Melaloncha, BRUES, 1904

Brown, Brian V., 2004, Revision of the subgenus Udamochiras of Melaloncha beekilling flies (Diptera: Phoridae: Metopininae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 140 (1), pp. 1-42 : 9

MELALONCHA BRUES

Melaloncha Brues, 1904: 374 . Type species Melaloncha pulchella Brues , by subsequent designation ( Brues, 1906). Holotype (and only known specimen) of M. pulchella lost in Hungarian Revolt. Further literature: Brues, 1906: 8, pl. II fig. 13; 1912: 136; 1915: 109; Schmitz, 1927a: 19; 1927b: 147–148; 1929: 144–145; Borgmeier, 1925: 223; 1934: 167– 168; 1938: 44–45; 1959: 167–170; 1971: 125–126.

Melanoloncha Becker et al., 1907: 176 (unjustified emendation).

Udamochiras Enderlein, 1912: 42 . Type species: U. colossia Enderlein by original designation;. 1924: 281. Synonymized by Brues, 1912.

Most recent key to species. Borgmeier, 1971: 126–128. Because of the large number of undescribed species (over 100 to date), this key is of limited value.

Diagnosis. Frons narrow. Supra-antennal setae absent. Fore femur with posterodorsal seta near apex. Apical tarsomere of fore leg lacking claws in male. Hind femur with erect dorsal setae. Mid and hind tibia with irregular, sinuous rows of enlarged setulae anterodorsally. Tergites and often thorax of most species with silver pollinosity. Female abdominal segment 7 completely sclerotized, forming a parasitic type ovipositor. Intersegment 7–8 modified, with sclerotization of various forms. Posterior segments (9–10) of female abdomen form a sharp, pointed, piercing stylet. Male with subepandrial plate with long, posterolateral lobes; aedeagus extremely elongate.

Natural history. Species of Melaloncha are endoparasitoids of a variety of bees, but most records are of attacks on stingless bees (Meliponini: Apinae: Apidae ; summarized by Disney, 1994). There is one record of a parasitized Bombus mexicanus Cresson ( Bombinae : Apidae ; Ramirez, 1982) but unfortunately the fly specimen has been lost (P. Hanson, University of Costa Rica, pers. comm.).

One species, M. ronnai Borgmeier (see species treatment, below), is a well-known parasitoid of introduced honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Apinae, Apidae ), but its native host is not known. Other species of Melaloncha will occasionally attack honey bees attracted to honeysprayed undergrowth (B. V. Brown, pers. observ.). A citation of up to eight species of Melaloncha reared from honey bees in Costa Rica ( Ramírez, 1984) is unsubstantiated; all voucher specimens I received from Dr Ramirez were M. ronnai .

A record of a Melaloncha species reared from an anthophorid bee (quoted in Roubik, 1989) is unconfirmed, and based on the similarity of the pupae with the described pupae of M. ronnai (D. Roubik, pers. comm.). I have been unable to locate these specimens to confirm this record.

A list of potential host-parasitoid records for subgenus Udamochiras , including those newly reported in this work, is given in Table 1. Many are based only on circumstantial evidence, the result of collecting the flies attracted to aggregations of bees, often of more than one species. See individual species treatments for discussion of these records.

The flies are often found either around the host nest or at flowers where bees are foraging. Simões et al., 1980) noted that M. sinistra Borgmeier were found at the nest entrance of host bees but not at flowers, whereas the reverse was found for M. ronnai . Specimens of Melaloncha have been collected at the flowers of sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas (L.), unidentified male from Nova Teutônia, Brazil, in MZSP collection), caboatá ( Cupania vernalis Cambess. ; Ronna, 1937), Eupatorium sp. ( Asteraceae ; see material examined for M. spatula sp. nov.), Phoenix sp. palm (B. V. Brown, pers. observ.) and Syagrus coronata (Mart.) palms (B. V. Brown, pers. observ.).