Stichillus necopinatus Beyer, 1960

Mostovski, Mike B., 2004, New records of scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) from South Africa, with description of a new species and hitherto unknown males, African Invertebrates 45, pp. 125-125 : 136-138

Stichillus necopinatus Beyer, 1960

Figs 10–13

Stichillus necopinatus Beyer, 1960: 391 , fig. 5. (Type locality: South Africa)

Description: Male. Frons, thorax and abdomen dark brown to black with very weak metallic shine, notopleura slightly paler and postalar tubercles yellow, antennae light reddish brown, pedicel yellow to reddish brown, palpi, fore and middle legs brownish yellow, middle legs slightly darker, hind femur brown with unclear yellowish brown stripe extending from base to apex, inner face of hind femur yellowish brown, hind tibia dark brown with weak metallic shine and anterodorsal brown stripe, hind tarsi brown. Frons with sant, al, ml, pl, po, and oc in addition to numerous hairs; pl slightly weaker than other bristles and only outcurved, other bristles reclinate; po at least as far apart as oc; ml halfway between al and pl ( Fig. 10 ). Third antennal segment ( Fig. 11 ) densely pilose, as long as greatest diametre of eye, but clearly longer than frons width, drawn into long tapered process bearing dorsal arista, which is clearly shorter than segment itself. Palpus with 8 bristles mostly along its outer margin, preapical bristles the longest. Propleuron with 2 bristles along ventral margin and 2 bristles in posterodorsal corner. Additionally, each side of thorax with 1 strong and 4 weaker npl, 1 sa, 1 pa, 1 psc, and 4–6 long setae between psc. Scutellum with anterior pair of short setae and posterior pair of long and robust bristles. Wing length 3.3 mm. Costal index 0.49, costal ratios 0.96:1. Humeral vein and base of subcostal vein hardly discernible. Tip of R 1 thin and slightly desclerotised, with faint pigmentation around it. Rs with 19–22 hairs. Axillary ridge with seven bristles. Veins brown, wing membrane slightly brownish. Haltere with black knob and yellow stem. Front metatarsus slightly longer than second and third tarsomeres combined, second tarsomere a little longer than wide, tarsomeres 3–5 as long as wide, slightly widening toward tarsal apex, so apical tarsomer is widest. Mid tibia with two bristles in the end of basal third and dorsal hair palisade, which is deflected between bristles. Hind tibia with bristle in second quarter and three hair palisades, the most dorsal and anterior palisades straight and complete and meeting each other only at apex, intermediate palisade short, only a little longer than half length of tibia and fusing with anterior palisade soon below anterior bristle. Abdominal tergites with fine scattered hairs confined mainly to lateral parts and rear margins of tergites, abdominal venter with median fascicles of longish hairs on segments 5 and 6. First tergite golden tomentose dorsally, second tergite longer than tergites 3 and 4 combined but shorter than tergites 3–5 combined. Hypopygium ( Fig. 12 ) mainly brown and shining. Each side of epandrium with numerous hairs along posterior margin and a patch of short spinules in posteroventral corner. Hypandrium yellowish brown or even yellow basally, with beige overhanging membranous lobes; lateral parts of hypandrium coarsely wrinkled. Ventral plate of aedeagus dark brown, dorsal plate brown basally and dorsally and yellowish brown or yellow laterally and apically; aedeagus without ornamentation, its dorsal side smooth, with only a small tubercle in distal quarter ( Fig. 13 ). Anal tube brown, very short.

Material examined: Holotype: ^ labelled ‘ Indumeni Forest, Cathedral Peak area , Natal , Drakensberg , 23 Mar. 1955, B. Stuckenberg’ ( NMSA) . Additional material: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: 4 _, Cape Town, Constantiaberg, above Donkerboskloof , 460 m, 7–21.iv.1995, Malaise trap, fynbos dominated by Protea coronata, S. van Noort ; 1 _, same data except 21.iv–10.v.1995 ( SAMC) ; KwaZulu­Natal: 2 _ 2^, Impendle, Nhlosane Farm (29º35'S: 29º58'E), 1700–1900 m, 16.ii–1.iii.1994, pitfalls, J. Kotze ( NMSA) .

Distribution: South Africa.

Remarks: Males and females of this species have been associated on the basis of occurrence in the same sample from Impendle.

Figures

Figs 10–13. Stichillus necopinatus Beyer, male. 10. Upper part of frons, only bristle sockets shown. 11. Right antenna. 12. Left side of hypopygium. 13. Left side of aedeagus. Scale bars 0.5 mm in Figs 10–12 and 0.1 mm in Fig. 13.