Botanophila melametopa

Xue, Wan-Qi & Song, Wen-Hui, 2007, A review of the genus Botanophila Lioy (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) from China, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 1633, pp. 1-38 : 30-32

4. Botanophila melametopa (Fan in Fan & Zheng, 1993)

( Figs. 40–45 )

Pegohylemyia melametopa Fan in Fan & Zheng, 1993: 1143 –1144.

Pegohylemyia nigrifrontata Fan & Zheng, 1993: 1144 –1145. Syn. nov.

Redescription. Male. Body length 6.0–8.0mm. Head. Eye bare, or sometimes scattered with short cilia; frons about 1.5–2.5 times the width of anterior ocellus, frontal vitta velvet black and about 1.0–2.0 times the width of fronto-orbital plate, interfrontal seta strong, without proclinate orbital seta, outer vertical fine, about 8–10 pairs of frontal setae on lower 3/5 of frons; fronto-orbital plate and parafacial charcoal black, parafacial about 1.8–2.4 times the width of antennal postpedicel, antenna black, antennal postpedicel about twice as long as broad, arista short pubescent, the longest hairs shorter than basal diameter of arista, facial carina not distinct, vibrissal angle situated behind frontal angle in profile, epistoma not prominent, 1–2 rows of upcurved subvibrissal setulae, gena covered with grey pruinosity, genal height equal to or wider than the width of parafacial, genal hairs black, median occipital sclerite and epicephalon bare, paracephalon with hairs, postocular setae extending to ventral surface; proboscis slender, palpus black and a little shorter than prementum, prementum covered with distinct grey pruinosity and 4.0–8.0 times as long as broad.

Thorax: Ground colour black, scutum dark black, only postpronotal lobes and adjacent areas covered with light pruinosity, scutum sometimes with 5 black vittae covered with coppery grey pruinosity, pre-acr trichoid in 2 rows, post-acr row also trichoid, only 1–2 pairs of distinct setae before scutellum, dc 2+3, without outer posthumeral seta, ia 0+2, pra about 1.4 times length of posterior notopleural seta, scutellum without spot and also charry black, apical part of scutellum with mostly pale hairs on undersurface, anterior anepisternal seta 1, notopleuron, basisternum of prosternum, median cavate of proepisternum, anepimeron, katepimeron and meron bare, anterior and posterior spiracles small and dark black, katepisternal setae 1+(2+3).

Wing. Base blackish brown, veins blackish brown, basicosta black, costal vein setulose only basally on ventral surface, costal spine absent or short, basal node of vein R4+5 bare, calypteres light brown, the edge of calypteres brown and covered with brownish yellow hairs, lower calypter short and just 2/5 the length of upper one, haltere brownish yellow.

Legs. Black, fore tibia with 1–2 pv in medially; mid femur without distinct av rows, with sparse and long pv rows which become short distally, 2 pre-apical pd, mid tibia without av, 1 ad, 2 pd, 1–3 pv; hind femur with complete av and pv rows, hind tibia with 4–5 av, 4–5 ad, 4–5 pd, 3–5 pv, without apical pv; tarsus a little longer than tibia, claws and pulvilli large.

Abdomen. Black and long-ovate, covered with grey pruinosity, broad T-shaped spots medially on tergites 2–5, tergite 6 bare, rarely with 1 or more setae; sternite 1 with hairs, sternite 5 bulging, apical part of lateral lobe of sternite 5 approaching apical part of abdomen in lateral view; aedeagal apodeme slender, postgonite large, distiphallus of aedeagus with a sclerotized plate, in one specimen this sclerotized plate not distinct.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. CHINA: 5ɗ, Mt. Balang, 102°00'– 102°58'E, 31°06'– 31°43'N, 4300–4600m, Sichuan Province, 3.viii.2005 (Liang Chang) ( SYNU); 87ɗ, Mt. Jiajin, 4000–4100m, 102°85'E, 30°38'N, Sichuan Province, 4.viii.2005 (Ming-fu Wang) ( SYNU); 17ɗ, same data as above, (Jia-yu Liu) ( SYNU); 53ɗ, same data as above, (Hu Ao) ( SYNU); same data as above, (Liang Chang) ( SYNU); 4ɗ, Mt. Balang, 4600m, 102°00'– 102°58'E, 31°06'– 31°43'N, Sichuan Province, 8.viii.2005 (Liang Chang) ( SYNU); 1ɗ, Mt. Balang, 4400–4800m, 102°00'– 102°58'E, 31°06'– 31°43'N, Sichuan Province, 8.viii.2005 (Hu Ao) ( SYNU).

