi, near Wau , 2000–2350 m, 10–11.i.1965, J.S., M.S. ( BPB).

Description (♀, ♂ unknown). Relatively large, stout, tawnybrown fly, with faintly marked wings.

Coloration. Head tawny-brown, darker in region of vertex; upper part of face with creamy pruinescence. Antenna tawny-yellow; arista becoming dark brown distally. Prelabrum tawny-brown; palpus tawny-orange. Thorax tawny-brown; upper region of sternopleuron slightly darker. Legs: coxae tawny-yellow; femora entirely yellow; tibiae slightly darker than femora; tarsi brown to tawny-brown. Wing ( Fig. 33 ) largely hyaline, slightly tinged with yellow anteriorly, more intensely yellowish in

lateroventral view. (32) Distal part of aedeagus, scale = 0.2 mm. bu, bulb; fs, flexible section of aedeagus;

g, glans; lg, distal lobe of glans; pg, preglans; s4, abdominal sternite 4; st, stipe; tf, terminal filaments.

stigmatal section of subcostal cell and extreme basal part of marginal cell; slight brown mark surrounding anterior crossvein and longer, paler brown mark on discal crossvein; halter yellow. Abdominal tergites tawny-orange; ovipositor sheath brown-black.

Head. Postfrons almost parallel-sided, near midlength c. 0.31× as wide as head; height of cheek 0.24 of height of eye; face approximately as in B. aurantium ; two moderate-sized fronto-orbital bristles present and a much smaller one in front of these; postvertical bristle very small. Antennal segment 3 c. 2.6× as long as deep, apically rounded; arista (segment 6), except at extreme base, with moderately developed pubescence, becoming sparser apically. Prelabrum becoming shallow anteriorly; palpus somewhat elongate.

Thorax generally as described for B. aurantium ; posteroventral margin of sternopleuron (in front of mid coxa) with transverse series of larger black setulae. Fore femur with a series of large black posteroventral bristles on distal half, and sparse posterodorsal bristles; mid coxa ( Fig. 34 ) with irregular marginal comb of black setulae mixed with finer pale setulae, these not forming a dense brush as in B. aurantium ; hind tarsus slender, subcylindrical, almost as long as hind tibia. Wing: details of venation mainly as in B. aurantium ; preapical section of vein 4 as long as anterior crossvein; first costal cell bare, except for small anterodistal microtrichose zone; second costal cell sparsely and not uniformly microtrichose; second basal cell largely bare, almost to base.

Abdomen. Length of compound tergite 1+2 c. 0.7 of that of tergite 3.

Dimensions. Total length, 10.4 mm; length of thorax, 4.7 mm; length of wing, 11.1 mm.

Notes. Bama grande most resembles B. martini and B. aurantium in key characters, including the pale thorax and some venational features. It is distinguished from B. aurantium by the armature of the mid coxa and ventral extremity of the sternopleuron, and from B. martini by the very reduced wing markings, the less extensive microtrichiation of the wing membrane, the longer preapical section of vein 4, and the much darker ovipositor sheath. The type of B. grande is notably larger than any available specimens of B. martini and B. aurantium .

The specific epithet is a Latin adjective, indicating the relatively large size of the insect.

Figures

Figures 33, 34. Bama grande n.sp., holotype female. (33) Right wing. (34) Mid coxae.