Blepharella bomolocha, Shima & Tachi, 2019

Shima, Hiroshi & Tachi, Takuji, 2019, The genus Blepharella Macquart (Diptera: Tachinidae) in Japan, with notes on the Oriental species B. lateralis Macquart, Zootaxa 4615 (1), pp. 131-144 : 133-135

Blepharella bomolocha sp. nov.

( Figs 1–6 , 27–28, 37–38 )

Blepharella sp. 2: Shima & Hara (2016: 17).

Diagnosis. A medium-sized black fly, with abdomen bearing thin whitish pruinosity on anterior portion of each tergite; palpus reddish-yellow; vertex 0.18–0.23 of head width in male, 0.25–0.26 in female; prosternum haired; venter of male 4th abdominal tergite with a pair of sexual patches of dense and fine hair.

Description. Body length: 9.2–10.9 mm.

Male. Head with dense whitish pruinosity on face and lower parafacial, golden-yellow on fronto-orbital plate, upper parafacial and upper postorbit and grayish white on occiput and genal dilation; frontal vitta velvety brownblack; antenna dark brown, arista brownish; palpus reddish-yellow, weakly darkened near base. Vertex 0.18–0.23 of head width; frontal vitta widened anteriorly, about 5/8 as wide as fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial narrowed below, 0.50–0.62 times as wide as 1st flagellomere at mid height in profile (only slightly narrower than 1st flagellomere when measured in horizontal position); facial ridge narrowly developed; gena 0.19–0.21 of eye height in profile (0.25–0.28 when measured in horizontal position); face about 1/2 as wide as long at level of vibrissa, lower margin visibly warped forward, extending slightly beyond vibrissal base. Inner vertical seta slightly less than 3/5 of eye height; outer vertical seta indistinct; parafrontal with rather dense and fine short hairs, not descending below lowest frontal seta; anterior reclinate orbital seta slightly longer than posterior one and about 4/5 as long as inner vertical seta; 8–12 frontal setae, lowermost seta nearly level with base of arista; facial ridge with short and rather strong setae at most on lower 1/3; a row of black setulae present on upper occiput, black setulae increasing in number of rows below. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about length of pedicel; 1st flagellomere 3.0–3.5 times as long as pedicel; arista thickened on basal 2/5, 2nd aristomere slightly longer than wide. Palpus slightly longer than 1st flagellomere.

Thorax shiny black in ground color, posterior margin of scutellum sometimes narrowly and weakly reddishbrown; postpronotal lobe and anterior presutural area of scutum with rather dense yellowish or yellowish-gray pruinosity, becoming thinner and more grayish posteriorly; postsutural scutum and scutellum with very thin grayish pruinosity, slightly denser on lateral portion of scutum; 4 narrow longitudinal vittae on presutural area of scutum, inner vittae almost indistinct and outer vittae traceable on postsutural scutum. Prosternum haired; 4 postpronotal setae; 2 lateral scutellar setae; distance between bases of subapical scutellar setae about 2/3 that between basal and subapical setae of corresponding side. Wing hyaline, tinged with pale brown basally; lower calypter pale yellowishwhite, outer margin pale brown; 2nd costal sector about 2/3 as long as 4th; length of vein M from dm-cu crossvein to bend 1.5 times as long as distance between bend and wing margin; bend of vein M nearly right-angled. Legs black, pulvilli pale brownish; mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with rather closely-set row of anterodorsal setae and no strong median seta; claws and pulvilli long, distinctly longer than 5th tarsomere.

Abdomen shiny black in ground color, side of 3rd tergite and anterolateral portion of 4th tergite sometimes narrowly reddish-brown; thin whitish pruinosity on narrow dorsolateral portion of 3rd tergite, entire dorsum of 4th tergite and narrow dorsolateral portion of 5th tergite; venter with very thin whitish pruinosity on entire 3rd and 5th tergites, and only on narrow anterior and lateral portions of 4th tergite. Hairs on dorsum short, fine, dense and suberect on 3rd and 4th tergites, slightly stronger and sparser on 4th tergite, still stronger, sparser and erect on 5th tergite; syntergite 1+2 with a pair of short fine median marginal setae less than 1/2 length of 3rd tergite; 3rd tergite with a pair of median marginal setae about 1/2 as long as 4th tergite; 5th tergite with many strong erect setae not forming distinct rows; venter of 4th tergite with a pair of sexual patches of dense fine hairs, which occupy almost posterior 4/5 of tergite. Terminalia: cerci in dorsal view narrowed from base to basal 1/3 then parallel-sided apically, apex weakly pointed, apical 3/8 narrowly separated; in lateral view nearly straight, weakly widened in apical 1/4 and rounded apically; surstylus in lateral view distinctly narrowed in apical 1/3 along dorsal margin, with fine short hairs on ventral portion.

