Bama (Bama) martini, 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 : 44-47

Bama (Bama) martini n.sp.

Figs 35–38

Type material. Holotype ♀. Oro Province: Myola 2, 2080 m [c. 9°05'S 147°42'E], 4.vi.1984, J.W.I. ( AM K352857 ) . Paratypes. Oro Province: 1 ♀, same data as above ( AM) ; 1 ♂, Myola 2, 2100 m, 15.ix.1985, J.W.I. ( AM) .

Description (♂, ♀). Slightly elongate tawny-brown fly, with patterned, sexually dimorphic wing.

Coloration. Head brown to tawny-brown, darker dorsally, with silvery pruinescence on postorbital to postgenal zone and on smaller parafacial to fronto-orbital zone. Antenna tawny to tawny-brown; arista brown beyond base. Prelabrum tawny to tawny-brown; palpus tawny, with grey-brown apex in male only. Thorax tawny to tawny-brown; scutellum tawny-orange. Legs: coxae tawny-brown; femora tawnyyellow; tibiae dull tawny with brownish suffusions; tarsi dark brown. Wing: membrane tinged with yellow, more intensely so anteriorly to vein 2, in female with dark brown markings as in Fig. 35 , in male ( Fig. 36 ) with brown mark on base of submarginal cell not crossing first basal cell, but represented in that cell by narrow mark along vein 3 and small spot on vein 4, brown band enclosing anterior and discal crossveins narrower and less intense than in female, and apical brown wing zone reduced to narrow brown clouds enclosing apical parts of veins 4 and 5 and yellowish marginal zone between veins 2 and 4; halter pale yellow. Abdominal tergites tawny to brownish (partly discoloured in dried specimens).

Head. Postfrons almost parallel-sided (female), or slightly broadened anteriorly (male), near mid-length 0.36–0.39× as wide as head; height of cheek 0.24–0.26 of height of eye; face in profile concave, except towards lower margin; frontoorbital bristles moderately short; postvertical bristle vestigial. Antennal segment 3 c. 2.9× as long as deep; segment 4 very short; segment 5 microtrichose distally, not distinctly longer than its diameter; segment 6 gradually tapered over c. basal half, with moderately short pubescence extending almost to apex. Prelabrum moderately shallow, not prominent; palpus not broad, longer and more prominent in male than in female.

Thorax. Mesoscutum bare and glossy between setulae on most of dorsal surface; scutellum finely pubescent on entire dorsal surface; mesopleuron largely glossy, with little pruinescence near upper margin; prescutellar acrostichal bristle large, located slightly in advance of dorsocentral bristle; posteroventral extremity of sternopleuron with several black setulae ( Fig. 38 ). Fore femur with several large posteroventral bristles and smaller posterodorsal bristles, the former more numerous and strongly thickened in male; mid coxa with comb of moderately developed unequal black setulae, and anteromedial lobe somewhat produced and flattened; hind basitarsus broader in male than in female. Wing ( Figs 35, 36 ): first and second costal cells almost entirely microtrichose; stem vein with extensive dorsal zone of setulae; vein 2 with abrupt flexure near level of anterior crossvein so that submarginal cell becomes widened from this level; second section of vein 4 with slight sigmoid curvature; penultimate section of vein 4 not over half as long as anterior crossvein, little over one quarter as long as discal crossvein; large zone in first basal cell and most of second basal and anal cells bare in male; these bare zones less extensive in female; curvature of anal

dorsal view. (38) Mid coxae and adjacent parts, anteroventral view. sv, stem vein (note black setulae); 1c,

first costal cell.

crossvein variable, that of only available male without posterior concave curvature.

Abdomen. Female: length of compound tergite 1+2 c. 0.74 of that of tergite 3; sternites 1, 2 and 3 large; sternite 4 not over half as long as sternite 3; sternites 5 and 6 much reduced. Male: sternite 4 without cleft; genitalia not observed (aedeagus broken).

Dimensions. Total length, ♂ 7.8 mm, ♀ 6.3–7.3 mm; length of thorax, ♂ 3.0 mm, ♀ 2.9–3.2 mm; length of wing, ♂ 8.6 mm, ♀ 7.9–8.3 mm.

Notes. Bama martini differs from other Bama spp ., except B. aurantium and B. grande , in the more tawny toning of the thorax, particularly of the scutellum. It is readily distinguished from B. aurantium and B. grande by the absence of the dense, coarse brush on the mid coxa and the more developed, though sexually dimorphic wing markings. The thoracic pleura and antennal segment 3 are more strongly suffused with brown than in B. aurantium .

The specific epithet refers to John C. Martin, in recognition of his help, especially with micro-photography.

distal lobe of glans; pg, preglans; st, stipe; tf, terminal filaments.

Figures

Figures 35, 36. Bama martini n.sp., (35) Right wing of holotype, female. (36) Paratype male.

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