Billaea kurahashii Zhang et Shima

Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Wang, Qiang & Tschorsnig, Hans-Peter, 2015, A review of Billaea Robineau-Desvoidy of the eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 3949 (1), pp. 1-40 : 16-17

Billaea kurahashii Zhang et Shima sp. nov.

Figs. 32–35, 72, 81

Diagnosis. Upper parafacial with very short small black hairs, scutum with 4 presutural longitudinal black vittae, femora brown to dark brown, tibiae reddish yellow to brown, abdomen reddish yellow, with grayish white pruinosity on anterior 3/5–4/5 of tergites, dark brown on median longitudinal portions and posterior margin of tergite 4 and posterior 2/3 of tergite 5, without a distinct pair of triangular dark markings on tergites 3.

Description. Body length 7.1–10.0 mm.

Male. Head ( Figs. 72 , 81 ). Densely covered with grayish white pruinosity; frontal vitta dark brown, lunule brown; antenna pale brown except reddish yellow pedicel and dark brown arista; palpus yellow. Vertex 0.21–0.22 of head width; frontal vitta about twice as wide as fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial 2.0–2.2 times as wide as flagellomere 1; facial carina low; lower margin of face slightly protruding forward; genal height about 0.43 of eye height. Inner vertical setae 0.35–0.43 of eye height; ocellar seta about as strong as upper frontal seta, but distinctly shorter than inner vertical seta; 14–15 pairs of inclinate frontal setae; fronto-orbital plate with 1–2 rows of very short fine black hairs which descend to upper 1/3–1/4 of parafacial. Flagellomere 1 2–2.5 times as long as pedicel, total width of arista including plumosity about 3 times as wide as flagellomere 1. Prementum about 3 times as long as wide; palpus slightly longer than prementum or antenna.

Thorax. Broadly black in ground color, postpronotal lobe pale brownish, with yellowish gray pruinosity, scutellum dark brown at base and yellowish to brown apically, with thin white pruinosity; scutum with 4 presutural and 5 postsutural longitudinal black vittae, outer vitta about 3 times as wide as inner vitta on presutural scutum, and 2 inner vittae only present on anterior 1/5 of postsutural scutum. Postpronotal lobe with 2–3 setae, when 3 setae present then standing nearly in a straight line; 2–3 presutural and 2–3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 3 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 2 postsutural intra-alar setae; 3 supra-alar setae; 2 katepisternal setae; katepimeron with hairs on anterior half. Wing. Hyaline, brownish, tegula black, basicosta yellowish brown; halter reddish yellow; calypter yellowish. Relative lengths of 2nd, 3rd and 4th costal sectors approximately as 1.2:2.4:1; vein M nearly right-angled on its bend, with a short appendage; cell r4+5 open. Lower calypter with short fringe on outer margin. Legs. Femora brown to dark brown, covered with grayish pruinosity, tibiae reddish yellow to brown; pulvilli yellowish. Claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomere; fore tibia usually with 3–4 short anterodorsal setae at basal half and 1, sometimes 2, posterior seta(e); mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal, 1–2 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with 1 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae.

Abdomen. Ovate, reddish yellow in ground color, dark brown on median longitudinal portion and brown to dark brown on median longitudinal portions and posterior margin of tergites 3 and 4 and posterior 2/3 of tergite 5, with yellowish to grayish white pruinosity on anterior 3/5–4/5 of tergites. Abdominal syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 each with a pair of lateral marginal setae, without median marginal setae. Male terminalia (Figs. 32–35). Sternite 5 nearly square, V-shaped median cleft about 3/5 of its depth. Apex of cerci curved ventrally as a short hook, and surstyli long and bluntly rounded apically in lateral view; postgonite about as long as basiphallus; distiphallus long, membranous apical part slightly longer than sclerotized basal part.

Female. Vertex about 1/3 of head width, genal height about 0.46 of eye height; outer vertical seta 0.5–0.7 times as long as inner vertical seta, 7 inclinate frontal setae; 2 proclinate orbital setae; 1 outer vertical seta; dark median thoracic vitta as wide as outer vitta; 4 supra-alar setae; mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal and 2 ventral setae; hind tibia with a row of closely set anterodorsal setae at basal half, in which 1–2 are stronger, and 2 posterodorsal, 3 ventral setae. Abdomen reddish brown, syntergite 1+2 dark brown, tergites 3–5 with grayish white pruinosity on anterior half.

Type material. Holotype ♂, THAILAND, Fang, nr Myanmar border, (19°35′E, 99°15′N) 1200 m, 26.ix.1975, H. Kurahashi ( BLKU). Paratypes. LAOS: 1♂, Muong Sing NW of Luang Prabang, 650 m, 6–10.vi.1960, S. Quate & L. Quate ( BPBM). THAILAND: 3♂♂, 1♀, same as holotype; 1♂, Ban Pong Din 10 km NE. Dol Saket, 20.ix.1975, H. Kurahashi. 1♀, Dol Hual Hwer, Fang, 27.ix.1975, H. Kurahashi ( BLKU).

Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the name of the collector, H. Kurahashi, for his contributions to Diptera systematics.

Distribution. Laos, Thailand.

Figures

FIGURES 64 – 72. Billaea spp., heads of male in lateral view. 64. B. atkinsoni (Baranov). 65. B. brevicauda sp. nov. 66. B. carinata sp. nov. 67. B. chinensis sp. nov. 68. B. ficorum (Townsend). 69. B. flava sp. nov. 70. B. fortis (Rondani). 71. B. kolomyetzi Mesnil. 72. B. kurahashii sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 73 – 81. Billaea spp., heads of male in anterior view. 73. B. atkinsoni (Baranov). 74. B. brevicauda sp. nov. 75. B. carinata sp. nov. 76. B. chinensis sp. nov. 77. B. ficorum (Townsend). 78. B. flava sp. nov. 79. B. fortis (Rondani). 80. B. kolomyetzi Mesnil. 81. B. kurahashii sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.