Blepharella grisescens, 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 : 135-136

Blepharella grisescens sp. nov.

( Figs 7–10 , 29–30 )

Diagnosis. A medium-sized grayish fly, with abdomen black on posterior 1/2–3/5 of 3rd and 5th tergites, palpus yellowish and scutellum reddish-brown; male vertex 0.27–0.29 of head width; prosternum haired; venter of male 4th abdominal tergite with a pair of sexual hair patches; male cerci weakly curved dorsally near apex.

Description. Male. Body length. 9.5–10.2 mm.

Head with dense grayish-white pruinosity on face and parafacial, pale yellowish-gray pruinosity on fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and upper postorbit and grayish-white pruinosity on occiput and genal dilation; palpus reddish-yellow or reddish-brown, darkened on almost basal 1/3. Vertex 0.27–0.29 of head width; frontal vitta slightly narrower than fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial narrowed below, about 0.62 times as wide as 1st flagellomere at middle height in profile (0.62–0.75 when measured in horizontal position of parafacial); gena 0.21–0.22 of eye height in profile (about 0.29 when measured in horizontal position of gena). Fronto-orbital plate with rather sparse and long hairs, 1–2 hairs descending below lowest frontal seta; 2 subequally long reclinate orbital setae, about 2/3 as long as inner vertical seta; 8–9 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly level with base of arista; upper occiput with 1–2 rows of fine black setulae behind postocular setae, black setulae increasing in number of rows below. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about 2/3 length of pedicel; 1st flagellomere 3.8–4.0 times as long as pedicel. Palpus about 3/4 as long as 1st flagellomere.

Thorax shiny black in ground color, posterior 1/3 of scutellum reddish-brown; scutum with rather dense pale yellowish gray-white pruinosity, pruinosity thinner on scutellum; 4 rather narrow longitudinal vittae on presutural area and postsutural scutum; prosternum haired; distance between bases of subapical scutellar setae about 4/5 that between basal and subapical setae of corresponding side. Wing hyaline; lower calypter pale yellowish-brown; 2nd costal sector about 3/5 as long as 4th; length of vein M from dm-cu crossvein to bend 2 times as long as distance between bend and wing margin. Legs black; pulvilli pale brownish; mid tibia with 2 long anterodorsal, 2 shorter posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with row of rather sparsely-set anterodorsal setae and 1 strong median seta; claws and pulvilli longer than 5th tarsomere.

Abdomen shiny black in ground color, side of 3rd tergite narrowly and weakly reddish-brown; dorsum with rather thin pale yellowish-white pruinosity on anterior 1/2 of 3rd tergite, 2/3 of 4th tergite and 2/5 of 5th tergite; venter with thin whitish pruinosity on anterior 1/2 of 3rd and 5th tergites and midventral 1/4 of 4th tergite. Hairs on dorsum dense, rather fine, short and suberect on 3rd tergite, rather long and stronger on 4th tergite, and sparser on 5th tergite, syntergite 1+2 with a pair of fine median marginal setae about 3/5 length of 3rd tergite; 3rd tergite with a pair of median marginal setae about 3/5 as long as 4th tergite, and strong bristle-like hairs on mid-dorsal portion; 5th tergite with sparse rows of strong erect discal and marginal setae; venter of 4th tergite with sexual patches of dense very fine hairs occupying posterior 2/3 of tergite. Terminalia: cerci in dorsal view narrowed from base to basal 1/2 then parallel-sided, apical 2/7 rather narrowly separated, apex curved inward; in lateral view nearly straight in basal 5/7 then curved dorsally, apex rounded; surstylus in lateral view rather narrow, evenly narrowed from basal 1/2 to weakly pointed apex, with sparse short hairs on apical 1/2.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: Japan, Iwate / Hirakawa-kogen / Yamagata Vil. / 21.vii.2001 / H. Shima ( BLKU).

PARATYPE: 1 ♂, Honshu, Fukushima Pref., Bandai Town, Nekomagatake , 1200–1360 m, 24.vii.2012, H. Shima leg. ( KUM) .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the grayish appearance of this species, from the Latin griseus (gray) plus the suffix escens.

Distribution. Palearctic Japan (Honshu).

Remarks. This species is characterized by its grayish head and thorax and male terminalia with apically curved cerci and narrow surstylus. The apically curved cerci are also found in B. nigra , but the curve is much weaker in this species.

Figures

FIGURES 7–14. Male terminalia of Blepharella spp. 7–10. Blepharella grisescens sp. nov. (paratype, Fukushima, Japan, KUM). 11–14. Blepharella yaeyamana sp. nov. (paratype, Iriomote Is., Ryukyus, Japan, KUM). 7. Male 5th sternite in ventral view (hairs omitted on left side). 8. Epandrium, surstylus and cerci in lateral view (hairs omitted on epandrium). 9. Same in dorsal view (hairs omitted). 10. Hypandrium, pre- and postgonite and phallus in lateral view. 11. Male 5th sternite in ventral view (hairs omitted on left side). 12. Epandrium, surstylus and cerci in dorsal view (hairs omitted on epandrium and right side of cerci). 13. Same in lateral view (hairs omitted on epandrium and cerci). 14. Hypandrium, pre- and postgonite and phallus in lateral view. 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).