Female. Differs from male as follows: vertex 0.25–0.26 of head width; frontal vitta 0.50–0.58 of parafrontal at middle; outer vertical seta developed, about 2/5 as long as inner vertical seta; 2 subequally long proclinate orbital setae about 4/5 as long as inner vertical seta; 4–6 frontal setae; gena 0.17–0.20 of eye height in profile (0.24–0.26 in horizontal position); antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about 3/5 length of pedicel, 1st flagellomere 2.8–3.3 times as long as pedicel; palpus slightly shorter than pedicel and 1st flagellomere combined; thoracic dorsum with slightly denser pruinosity on presutural scutum; mid tibia with 3 strong anterodorsal setae; claws and pulvilli short, slightly shorter than 5th tarsomere; abdomen with slightly denser whitish pruinosity on anterolateral portions of 3rd tergite, entire 4th tergite and lateral portions of 5th tergite; no sexual hair patches on venter of 4th tergite. Terminalia: 6th tergite separated medially into large quadrate hemitergites, with strong setae on posterior 1/2; 6th sternite slightly longer than 7th sternite; 7th tergite divided into nearly triangular hemitergites, with rather short hairs on posterior 1/3; 7th sternite narrowed posteriorly, apical portion weakly rounded, with dense short hairs on posterior 1/3 together with rather short setae; 8th tergite divided into narrow hemitergites, without hairs; hypoproct separated into a distal rounded portion and an anterior narrow basal portion.

Egg. Length ca. 0.2 mm. Brown; slightly raised in posterior 1/3; chorion with distinct polygonal cells well ridged on dorsal side; aeropylar structure large, rather well ridged, especially in upper portion.

Known host. Bomolocha stygiana (Butler) ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae ).

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: Kyushu / Fukuoka / Mt. Inunaki / 27.v.1982 / H. Shima ( BLKU).

PARATYPES: 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Japan, Honshu, Saitama Pref., Yorii, Mure , 17.v.2001, T. Nambu leg. ( KUM) ; 1 ♀, Saitama Pref., Yorii, Sarkurazawa , 10.x.2003, K. Hara leg. ( KUM) ; 2 ♀♀, Saitama Pref., Ohtaki, Irikawadani , 30.viii.1972, 28.vii.1978, K. Hara & T. Nambu leg. ( KUM) ; 1 ♀, Saitama Pref., Moroyama , 3.x.1981, C. Tamaki leg. ( KUM) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Saitama Pref., Nagatoro , emerged 26.iv.1969, ex Bomolocha stygiana, S. Sugi leg. ( IAES) ; 1 ♀, Honshu, Nagano Pref., Shimashimatani , 4.vii.1966, Y. Miyatake leg. ( KUM) ; 1 ♀, Kyushu, Fukuoka Pref., Mt. Wakasugi , 12.v.1969, M. Honda leg. ( KUM) ; 1 ♂, same data as holotype ( KUM) .

Etymology. The specific name is taken from the generic name of the host species, Bomolocha stygiana (Butler).

Distribution. Palearctic Japan (Honshu, Kyushu).

Remarks. This species resembles B. nigra in general appearance, but differs from it in having a narrow frons, body with thinner pruinosity, and 2 (3 in the female) anterodorsal setae on the mid tibia. The male terminalia of this species are fairly distinct from those of B. nigra for the narrow, almost straight and apically rounded cerci and straight and obliquely tapering dorsodistal portion of the surstylus.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Male and female terminalia of Blepharella bomolocha sp. nov. (paratype, Fukuoka, Japan, KUM). 1. Epandrium, surstylus and cerci in lateral view (hairs omitted on epandrium and cerci). 2. Same in dorsal view (hairs omitted on epandrium and cerci). 3. Hypandrium, pre- and postgonite and phallus in lateral view. 4. Male 5th sternite in ventral view (hairs omitted on left side). 5. Female terminalia in lateral view. 6. Same in ventral view (hairs omitted). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 27–42. Blepharella spp. 27–36. Adult habitus. 37–42. Eggs in dorsal (37, 39, 41) and lateral (38, 40, 42) view; scale bars: 0.1 mm. 27–28. Blepharella bomolocha sp. nov. male (paratype, Fukuoka, Japan, KUM), lateral (27) and dorsal (28) view. 29–30. Blepharella grisescens sp. nov., male (paratype, Fukushima, Japan, KUM), lateral (29) and dorsal (30) view. 31–32. Blepharella yaeyamana sp. nov., male (paratype, Ishigaki Is., Japan, KUM), lateral (31) and (32) dorsal view. 33–34. Blepharella nigra Mesnil, male (Saitama, Japan, KUM), lateral (33) and dorsal (34) view. 35–36. Blepharella lateralis Macquart, male (Yunnan, China, KUM), lateral (35) and dorsal (36) view. 37–38. Blepharella bomolocha sp. nov. (paratype, Fukuoka, Japan, KUM). 39–40. Blepharella nigra Mesnil (Saitama, Japan, KUM). 41–42. Blepharella lateralis Macquart (Orissa [Odisha], India, KUM).