Schildia malaya, Dikow & Bayless, 2009

Dikow, Torsten & Bayless, Keith M., 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Schildia Aldrich, 1923 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) with the description of new extant and extinct species, Insect Systematics & Evolution 40, pp. 253-289 : 276-277

Schildia malaya sp.n. ( Figs 1 , 25–27, 35)

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the four mystacal setae, the sinuous R2+3, and the presence of posteriorly oriented postsutural dorsocentral setae.

Etymology. Feminine latinized adjective for Malaysia, refers to the occurrence of this species in the Malaysian peninsular.

Description. Head: Face silver pruinose, wide, wider than adjacent ommatidium; mystax yellow, 4 setae, 2 long lateral and 2 shorter median ones; vertex wide, wider than face at clypeal–facial margin, silver pruinose; occipital triangle apruinose, distance between triangle and median eye margin more than adjacent ommatidium; occiput laterally brown pruinose, median dorso-ventral stripe silver pruinose; postocular setae brown; proboscis brown; Antennae: scape and pedicel yellow, yellow setae dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel predominantly brown, silver pruinose, 1.5 times as long as scombined length of scape and pedicel; stylus dark brown, 1/6 as long as postpedicel, composed of 1 element.

Th orax: Predominantly brown, silver pruinose; antepronotum, postpronotum, and median postpronotal lobes silver pruinose; lateral postpronotal lobes apruinose, light brown; scutum brown, predominantly apruinose, only lateral and posterior margins silver pruinose; presutural dc setae: 2–3 short, 2 long, postsutural dc setae: 1 long posteriorly oriented, 4–5 anteriorly oriented, 4–5 acr setae, 1 npl and 1 spa seta; anepisternum, anepimeron, proepimeron, katepisternum, katepimeron, metkatepisternum, and meron+metanepisternum brown, predominantly silver pruinose; scutellum brown, silver pruinose, 2–3 apical scutellar setae; Legs: light yellow to brown; pro coxa yellow, mes and met coxae brown; pro trochanter yellow, mes and met trochanters brown; pro and mes femora light brown with 1 yellow transverse band in distal half, met femur yellow proximally, brown distally, clubbed in distal 1/2, yellow transverse band proximal to midline and another band at proximal margin of club, rows of brown macrosetae on femora; pro and mes tibiae light brown, met tibia brown with yellow transverse band medially, more than twice as long as width of tibia, erect macrosetae in rows, pro and mes tibiae with 1 long apical macroseta, met tibia with 1 median and 1 apical macroseta; tarsus light brown to brown, proximal tarsomere always longer than 2 following tarsomeres combined, short and long macrosetae on all tarsomeres; empodia minute; mes and met median claw 1/2 of lateral claw; Wings ( Fig. 35 ): length = 3.9 mm; microtrichia throughout, trichoid spicules short, symmetrical dorsally and ventrally, 24–26 on M1 between r-m and diversion of M1 and M2; cell d large, terminating in M2, r-m situated just distal to separation of M3 and CuA 1; R1 reaching C proximal to R 5 and M 1 joining C, R 2+3 straight proximally and sinuous distally, not arching posteriad distally, posterior-most point just distal of mid length; halter light yellow, knob dark brown, length = 0.8 mm.

Abdomen: Brown, T2 length = 1.8 mm, T2–6 posterior margins yellow; T2–8 with erect, evenly spaced macrosetae, T7–8 without lateral sensory areas; Male terminalia ( Figs 25–27 ): epandrial halves separate medially, but fused partly proximally, distal tip straight, bifid, dorsal lobe longer; gonocoxite and hypandrium fused to form a gonocoxite-hypandrial complex, which is approximating epandrium proximally; Aedeagus - protruding from hypopygium, prong tubular; Female genitalia: ♀ unknown.

Type material. The ♂ holotype is labeled “ Btwn Pokok Sena and Kuala Nerang 1.i.1973 / W. MALAYSIA Selangor A.E. Stubbs BMNH 1974–87 / HOLOTYPE Schildia malaya sp.n. det. T. Dikow & K. Bayless 2007 (red label)” ( BMNH). The specimen is paper pointed and in fair condition (some scutal setae broken, left legs broken, and some glue on right side of thorax and head) .

Distribution. Malaysia ( Fig. 1 ). Biodiversity hotspot/high-biodiversity wilderness area: Sundaland/–.

Remarks. Only Schildia species occurring in the Oriental zoogeographical region and known only from the single type specimen. See Discussion for comments on the generic placement of this species.

Figures

Fig. 1. Map of the world with extant and extinct distribution of Schildia indicated with solid circles. Note the restricted Old World distribution in Madagascar and Malaysia.

Figs 25–36. Male terminalia with gonostyli (dark grey) and lateral processes of gonostyli (light grey) shaded in lateral views, abdominal T8, and wings of Schildia species. (25–27) Male terminalia of S. malaya sp.n.: 25, lateral; 26, dorsal; 27, ventral. (28–30) Male terminalia of S. microthorax. 28, lateral; 29, dorsal; 30, ventral. (31–33) Male terminalia and T8 of S. fragilis: 31, lateral; 32, dorsal; 33, ventral; 34, T8 dorsal. (35–36) Wings: 35, S. malaya sp.n.; 36, S. microthorax. Scale bars = 1 mm.