Heteralonia ochros, Yao, Gang, Yang, Ding & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2009

Yao, Gang, Yang, Ding & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2009, Species of the genus Heteralonia Bezzi, 1921 from China (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2166, pp. 45-56 : 51-53

Heteralonia ochros sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 , 24–29 )

Diagnosis. Abdomen with tergites 1–4 with yellow hairs anteriorly and yellowish hairs laterally; dorsum with dense black recumbent scales except tergites 2–4 with white scales antero-laterally. Epiphallus widely clubbed, with a round tip in dorsal view, distiphallus short with an acute tip in lateral view.

Description. Male. Body length 12 mm, wing length 13 mm.

Head black with brown pollen; ocellar tubercle reddish brown. Hairs on head black and orangish yellow; frons with erect black hairs and sparse scales, face with dense erect black hairs; occiput with short black hairs and sparse yellowish scales, and with dense erect orangish yellow hairs on edge. Antenna black, except tip of first flagellomere brown; scape nearly three times longer than wide, with dense long black hairs; pedicel nearly as long as wide, with short black hairs; first flagellomere cone-shaped, bare, with a two-segmented stylus, and slightly shorter than first flagellomere. Antennal ratio: 3:1:5. Proboscis black with short black hairs; palpus brown with black hairs.

Thorax black with brown pollen except anteriorly with two pale longitudinal bands. Hairs on thorax black and yellow, bristles black; postpronotal lobe with long black and yellow hairs, mesonotum with row of long yellow hairs at anterior margin and three long black lateral bristles near base of wing, postalar callus with four black bristles; thorax with black scales on back but bare at middle. Scutellum almost with black scales entirely but with yellow scales on posterior edge; scutellum with five black bristles each side. Legs black with black scales except fore leg bare. Hairs on legs mostly black, bristles black. Femora with sparse long black hairs; tibiae and tarsi with short black hairs. Mid femur with three av apically; hind femur with nine av apically. Mid tibia with seven ad, seven pd, six av and eight pv; hind tibia with eight ad, six pd, eight av and nine pv. Wing ( Fig. 4 ) with mostly infuscate, paler posteriorly; vein dm-cu with two spur-veins, one short and directed basally, another long and directed distally; wing with much darker brown spots near all cross veins compared to other part. Base of vein C with brush-like long black hairs. Wing with basicosta strong; vein r-m nearly at basal 1/3 of discal cell. Halteres yellowish.

Abdomen black with black and white scales. Hairs on abdomen mostly black except tergites 1–4 with yellow hairs anteriorly; dorsum with dense long black hairs laterally except tergites 1–4 with yellowish hairs laterally; dorsum with dense black recumbent scales except tergites 2–4 with white scales antero-laterally. Sternites with long black hairs and dense black recumbent scales.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 24–29 ). Epandrium subtriangular, with long black bristles apically, slightly higher than long, and with distinct lateral extension at base; cercus well exposed in lateral view; epandrium subquadrate, slightly longer than wide in dorsal view; gonocoxae with many black hairs apically, distinctly narrowing apically, and basally with a distinct curve in ventral view; gonostylus thick at base, tapered at tip and distinctly curved in lateral view; epiphallus widely clubbed, with a round tip in dorsal view, distiphallus short and with an tapered tip in lateral view.

Female. Body length 9–11 mm, wing length 9–11 mm. Similar to male, but abdominal tergites 1–3 with long white hairs laterally.

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Yunnan, Wuding, Shizishan (N 25°32’ E 102°22’), 11. VIII. 1986; Paratypes 2 males, CHINA: Yunnan, Wuding, Shizishan (N 25°32’ E 102°22’), 7. VIII. 1986; 1 male, CHINA: Yunnan, Xiaguan, Guogaishan (N 25°35’ E 100°13’), 31. VII. 1987, Qiang Li; 1 male, CHINA: Yunnan, Xiaguan, Zhonghefeng (N 25°35’ E 100°13’), 19. VIII. 1987, Qiang Li; 1 female, CHINA: Yunnan, Wuding, Shizishan (N 25°32’ E 102°22’), 7. VIII. 1986; 1 female, CHINA: Yunnan, Wuding, Shizishan (N 25°32’ E 102°22’), 7. VIII. 1986; 1 female, CHINA: Yunnan, Wuding, Shizishan (N 25°32’ E 102°22’), 11. VIII. 1986; 1 female, CHINA: Yunnan, Kunming, Huiliu (N 25°04’ E 102°42’), 26. VII. 2006, Gang Yao.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The species epithet derives from the Greek “ ochros ” means “pale-yellow”; referring to the dorsum with the yellowish hairs.

Remarks. The new species is similar to H. sytshuana , but it can be separated from the latter by the following features: abdominal tergites 1–4 with yellowish hairs laterally and tergites 2–4 with white scales antero-laterally; distiphallus short with an tapered tip in lateral view. In H. sytshuana , the abdominal tergite 1 has the yellowish hairs laterally and dense black and yellow recumbent scales; the distiphallus is short in lateral view.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Heteralonia wings. 1. Heteralonia anemosyris sp. nov.; 2. Heteralonia cnecos sp. nov.; 3. Heteralonia nigripilosa sp. nov.; 4. Heteralonia ochros sp. nov.; 5. Heteralonia sytshuana (Paramonov).

FIGURES 24 – 29. Heteralonia ochros sp. nov. male genitalia. 24. epandrium and cercus, dorsal view; 25. epandrium and cercus, lateral view; 26. gonocoxa and gonostylus, lateral view; 27. phallus, dorsal view; 28. phallus, lateral view; 29. gonocoxae and gonostyli, ventral view.