Blepharella setigena (CORTI 1895)

Zeegers, Theo & Majnon, Bahareh, 2015, First record of the genus Blepharella (Diptera: Tachinidae) from the western Palaearctic region, Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 539-543 : 540

Blepharella setigena (CORTI 1895) ( Figs 3-4 )

M a t e r i a l: Iran: Karaj : Kordan, 35.932324°N 50.831037°E, 20.viii.2012, 433 (leg B. Majnon Jahromi leg ex Malaise trap) (333 col J. Flinck, Helsinki, SF; 1 3 col. Th. Zeegers, Soest, NL) .

The genus Blepharella belongs to the subfamily Exoristinae and tribe Goniini ( HERTING 1984) . The genus can be recognized by the keys given by MESNIL (1949, 1950) and CROSSKEY (1984). The specimens collected also would run to Blepharella in the key provided by TSCHORSNIG & RICHTER (1998), except for the fact that the scutellum is partly reddish. This is of course only relevant at specific level. In several species of Blepharella the prosternum is bare, in contrast to the original state of this feature in the subfamily Exoristinae . This secondary loss of setulae on the prosternum is found in a few other genera of Exoristinae as well (for instance Oswaldia ROBINEAU- DESVOIDY 1863, Hebia ROBINEAU- DESVOIDY 1830 and Masicera MACQUART 1834 ). The known hosts for Blepharella are caterpillars of Lepidoptera , mostly Noctuidae ( CROSSKEY 1984) .

The genus Blepharella has been revised on a worldwide scale by MESNIL (1952). CROSSKEY (1980) transferred many species from related genera to Blepharella . The varieties of B. setigera mentioned by MESNIL (1952) were raised to species level by CROSSKEY (1980). MESNIL (1967) added B. nigra MESNIL, 1967 from Japan.

Adding all up, currently 43 species of Blepharella are considered valid. The vast majority of these, 41 species, occur in the Afrotropical region ( CROSSKEY 1980). One species, B. lateralis Macquart, 1851 , occurs in both the Oriental and the Australasian region ( CROSSKEY 1973, 1976) and one species, the above mentioned B. nigra , in the eastern Palaearctic ( MESNIL 1967).

Figures

Figs 3-4: Blepharella setigena (CORTI, 1895) male. (3) habitus, dorsal; (4) head, lateral.