Mythenteles coptopheles Evenhuis

Evenhuis, Neal L., 2003, World revision of the microbombyliid genus Mythenteles Hall & Evenhuis (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae), Zootaxa 346, pp. 1-28 : 8-10

Mythenteles coptopheles Evenhuis , sp. n.

( Figs. 7 , 16 , 30 )

DIAGNOSIS. Closest in appearance to M. indica , but can be separated from it by the much shorter proboscis (l.5 times the head height in M. indica ; just protruding from the oral margin in M. coptopheles ) and the all brown to dark brown tergites I–III (with distinctly yellow fascia in M. indica ).

DESCRIPTION. Male. Length: 0.95–1.25 mm. Head. Black; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by distance between lateral ocelli; frons depressed, yellow to yellow­white with brown spot medially; face yellow, tip of oral margin brown; antennae dark brown; scape minute; pedicel cylindrical, slightly wider than long; first flagellomere ( Fig. 7 ) ovoid, length about 1.5 x greatest width; second flagellomere about 1/3 length of first flagellomere, with apical sensillum; occiput and mentum subshining dark brown, yellowish brown surrounding oral margin; proboscis dark brown, thin, produced slightly beyond oral margin; labrum sclerotized, stiff, pointed apically; palpus not evident.

Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum subshining dark brown to black, with scattered dark hairs; humeral callus, thin notopleural line to wing base, thin ridge along postalar callus, propleuron, and thin posterodorsal corner of katepimeron yellow, otherwise pleura black; coxae and legs dark brown except for brownish tips of femora; halter stem dark brown, knob white.

Wing ( Fig. 16 ). Hyaline; veins brown; costa ends slightly more than one­third way between end of R4+5 and M1; vein Sc incomplete, ending at level about halfway between origin of Rs and end of vein R2+3; Rs connected to R1; R4+5 slightly arched to wing margin; vein M1 straight to wing margin after proximal curve at end of M1+2; M2 slightly sinuous to wing margin; cell dm open apically; CuA1 well developed to wing margin; A1 straight to wing margin, not distinctly curved or sinuous; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing normal in length.

Abdomen. Dorsum dark brown, with scattered dark hairs; yellow fasciae on posterior margin of tergites IV–VII, tergites I–III with brownish posterior fasciae, but not distinctly contrasting with abdominal ground color; venter brown.

Genitalia. Not dissected. Dark brown with epiphallus in situ recurved 90° extending beyond hypopygium as in M. wadimurri , sp. n.

Female. Same as male except as follows: female genitalia ( Fig. 30 ) with vaginal furca U­shaped, legs of “U” with spike­like sclerotization, without medial processes; with two well developed lateral spermathecae, middle duct reduced, without reservoir apically or sperm pump; lateral spermathecal reservoirs ovoid, sclerotized brown, without canaliculi apically; apical spermathecal duct thin, membranous, short, less than length of sperm pump; sperm pump subequal in length to spermathecal reservoir, thin, straight, not sclerotized, with slightly flared apical valve, basal valve not evident; common duct subequal in length to apical duct, membranous, thick.

Types. Holotype male and 4 female paratypes from ISRAEL: Hameshar, 16.iii.1988, A. Freidberg. Holotype deposited in TAU. Paratypes in TAU and BPBM.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from Greek = “small” + = “lie, untruth”, referring to the fact that this species lay hidden among specimens of M. wadimurri until the end of the study.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Israel.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. Mythenteles antennae, diagrammatic to show shapes (all drawn to scale). 7. M. coptopheles Evenhuis, sp. n.; 8. M. deemingi Evenhuis, sp. n.; 9. M. hellenicae Evenhuis, sp. n.; 10. M. hispanicola Evenhuis & Blasco­Zumeta, sp. n.; 11. M. silus Evenhuis, sp. n.; 12. M. wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor, sp. n.

FIGURES 16 – 23. Mythenteles wings. 16. M. coptopheles Evenhuis, sp. n.; 17. M. deemingi Evenhuis, sp. n.; 18. M. freidbergi Evenhuis, sp. n.;, anal lobe folded over 19. M. hellenicae Evenhuis, sp. n.; 20. M. hispanicola Evenhuis & Blasco­Zumeta, sp. n.; 21. M. infrequens Evenhuis & Blasco­ Zumeta, sp. n., anal lobe folded over; 22. M. silus Evenhuis, sp. n.; 23. M. wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor, sp. n.

FIGURES 30 – 35. Mythenteles female genitalia. 30. M. coptopheles Evenhuis, sp. n. 31. M. deemingi Evenhuis, sp. n. 32. M. hellenicae Evenhuis, sp. n. 33. M. propleuralis (Melander); 34. M. silus Evenhuis, sp. n.; 35. M. wadimurri Evenhuis & Theodor, sp. n., redrawn from Theodor (1983).