Meomyia callynthrophora ( Schiner, 1868 )

Li, Xuankun & Yeates, David K., 2020, Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Meomyia Evenhuis, 1983, with description of three new species (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Bombyliini), Zootaxa 4810 (2), pp. 201-243 : 207-211

2. Meomyia callynthrophora ( Schiner, 1868)

( Figs 4 , 5 )

Systoechus callynthrophorus Schiner, 1868: 137 . Type-locality: Australia (NSW); 3 Syntypes, NMW.

Bombylius spinipes Thomson, 1869: 488 . Type-locality: Australia (NSW); Holotype, NHRS.

Specimens examined. Australia, ACT, ♂ (2), Jervis [Bay], 1 Oct 1952, SJ Paramonov. ♂ Jervis [Bay], 18 Sep 1949, SJ Paramonov. NSW, ♀ Jervis [Bay], 18 Sep 1951, SJ Paramonov. ♂ (3) ♀ (1), Woy Woy , 22 Sep 1923, Nicholson. ♂ (1) ♀ (2), Woy Woy , 22 Sep 1923, Mackerras. ♂ (1) ♀ (1), Woy Woy , 30 Sep 1923, Nicholson. ♀ (2), Woy Woy , 3 Oct 1923, Mackerras. ♂ Woy Woy , 7 Sep 1924. ♂ (2) Myall Lakes , Mungo , 28 Aug 1934, DF Waterhouse. ♂ (1) ♀ (1), Myall Lakes , Mungo , 25 Aug 1934, DF Waterhouse. ♂ Redrock Rd , Heath, 23 Sep 1964, C Sourry. ♀ Wood- ford, 15 Nov 1925, Mackerras. ♂ (1) ♀ (3), Broulee Beach, dunes adjacent to island, 4m, 35°51’24”S 150°10’46”E, 10 Oct 2011, DJ Ferguson. ♂ (8) ♀ (2), Broulee Beach, dunes adjacent to island, 4m, 35°51’24”S 150°10’46”E, 1 Oct 2012, DJ Ferguson. ♂ (11) ♀ (1), Broulee Beach, 35°51’30”S 150°10’37”E, 2 Oct 2016, 10 m, X Li. ♂ (3) ♀ (1), Broulee Beach, 35°51’28”S 150°10’49”E, 26 Sep 2016, X Li & D Ferguson. ♂ Wyrrabalong NP, 33°17’54”S 151°33’7”E, 20 Sep 2017, X Li, Z Liu, M Jin .

Diagnosis. Posterior margin of scutum with a black hair band. Fore tibiae with enlarged outer black setae on apical half, and an apically hair tuft with a white scale band across on subapex; mid tibiae with enlarged black setae on apical half, and a white scale band on subapex. Apex of epiphallus of male gonocoxite bifid, with slender branch.

Redescription. Male. Body length 5.8–8.4 mm, wing length 6.1–9.1 mm.

Head. Head about 1.7 x wider than long, mostly black with thick pale pruinescence and covered in white hairs and scales. Eye holoptic. Frons long, 4.3 x length of ocellar tubercle, upper narrow and black; lower half triangular, 0.5 x length of upper half, with thick pale pruinescence and white scales. Ocellar tubercle slightly raised, blackish brown to black with sparse pale pruinescence, with long black hairs admixed with some short white hairs. Face with thick pale pruinescence and long white hairs. Gena with thick pale pruinescence and sparse white hairs. Clypeus with thick pale pruinescence and otherwise bare. Occiput with thick pale pruinescence and long white hairs. Posterior eye margin slightly concave. Antennal scape and pedicel brown with sparse pale pruinescence, scape with long black hairs, ventral half admixed with dense white hairs, pedicel with short black hairs; flagellum black without pruinescence, bare. Scape 2.4 x as long as wide, and 2.8 x as long as pedicel, uniform from base to apex. Pedicel as long as wide. Flagellum 9.2 x as long as wide, 2.2 x as long as scape + pedicel, 3.1 x as long as scape, conical and slightly laterally compressed, one-segmented with apical stylus ( Fig. 4c ). Palpus not extending beyond oral cavity, black with short brown hairs, one-segmented, without palpal pit. Mouthparts slender, 4.0 x as long as eye length, 2.5 x as long as head length, labellum large and fleshy ( Fig. 4h ).

