Medinodexia japonica Tachi & Huang, 2019

Tachi, Takuji & Huang, Yu-Zen, 2019, A new species of Medinodexia Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Japan, with a discussion on phylogenetic implications of the female postabdomen in Blondeliini, Zootaxa 4638 (4), pp. 584-594 : 586-589

Medinodexia japonica Tachi & Huang , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 – 7 , 9 – 12 , 17 – 18 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ³: KYUSHU / Fukuoka / Is. Noko / 29.ix.1995 / T. Tachi // HOLOTYPE / Medinodexia japonica / Tachi & Huang / ³ [square red label] ( BLKU) .

PARATYPES (all BLKU). Japan, Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture: 1 ³, Fukuoka City, Aburayama , 4.vi.1989, H. Shima leg. ; 2 ♀♀, Fukuoka City, Nishiaburayama , 3.x.1995, T. Tachi leg. ; 1 ♀, Fukuoka City, Nishiaburayama , 3.vii.1997, T. Tachi leg. ; 1 ³, Fukuoka City , Is. Noko, 8.vii.1995, M. Sueyoshi leg. ; 1 ♀, Fukuoka City , Is. Noko, 27.vi.1996, M. Sueyoshi leg. ; 1 ♀, Fukuoka City , Is. Noko, 7.vii.2000, M. Sueyoshi leg. ; 1 ³, Fukuoka City, Nokata , 20.vii.2000, H. Shima leg. ; 1 ³, Fukuoka City, Kyushu University Ito Campus , vii.2016 (reared from Aulacophora nigripennis ), T. Nakahara leg. ; 1 ♀, Fukuoka City, Kyushu University Ito Campus , 5.vi.2016, T. Tachi leg. ; 1 ³, 2 ♀♀, Fukuoka City, Kyushu University Ito Campus , 18.vi.2016, S. Yoshizawa leg. ; 1 ³, 1 ♀, Fukuoka City, Mt. Kohshi , 20.ix.2010, T. Tachi leg. ; 1 ♀, Fukuoka City, Mt. Inunaki , 19.x.1997, T. Tachi leg. ; 1 ♀, Dazaifu City, Mt. Shioji , 3.x.2009, H. Shima leg. Kumamoto Prefecture: 2 ³³, Kukino , 6.vi.1995, T. Tachi leg. Nagasaki Prefecture: 1 ³, 1 ♀, Tsushima, Banshouin , 16.vi.1995, T. Tachi leg. Kagoshima Prefecture: 1 ♀, Route 462, Satsumasendai City, 16.vi.2016, S. Komagata leg. Ryukyu Islands , Okinawa Prefecture: 1 ♀, Iriomote, Tsukigahama , 12.iv.1996, T. Tachi leg.

Diagnosis. Fore tibia with 1 posterior seta; antenna with first flagellomere short, approximately 3 times as long as pedicel; gena narrow, approximately 0.15 of head height; male sternite 5 nearly rectangular, slightly longer than wide.

Description. Male. Body length: 5.5 – 6.2 mm.

Head. Black in ground color with grayish-white pruinosity; scape, pedicel, first flagellomere and arista black; palpus light yellow. Vertex approximately 0.2 of head width; frontal vitta weakly widened anteriorly, approximately 0.2 times as wide as fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial narrowed in lower part, approximately half as wide as first flagellomere at middle; gena approximately 0.15 of eye height; face distinctly concave, lower facial margin not produced forward in lateral view; occiput developed. Inner vertical seta fine, approximately 1/3 of eye height, outer vertical seta absent; ocellar setae fine; 9 – 10 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly reaching level of base of first flagellomere; facial ridge with a few fine setae in lower part; upper occiput with a row of black setae behind postocular setae. Antenna with first flagellomere 3.0 – 3.3 times as long as pedicel; arista thickened on basal 1/3; second aristomere slightly longer than wide. Palpus slender, shorter than first flagellomere.

Thorax. Black in ground color, with dense grayish-white pruinosity on postpronotal lobe, notopleural plate, posterior 1/3 of presutural area of scutum and posterior 2/5 of postsutural area of scutum; scutellum black; pleura densely grayish-white pruinose. Prosternum setulose; 2 postpronotal setae; 2 presutural and 2 – 3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 2 presutural and 2 – 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae (if 3 postsutural setae, then middle seta very fine); 2 katepisternal setae; scutellum without apical seta, subapical setae long, approximately 3 times as long as scutellum; a pair of discal setae slightly shorter than scutellum. Postcoxal bridge weakly sclerotized. Wing hyaline; tegula black; basicosta dark brown; lower and upper calypters whitish. Relative lengths of second, third and fourth costal sectors approximately 2:6.5:3; vein R 4+5 usually with 1 seta in basal part, sometimes with an additional short seta and 0 – 1 setae ventrally; distance of vein M between crossvein dm-cu and bend approximately 2.5 times as long as that between bend of vein M and wing margin; ultimate section of vein CuA 1 approximately 1/2 as long as crossvein dm-cu. Legs. Black in ground color; coxae light brown with grayish-white pruinosity; pulvilli brown. Fore tibia with 1 posterior seta; mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal, 2 ventral setae, and 2 preapical dorsal setae.

