Blaesoxipha (Servaisia) nigridorsalis Chao & Zhang, 1988b : 76

Zhang, Dong, Zhang, Ming, Li, Zijuan & Pape, Thomas, 2015, The Sarcophagidae (Insecta: Diptera) described by Chien-ming Chao and Xue-zhong Zhang, Zootaxa 3946 (4), pp. 451-509 : 494-495

Blaesoxipha (Servaisia) nigridorsalis Chao & Zhang, 1988b: 76 . China, Xinjiang, Zhaosu, Muzhatedaban.

Originally included specimens: Described from two males.

Name-bearing type: Holotype ♂: Xinjiang, Zhaosu/ Muzhatedaban/ Chinese Academy of Sciences [white label in Chinese, in black print]// 2900m / 1978. VII.28 / Collected by X.Z. Zhang [“ 2900m / 1978. VII.28 ” handwritten in black ink, remaining in black print, in Chinese]// HOLOTYPE [red label, in black print]// IOZ(E)1218520 [white label, in black print]// Blaesoxipha (Servaisia) / nigridorsum Chao/ Identified by C.M. Chao, 1979 [“Identified by C.M. Chao” in black print, in Chinese, remaining handwritten in black ink].

Holotype in slightly bad condition, with head glued on the body, right fore tarsus, right hind tarsomeres 2–5, left hind tibia and left arista missing; terminalia extracted and fully visible.

Current identity: Blaesoxipha (Servaisia) nigridorsalis Chao & Zhang, 1988 , as correctly listed by Pape (1996) and as treated by Xue & Chao (1998, as Servaisia nigridorsalis ).

Additional type specimen: Paratype 1♂: Xinjiang, Zhaosu, Muzhatedaban, alt. 2900m, 28.VII.1978, Coll. by X.Z. Zhang. Specimen in NZMC.

Remarks: The species is differentiated from the other known species of this genus by the pitch-black dorsal surface of the entire body (including frontal vitta, dorsum of mesothorax and tergites of abdomen) ( Chao & Zhang, 1988b). The cercus is reminiscent of B. shelkovnikovi Rohdendorf by the strong dorsal curvature and by showing a strong swelling laterally on the pre-apical part, and the phallus of both species appear to be similar ( Verves, 1985, fig. 424). Blaesoxipha shelkovnikovi differs from B. nigridorsalis by having the abdomen densely pollinose and with a distinct, narrow, black median stripe. Also, the cercus is depicted with a longer and more abruptly bent tip, which is herewith confirmed through comparisons with a photograph of the holotype of B. shelkovnikovi (deposited in ZIN). We consider these differences to support B. nigridorsalis as a valid species.

Redescription of Male: Body length about 8.5 mm ( Fig. 25 A). Eye bare, reddish yellow. Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and postocular strip black with silvery pollinosity; parafacial with one row of bristles, 2.5× as broad as fronto-orbital plate. Frontal vitta brown, about 1.8× as broad as fronto-orbital plate at the narrowest point; frons at vertex 0.23× head width ( Fig. 25 C); frontal row of 10 or 11 bristles; outer vertical bristle not differentiated from postocular bristles. Ocellar bristles directed anteriorly. Gena ground color black, with sparse and short black bristles and silvery pollinosity, height 0.15× eye height in lateral view ( Fig. 25 E), postgena with white bristles. Antenna grayish brown, not reaching the level of vibrissal insertion, first flagellomere 1.5–1.6× as long as pedicel ( Fig. 25 C); arista with long plumose. Palpus black, slightly expanded in distal part.

Thorax ground color black, with light pollinosity. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 2+3(4), dorsocentrals 3+3, intraalars 1+3, supra-alars 2, postalars 2, postpronotals 3, notopleurals 4, scutellum with 1 apical, 1 subapical and 1 basal bristles. Pleuron with meropleurals 7 or 8; katepisternal bristles 2: 1, prosternum, metasternum and proepisternum all bare, postalar wall with three or four black bristles.

Wing hyaline; subcostal sclerite and basicosta yellow, bare; tegula yellow, with black bristles; costal spine differentiated ( Fig. 25 A); vein R1 bare, three ventral bristles at node of R2+3-R4+5, vein R4+5 setose dorsally from junction of R2+3 halfway to crossvein r-m; cell r4+5 broadly open; lower calypter white.

Legs black; fore femur with one row of dorsal bristles (about 9), one row of ventral bristles (about 12) and one row of anterodorsal fine bristles (about 10), fore tibia with one sub-apical posterior, one median posterodorsal and three anterodorsal bristles; mid femur with one apical posterior, one apical posterodorsal and four median anterior bristles, and distal half with ten ventral ctenidium, mid tibia with one sub-apical posterior, two posterior and two anterodorsal bristles; hind femur anterodorsal bristles slightly in two rows, one row of anteroventral bristles (about 10) and with one row of posteroventral bristles (about 5, in basal half), and with two dorsal bristles, hind tibia with two or three posterodorsal, two anteroventral bristles and three or four anterodorsal bristles.

Abdomen long oval, ground color black, with light pollinosity; tergites 3–5 with complete row of marginal bristles, syntergosternite 7+8 and epandrium reddish yellow ( Fig. 25 B, F), sternites 1–4 with dense and long bristles. Terminalia see Fig. 25 B.

Figures

FIGURE 25. Blaesoxipha (Servaisia) nigridorsalis Chao & Zhang, 1988, males. A. Body, lateral view, holotype. B. Terminalia, lateral view, holotype. C. Head, anterior view, holotype. D. Head, anterolateral view, paratype. E. Head, lateral view, paratype. F. Abdomen, dorsal view, holotype. G. Labels, holotype. H. Labels, paratype. Scales: A = 3.00 mm, B = 0.50 mm, C – F = 1.00 mm.