Lotobia asiatica, Hayashi & Papp, 2004

Hayashi, T. & Papp, L., 2004, The Genus Lotobia Lioy (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae) From The Oriental Region, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 50 (3), pp. 211-225 : 212-215

Lotobia asiatica sp. n.

( Figs 1–10 )

Description – Body length 2.0–2.6 mm (holotype male 2.4 mm).

Head: Anterior part of frons and face reddish brown, orbits somewhat reddish, vertex and occiput black; frontal vitta reddish brown, entirely granulated; inner and outer vt, oc and 2 ors almost same length; lower 3–5 postocular setae stronger, directed backward in contrast with other upcurved upper setae; gena entirely reddish brown, shining; lunule, epistoma and clypeus reddish brown; clypeus large, only a little wider than long, reddish brown with dark lower margin; eye round, somewhat small, longest diameter about as long as smallest genal width; antenna reddish brown to dark brown; scape with 1 long seta; pedicel with dense blunt setae of equal size.

Thorax: Almost entirely black, shining; normally 4 and rarely 6 irregular ac rows in front of suture, separated from dc row by bare area; 2 np; katepisternum with a few setae along central vertical axis and 2–3 long hairs ventrally; scutellum with 16–18 marginal tubercles, concolorous to scutellum, basal 2 fused at the base.

Wing: Hyaline; veins yellowish; R 4+5 and M 1+2 bent forward, almost parallel; halter reddish brown to yellow.

Legs: Coxae reddish brown; femora, tibiae and tarsomeres dark brown to reddish brown; fore and hind femora somewhat thickened in male; fore tibia with distinct small ad spine apically; hind tibia with only very small 2 ventral spines apically.

Abdomen: Preabdominal tergites strongly sclerotized, black (dark brown).

Male. Syntergite 1+2 about 1.5 X as long as tergite 3, tergite 3 as long as tergite 4, tergite 4 twice as long as tergite 5. Tergite 5 ( Fig. 1 ) symmetrical, ca. 3 times as broad as long, and half length of T4. Preabdominal sternites ( Fig. 2 ) broad, particularly so for sternite 3 and 4. Sternite 4 with a pair tral view. Scales: 0.5 mm for Figs 1–2 , 0.2 mm for Figs 4–5 , 0.1 mm for Figs 3, 6–7

of concavities near each side posteriorly; sternite 5 weakly sclerotized. Cerci ( Fig. 4 ) rather large but otherwise normal, crescent-shaped in caudal view. Surstylus ( Fig. 3 ) rather broad, broadest subapically, bent inwards gently, with some long caudal setae. Paramere (postgonite) ( Figs 5–6 ) characteristic with a long, curved, blunt apical part and no distinct subapical process.

Distiphallus ( Figs 6–7 ) rather short, shorter than phallapodeme, with blunt apex.

Female. Syntergite 1+2 about 1.5 X as long as tergite 3, tergite 3–5 almost same length; tergite 5 ( Fig. 8 ) much longer than broad. Female sternites 3 ( Fig. 9 ) and 4 much broader than long. Sternites 2–5 with a pair of long setae on posterior margin; sternite 5 divided into 2 small sclerites, or rather with two more melanized lateral parts. Female spermathecae ( Fig. 10 ) globular with comparatively short and thin sclerotized stalk.

Holotype male ( NIID): Shiraho , Ishigaki I., Okinawa Pref., Japan, Mar. 8, 1993, T. Hayashi.