Abdomen. Black in ground color, pale yellow on dorsum of syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3 – 4 except for longitudinal band, expanded posteriorly on tergites 3 – 4; often anterior half of tergite 5 reddish-yellow; anterior 1/3 of tergites 3 – 4 and anterior 2/5 of tergite 5 with whitish pruinosity. Syntergite 1+2 with excavation not reaching hind margin, with pairs of median marginal and lateral marginal setae, and often with 1 – 2 pairs of lateral discal setae; tergite 3 with pairs of median marginal, median discal and lateral marginal setae, and often with lateral discal setae; tergites 4 – 5 with rows of marginal and discal setae; sternite 5 with median cleft shallow, nearly rectangular with some setae on posterior lobes. Postabdomen. Epandrium nearly fan-shaped, with some short setae posteriorly in lateral view; surstylus fused with epandrium at base, apical 1/3 nearly triangular in lateral view, with several transparent setulae; cercus longer than surstylus, broad, with some setae on basal 1/ 3 in lateral view, divided in apical 1/ 3 in dorsal view; pregonite short and rounded apically, without setae; postgonite slightly shorter than pregonite, curved ventrally at apex; epiphallus present; distiphallus nearly oval and bearing some spinules ventrally, with a small membranous part dorsoapically.

Female. Differs from male as follows: vertex wider, 0.25 – 0.26 of head width; 2 proclinate orbital setae; hind coxa and trochanter each with two blunt setae on ventral part, the trochanteral setae shorter; abdominal tergites 3 – 4 without median discal setae. Postabdomen. Sternite 5 nearly subrectangular, with some setae; tergite 6 very narrow, with a few long setae and with a pair of anterior invaginations; sternite 6 rather narrow, with a pair of long and some short setae and with an anterior invagination broad and sharply keeled medially; spiracles 6 – 7 located on tergite 6; tergite 7 and sternite 7 mostly fused and forming a sharply pointed piercer in posteroventral portion; sternite 7 with an anterior invagination; segment 8 strongly reduced.

Puparium. Entirely light brown; posterior spiracular discs black. Oblong in shape and with outer surface nearly smooth except for slightly projected posterior spiracular discs.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the country of origin of the new species.

Distribution. Japan (Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands).

Known hosts. Aulacophora nigripennis Motschulsky ( Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae ).

Remarks. The new species is similar to M. fulviventris in general appearance, but can be easily distinguished from it in having only 1 posterior seta on the fore tibia. One male was obtained from an adult Aulacophora nigripennis leaf beetle ( Fig. 8 ) collected at Kyushu University Ito Campus (Fukuoka City, Japan).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Female of Medinodexia japonica sp. nov. in ventral view (paratype, Nishiaburayama, Fukuoka Prefecture, BLKU), with white arrows indicating blunt setae on hind coxae and trochanters. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 2–8. Medinodexia japonica sp. nov. and its host. 2–7. Medinodexia japonica sp. nov. 8. Aulacophora nigripennis Motschulsky, host from which a larva of M. japonica emerged. 2–3. Male paratype (Kyushu University Ito Campus, Fukuoka Prefecture, BLKU). 2. Habitus in lateral view. 3. Habitus in dorsal view. 4. Puparium. 5–7. Female paratype (Kyushu, Fukuoka, BLKU). 5. Habitus in lateral view. 6. Habitus in dorsal view. 7. Habitus in ventral view. Scale bar = 5 mm.

FIGURES 9–12. Male postabdomen of Medinodexia japonica sp. nov. (paratype, Kukino, Kumamoto Prefecture, BLKU). 9. Epandrium, cercus and surstylus in lateral view. 10. Epandrium, cerci and surstyli in dorsal view (setae omitted on left side). 11. Fifth abdominal sternite in ventral view (setae omitted on left side). 12. Hypandrium, pregonite, postgonite and phallus in lateral view. Abbreviations: cer, cercus; ep, epandrium; epi, epiphallus; hy, hypandrium; ph, phallus; pos, postgonite; pre, pregonite; sur, surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 17–20. Female postabdomens. 17–18. Medinodexia japonica sp. nov. (paratype, Kyushu University Ito Campus, Fukuoka Prefecture, BLKU). 17. Sixth abdominal tergite in dorsal view. 18. Postabdomen in lateral view. 19–20. Medina separata (Meigen) (Hokkaido, Japan, BLKU). 19. Sixth abdominal tergite in dorsal view. 20. Postabdomen in lateral view. Abbreviations: sg 7, seventh abdominal segment st 5, fifth abdominal sternite; st 6, sixth abdominal sternite; t 6, sixth abdominal tergite. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.