Remarks. Fan (in Fan & Zheng, 1993) defined Botanophila melametopa (as Pegohylemyia melametopa ) by the following characters: frons a little wider than 1.7 times the width of anterior ocellus, parafacial about 1.5 times the width of antennal postpedicel, palpus wire-like and with curly long hairs, the longest hairs longer than the half length of palpus, palpus about 0.74–0.85 times of the length of prementum, prementum 6.7–8.5 times as long as broad; fore tibia without av, 0–1 ad, 0 pd, 2 pv; mid femur with long setal row in proximal half, the other setae short and less than 10, mid tibia with 0–1 av, 1–2 ad, 2 pd, 2 pv; hind tibia with 3–4 av, 3– 4 ad, 4–5 pd, 2–4 pv; abdomen with pale yellowish grey pruinosity, distal part of median process of cercal plate bent backwards in lateral view; inner margin of surstyli with a small inner branch in distal part, the width of inner branch not wider than the width of medial process of cercal plate at the same level in posterior view. In the same paper, Fan (in Fan & Zheng, 1993) also described Botanophila nigrifrontata (as Pegohylemyia nigrifrontata ) with the following characters: frons about 1.18 times the width of anterior ocellus, parafacial about 1.65 times the width of antennal postpedicel, palpus clubbed and with straight hairs, the longest hairs shorter than half length of palpus, palpus about 0.85–0.90 times the length of prementum, prementum 5.0–5.6 times as long as broad; fore tibia without av, 0–1 ad, 0 pd, 2 pv; mid femur with long setal row in distal 2/3–3/ 5, the other setae a little longer and more than 10, mid tibia without av, 1 ad, 2 pd, 2 pv; hind tibia with 4 av, 4–5 ad, 5–7 pd, 4–5 pv; abdomen with pale bluish-grey pruinosity; apical part of median process straight in lateral margin in lateral view; inner margin of surstyli with large and trigonal inner branch in distal 1/3, the width of inner branch wider than the width of medial process of cercal plate at the same level in posterior view.

We have collected 167 specimens from the type-locality of Botanophila melametopa and Botanophila nigrifrontata . By observing specimens and dissecting terminalia, we interpret that the range of variability is very large in the specimens. We find the characters of some specimens intermediate between melametopa and nigrifrontata . There are also some specimens that have both melametopa and nigrifrontata characters.

Here are enumerated the characters of our specimens: frons about 1.5–2.5 times the width of anterior ocellus, parafacial about 1.8–2.4 times the width of antennal postpedicel, palpus clubbed and with straight hairs, the longest hairs shorter or longer than the half length of palpus, palpus about 0.8–1.0 times of the length of prementum, prementum 4.0–6.0 times as long as broad; fore tibia without av, ad, or pd, 1–2 pv; mid femur with long setae row in distal 1/2–3/5, the other setae about 5–12, mid tibia without av, 1 ad, 2 pd, 1–3 pv; hind tibia with 4–5 av, 4–5 ad, 4–5 pd, 3–5 pv; abdomen with grey pruinosity; distal part of median process straight on lateral margin in lateral view, sometimes bent backward; inner margin of surstyli with small to large inner branches.

Geographic distribution. China.

Figures

FIGURES 40 – 45. Botanophila melametopa (Fan) (male): 40. Abdomen in dorsal view, scale bar = 1 mm; 41. Abdomen in lateral view, scale bar = 1 mm; 42. Sternite 5 in ventral view, scale bar = 0.2 mm; 43. Terminalia in profile, scale bar = 0.2 mm; 44. Terminalia in posterior view, scale bar = 0.2 mm; 45. Pregonite, postgonite and phallus in profile, scale bar = 0.2 mm.