Paratypes. PAKISTAN: 1 female, Balakot , NWFP, Aug. 2, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 4 males, 1 female, Manshera , NWFP, Aug. 2, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 6 males, 6 females, Abbottabad , NWFP, July 31, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 7 males, 2 females, Nathiagali , NWFP, July 27–30, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 1 male, Ayubia , NWFP, July 25–26, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 49 males, 40 females, Miandam, Swat , NWFP, Aug. 3, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 15 males, 5 females, Taxila , Punjab Prov., Sept. 4, 1988, T. Hayashi ; 11 males, 9 females, Hyderabad , Sind Prov., Oct. 4–13, 1986, T. Hayashi . SRI LANKA: 1 male, Colombo , April 10, 1968, Thomas F. Halstead ( CAS) ; 1 male, Ella , July 24, 1989, T. Hayashi ; 4 males, 4 females, Diyaluma Falls , July 26, 1989, T. Hayashi and K. Kanmiya . INDIA: 1 male, Astrang, Orissa Sta. , Sept. 28, 1993, T. Hayashi ; 7 males, 6 females, Mudumalai National Park, 900 m, Tamil Nadu Sta. , Oct. 3–5, 1993, T. Hayashi ; 1 male, Jabarpur , Sept. 6, 1987, M. Iwasa ; 1 male, Jabarpur to Piparia , Sept. 13, 1987, M. Iwasa . NEPAL: 2 males, Pathlaiya ( Hetauda-Birganj ), Oct. 28–30, 1992, T. Hayashi . PHILIPPINES: 1 male, 6km W. Culion, Culion I., June 6, 1962, H. Holtmann ( BPBM) . JAPAN: 24 males, 12 females, Shiraho, Ishigaki I., Okinawa Pref., July 3–4, 1993, T. Hayashi ; 2 males, 2 females, Uehara , Iriomote I., Okinawa Pref., July 7–9, 1993, T. Hayashi . 1 male ( HNHM, gen. prep.): Taiwan: Pingtung Hsien, Kenting National Park , grassy hillside, on cow pats, October 5, 2000, leg. L. Papp, No. 17. 1 male, 1 female ( HNHM, gen. prep.) : VIET NAM, Trung Trang, Cat Ba , 20°48’N 107°00’E, 180 m a.s.l., 17 May 1987, No. 179 [Collected at MV lamp], leg. Matskási, Oláh & Topál. 1 male, 1 female ( HNHM, gen. prep.): Thailand: Eravan N. P. (Kanchanaburi), leg. L. & S. Mahunka, River Kwae Yai , 13 Feb 1994, No. 75, light trap/white lamp; 1 female ( HNHM, gen. prep): ibid., 13–15. II. 1994, fénycsapda [light trap] ; 1 male, 4 females: Thaiföld, Kaeng Krachan , 14. II. 1994, korhadékból, leg. Mahunka. 1 female ( HNHM): India, Uttar Pradesh, Dehra Dun , Survey of India Campus , swept, 11. XII. 1989, leg. L. Papp ; 1 female ( HNHM, gen. prep.): ibid., Agra, Shah Jehan Gardens , 23. XI. 1989, leg. L. Papp , swept on shores of small ponds and on a watered grassy area.

Distribution. Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet-Nam, Taiwan, Philippines and

Japan.

Remarks. This species is related to L. africana (BECKER) and L. arcuata (SÉGUY) with which it shares some important taxonomic features, i. e. the shape of postocular setae, large clypeus, 2 np. It is distinguishable from them by its reddish gena. There are also a number of characters in male genitalia, which are distinctive. It is possible to separate L. asiatica females from those of L. africana (without preparation), because its abdominal sternite 3 ( Fig. 9 ) is much broader than long. This is true also for sternite 4. This species is found mainly on cattle and buffalo dung.

Figures

Figs 1–7. Lotobia asiatica sp. n., male abdomen and genitalia. 1 = abdomen dorsally, 2 = preabdominal sternites, ventral view, 3 = surstylus, broadest extension,4 =genitalia,caudal view, 5 = inner genitalia, lateral view, 6 = paramere (postgonite), widest (nearly lateral) view, 7 = distiphallus, ven-

Figs 8–10. Lotobia asiatica sp. n., paratype female. 8 = abdomen dorsally, 9 = abdominal sternites, ventral view, 10 = spermatheca. Scales: 0.5 mm for Figs 8–9, 0.1 mm for Fig. 10