Blepharella Macquart, 1851

Shima, Hiroshi & Tachi, Takuji, 2019, The genus Blepharella Macquart (Diptera: Tachinidae) in Japan, with notes on the Oriental species B. lateralis Macquart, Zootaxa 4615 (1), pp. 131-144 : 132-133

Genus Blepharella Macquart

Blepharella Macquart, 1851: 176 [also 1851: 203]. Type species Blepharella lateralis Macquart, 1851 , by original designation. For synonyms see O’Hara & Cerretti (2016: 128–129).

Diagnosis (male and female). Small to large-sized goniines (7–15 mm). Head dichoptic; eye bare; inner vertical seta well developed; outer vertical seta well developed in female, sometimes weakly so in male; ocellar setae absent or fine and hair-like; 2 reclinate orbital setae in male and female, 2 proclinate orbital setae in female; facial ridge with strong setae on lower 1/2, or with rather strong setae on lower 1/3–2/5; face concave, lower margin weakly protruded forward, at most slightly extending beyond vibrissal base; occiput flat, with dense whitish or pale yellowish pile, and sometimes with rows of fine black hairs behind row of occipital setae; antenna falling short of lower margin of face, 1st flagellomere more than twice as long as pedicel, arista bare or micro-pubescent, basal two aristomeres short, 3rd aristomere thickened on at most basal 2/5; palpus well developed, weakly clavate; prementum short. Thorax: prosternum bare or haired; proepisternum bare; postpronotum with 4–5 setae, basal 3 setae arranged in a straight line; 3 presutural and 3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 3 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 1 presutural and 3 postsutural intra-alar setae; 1 presutural and 3 postsutural supra-alar setae, first postsutural seta shorter than 3rd seta and longer and stronger than notopleural seta and 1st postsutural intra-alar seta; 3 katepisternal setae; scutellum with a pair of discal setae and 4–5 pairs of marginal setae, lateral seta sometimes double and apical setae fine and crossed horizontally or suberectly; distance between bases of subapical scutellar setae less than that between basal and subapical setae. Wing hyaline; costal spine indistinct; 2nd costal sector bare ventrally; veins bare except for base of vein R 4+5 with 2–3 fine, short setulae. Fore tibia with a long mid-dorsal preapical seta and 2 posterior setae; mid tibia with 2–4 anterodorsal setae in male, 4–5 in female, 2 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with a row of anterodorsal setae, sometimes very closely set. Abdominal syntergite 1+2 excavated to posterior margin, with a pair of median marginal setae; 3rd tergite with a pair of median marginal setae, 4th tergite with a row of marginal setae and 5th tergite with rows of short discal and long marginal setae; median discal setae usually indistinct on 3rd and 4th tergites; venter of 4th tergite sometimes with sexual hair patches in male; male 5th sternite with deep sub-parallel posteromedian cleft occupying posterior 1/5–1/4 of its length. Male terminalia: 6th tergite reduced to two small long triangular hemitergites; 6th sternite asymmetrical, broadened and articulated with syntergosternite 7+8 on left side and rather slender and narrowly separated from the syntergosternite on right side; syntergosternite 7+8 short, 1.5–2.0 times as long as 6th hemitergite; cerci narrowly separated in apical portion, median suture distinct; hypandrial arms elongate in dorsal portion, close to each other; epiphallus short and wide; distiphallus expanded apically; ejaculatory apodeme small, widened at posterior apex. Female terminalia: 6th and 7th tergites separated into hemitergites; 8th tergite consisting of short and dorsally discontinuous hemitergites, without hairs; epiproct absent.

Remarks. The known Blepharella species are rather diverse morphologically, with such features as bare or haired prosternum, bare or haired parafacial, presence or absence of male sexual hair patches on the abdominal venter, and closely-set comb-like posterodorsal setae or rather sparsely-set posterodorsal setae on the hind tibia. They have, however, common features in the male abdominal and postabdominal structures, such as 5th abdominal sternite with a very deep posteromedian cleft, hypandrial arms very long in dorsal portion, pregonite rather short and wide and curved anteriorly, cerci broad with a distinct suture and separated in apical portion, epiphallus short and wide, and distiphallus flat and expanded posteriorly. Some of these character states are shared with other Oriental goniines, e.g., Blepharipa Rondani , Crosskeya Shima & Chao and Takanomyia Mesnil. It is possible that these genera are close to Blepharella judging from these character states, although they each have their own distinct characteristics.