Thorax. Integumental colour of scutum mostly black with sparse grey pruinescence. Scutum covered with white hairs admixed with some brown and black hairs, hairs denser on anterior half, a black hair band present on posterior margin, postalar callus with five brownish yellow setae and admixed with dense black hairs. Five brownish yellow notopleural setae present. Scutellum black with sparse grey pruinescence, pruinescence denser on the margin, covered with long black hairs and admixed with some black hairs, posterior margin with brownish yellow setae. Pleura black with thick pale pruinescence, mostly covered in long white hairs, except postpronotal lobe and anterodorsal area of anepisternum with yellow setae, anepimeron, meron, laterotergite and mediotergite bare.

Legs. Legs mostly yellow except mid and hind tibia and tarsi brownish yellow; femora mostly covered in white scales and hairs, except anterodorsal face of fore and mid femora and apex of hind femur covered with black scales; tibia mostly covered in black scales, but fore and mid tibia with admixed white scales on anterior face, and posterior face covered in white scales. Fore femur with one anterior bristle; mid femur with one row of anterior bristles; hind femur with one row of anteroventral bristles, and more separate bristles on apical half. Fore tibiae with enlarged outer black setae on apical half, and an outer black hair tuft apically with an oblique white scale band on subapex ( Fig. 4e ); mid tibiae with enlarged inner and outer black setae on apical half, and an oblique white scale band on subapex ( Fig. 4f ). Other bristles and other hairs on legs brown. Fore tibia 2.7 x longer than fore basitarsus, mid tibia 3.4 x longer than mid basitarsus, hind tibia 2.7 x longer than hind basitarsus.

Wings. Wing membrane hyaline. Cell r 5 closed; cell br shorter than cell bm, crossvein r-m arising from base of cell dm; crossvein m-m 0.7 x as long as crossvein r-m; cell cua open ( Fig. 4d ). Haltere stem and knob blackish brown.

Abdomen. Integumental colour of tergites black mostly with thick pale pruinescence. Tergite 1 with dense white hairs; tergite 2 with white hairs on anterior half, dense black hairs on posterior half, and brownish yellow setae on posterior margin; tergites 3–4 with dense white hairs, and brownish yellow setae on posterior margin, except tergite 3 admixed with some short black scales and black setae medially; tergites 5–7 with dense black hairs, except median bare, posterior margin with brownish yellow setae; tergite 8 with dense white hairs. Sternites black with thick pale pruinescence, sternites covered in dense white hairs, and with brownish yellow setae on posterior margin.

Genitalia. Epandrium anterior margin strongly concave, posterior margin slightly concave ( Fig. 5d ). Lateral margin of gonocoxite nearly straight ( Figs 5 a–b); apex of epiphallus bifid, branch slender and acute apically ( Fig. 5c ).

Female. Body length 8.3–10.1 mm, wing length 9.1–10.6 mm. Very similar to male, except frons black with thick pale pruinescence, 3.0 x as wide as ocellar tubercle, frons with short white scales admixed with brownish yellow setae ( Fig. 4m ). Occiput covered in white hairs admixed with brownish yellow setae. Eight acanthophorite spines present on each side of tergite 9+10 ( Fig. 5g ).

Remarks. Roberts (1928: 419) first considered Bombylius spinipes as a synonym of Systoechus callynthrophorus , and having examined the holotypes of both species we agree.

Distribution. Australia (ACT, NSW).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Meomyia callynthrophora (Schiner, 1868). External (a–j (♂); j–o (♀)): (a, j) dorsal; (b, k) lateral; (c) antenna, lateral; (d) wing; (e) fore tibia, anterior; (f) mid tibia, anterior; (g, l) head, dorsal; (h, m) head, frontal; (i, n) head, profile; (j, o) head, lateral. Scale bars = 1 mm (a, b, d–o); = 0.1 mm (c).

FIGURE 5. Meomyia callynthrophora (Schiner, 1868). Genitalia (a–e (♂); f, g (♀)): (a) genital capsule, dorsal; (b) genital capsule, ventral; (c) genital capsule, lateral; (d) epandrium, dorsal; (e) epandrium, lateral; (f) sternite 8, ventral; (g) genitalia and spermathecae. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.