Mannheimsia Beyer, 1965

Brown, Brian V., 2005, Classification of two poorly known genera of African Phoridae (Diptera), African Invertebrates 46, pp. 133-133 : 134-136

Mannheimsia Beyer, 1965

Mannheimsia Beyer, 1965: 28 . Type species M. stricta Beyer, 1965 (original designation).

Chouomyia Liu, 1995: 185 ; Mostovski 1997: 876. Syn. n.

Diagnosis: Frons with 4-4-4 frontal setae and one pair dorsally pointed supra-antennal setae. Flagellomere 1 globose, arista dorsal. Well-developed basal postpronotal seta present. Scutellum with two pairs of long setae, posterior pair larger. Anepisternum setose, with shallow, poorly-developed furrow ( Fig. 11 ). All tibiae lacking dorsal setal palisades. Apical two-thirds of foretibia with dorsal row of thickened, short setae, the most basal longer than the others. Midtibia with one near dorsal and one slightly more apical anterodorsal seta near basal one-third. Hind tibia with one large anterodorsal

Figs 4–6. Mannheimsia stricta Beyer , male terminalia: (4) epandrium, left side; (5) epandrium, right side; (6) hypandrium, ventral.

Scale bars = 0.1 mm, all figures to approximately same scale.

seta near midlength and smaller one near apex. Wing fully developed in both sexes. Wing vein R 2+3 absent. Base of wing vein Rs with two setae. Epandrium with one surstylus-like subepandrial process on left side; medial surface of process with elongate, fingerlike extension. Hypandrium with elongate process on left lobe; right lobe with a more ventral medially concave process and more dorsal, secondary process of varied structure.

Note: When writing his key to phorid genera, Disney (1994) followed Beyer’s original description of the genus in the possession of an apical arista; however all specimens I observed have what I consider to be a dorsal arista (Fig. 15).

Subfamily classification: The hypandrium of this species, with its two processes, is highly unusual, but overall the genus appears to belong within the Phorinae sensu Brown (1992 a) . The subepandrial process (fused left + right surstylus) is fully separate from the epandrium, a character state hypothesized to be primitive relative to Brachyselia , Coniceromyia , Plethysmochaeta and Rhynchomicropteron . In this genus, it has a distinctive fingerlike medial process (Figs 5, 7, 8).

Detailed observations on the male terminalia of Mannheimsia , and comparison with species of the Oriental Region genus Chouomyia shows that they are congeneric. Especially distinctive are the structure of the hypandrium, with a long, narrow, left process, the right hypandrial lobe with its secondary process, and the anepisternum, with its faintly indented anepisternal furrow ( Fig. 11 ). The anepisternal furrow is similar to that found in Metopininae ( Fig. 12 ), but shallower and less developed. Previously, because of the anepisternal furrow, I stated ( Brown 1992 a) that this genus should be transferred to the Metopininae , but the structure of the male terminalia convinces me that this is incorrect.

New combinations arising from this synonymy are M. tianzena (Liu) and M. stylodactyla (Liu) , both from China. I consider C. ramai Mostovski , from Thailand, a synonym of M. stylodactyla (see below).

Besides the known species, I also have a female specimen from the Philippines that cannot be identified to species at this time.

Figures

Figs 11, 12. Scanning electron micrographs of pleuron: (11) Mannheimsia stylodactyla (Liu); (12) Megaselia sp.