Parastratiosphecomyia szechuanensis Lindner, 1954

Woodley, Norman E., 2012, Revision of the southeast Asian soldier-fly genus Parastratiosphecomyia Brunetti, 1923 (Diptera, Stratiomyidae, Pachygastrinae), ZooKeys 238, pp. 1-21 : 12-16

Parastratiosphecomyia szechuanensis Lindner, 1954 Figs 4, 26-30

Parastratiosphecomyia szechuanensis Lindner, 1954: 208.

Diagnosis.

Parastratiosphecomyia szechuanensis can be distinguished from Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides and Parastratiosphecomyia freidbergi by having the lateral surface of the hind coxa with some dark coloration. This can be small in extent but is always visible. It differs from Parastratiosphecomyia rozkosnyi (as well as the other species) by its very distinctive male genitalia in which the gonostylus is elongate and sickle-shaped apically (Fig. 27). Females are very similar to those of Parastratiosphecomyia rozkosnyi but differ by having the juncture of the posterior and lateral margins of tergite 8 produced into a sharply rounded angle.

Redescription.

Differs from Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides as follows: Male.Head: Lower frons with dark spots larger and more distinct, sometimes taking up much of lower frontal surface; face with a pair of irregularly ovoid blackish spots below antennal bases, medial part not convex and only vaguely impressed medially, concave on lowest part between conical processes, medial portion shiny and only vaguely striate, conical process on lower, outer margin of antennal socket minute; pilosity on dark portion of lower face dark; antennal scape more evenly pilose, sometimes darkened narrowly at base, slightly swollen, not produced ventrally, and concave area at inner base distinct but smaller.

Thorax: Scutum with lateral yellowish spots near transverse suture much smaller, not easily seen with naked eye, narrow ovoid; scutellum black with broad yellow posterior margin, the yellow coloration about one-fourth to one-third length of scutellum; pleura with ventral part of meron sometimes only vaguely brownish; scutum with some dark hair-like setae on medial area, but much of scutum also with scattered, more erect pale hair-like setae in addition to semi-appressed pilosity; hind coxa with some lateral darkened areas, at least along posterolateral margin, the coloration somewhat diffuse rather than forming distinct markings; front femur with brownish coloration on basal one-half or less on ventral side but ranging to completely yellow, also a moderately well-defined brownish area ventrally near apex; middle femur coloration similar to front femur; hind femur ranging from basal three-fourths yellowish with apical one-fourth brownish black becoming slightly paler at apex, to having brownish coloration on basal part as well, but apical darkened area is always visible and darker than ground color; hind tibia usually almost entirely dark brown, but can be yellowish on up to apical three-fourths; tarsi with fifth tarsomeres brownish dorsally; wing with apical infuscation somewhat darker, the infuscation extending nearly to the wing apex, darkest area includes part of cell r2+3, all of r4, and basal three-fourths of r5.

Abdomen: Tergite 1 brownish black with broad pale yellow margins both anteriorly and posteriorly, narrow medial region only vaguely or not yellowish; tergite 2 occasionally with indistinct yellowish coloration medially.

Terminalia: Gonocoxites (Fig. 26) with lateral margins rounded, with a pair of posterodorsal processes that are narrowly truncate posteriorly; gonocoxal apodemes very small, ending far posterior of anterior margin of genital capsule; posterior margin of synsternite rounded but mostly membranous, narrowly sclerotized medially which appears like a narrow process; gonostylus (Figs 26, 27) elongate, bent dorsally in medial region, appearing sickle-like in lateral view, with short, narrow basal tooth; phallic complex (Figs 28, 29) small, narrow, trilobed, medial lobe subequal to lateral lobes in length; epandrium (Fig. 30) large, evenly convex, posterior margin with rounded medial projection that is curved posteroventrally; epiproct and hypoproct deflexed ventrally, hypoproct strongly sclerotized, somewhat expanded dorsolaterally, with narrow anteromedial process that is bent ventrally.

Length: 12.0-13.2 mm.

Female. Differs from male as follows: Head: Frons 0.25-0.28 head width, upper frons with slightly raised medial strip that is about one-fourth of head width and widens slightly toward antennae; junction of upper and lower frons flat; upper frons with pale, appressed hair-like setae that are often sparse or nearly absent on medial elevation.

Thorax: Scutum with pilosity entirely pale, silvery to slightly golden, with scattered slightly longer, erect hair-like setae; hind tibia mostly brownish in specimens examined.

Abdomen: Tergite 2 with medial strip of yellowish coloration more distinct than in male, and basal part of tergite 3 suffused with yellowish color medially; sternite 8 with lateral margins extending dorsally toward posterior end, forming sharply rounded angle with posterior margin that is produced dorsally along sides of terminalia and slightly overlaps them.

Length: 11.3-13.6 mm.

Distribution.

Known from China (Fujian, Guizhou), Laos, and Vietnam.

Type material examined.

The holotype male (Fig. 4; ZFMK) is labeled: "Kuatun(2300 m) 27,40n. Br. 117,40 ö. L. J. Klapperich 5.6.1938(Fukien)/Parastratiospheco-myia szechua-nensis Lind. Lindner det./Holotypus Lindner 1954 /Holotypus". The specimen is in fair condition, missing the apical flagellomere of the right antenna, the left middle leg beyond trochanter, right middle tarsus, and the last tarsomere of the left hind leg, and the right halter. The abdomen has at sometime in the past been glued to the specimen and is slightly crooked. The specimen has a small amount of mold on it.

In ZFMK there are an additional 14 males and 4 females from the same locality that have later paratype labels not provided by Lindner. Of these, 4 males and all 4 females bear Lindner determination labels in his handwriting. Within this subset, 1 male and 2 females have paratype labels handwritten by Lindner, and 1 female is labeled as allotype in Lindner’s handwriting. Lindner (1954: 208) mentioned "eine größere Serie in beiden Geschlechtern" but no numbers, so it is not possible to determine if Lindner actually examined all of these specimens. He also mentioned that there were paratypes in the museum in Stuttgart, which I have not examined.

Specimens labeled as paratypes, all in ZFMK: 3 males, CHINA: Fujian Province, Guadun, 27°40'N, 117°40'E, "2300 m", 5.v.1938, Klapperich; 1 male, same data but 13.v.1938; 1 male, same data but 4.vi.1938; 2 males, same data but 5.vi.1938; 3 males, same data but 8.vi.1938; 1 male, same data but 10.vi.1938; 1 female, same data but 12.vi.1938; 1 male, 1 female, same data but 17.vi.1938; 1 males, 2 females (1 labeled as allotype), same data but 26.vi.1938; 1 male, same data but 28.vi.1938.

Additional material examined.

CHINA: 1 male (MHPC), Guizhou Province, Xingyi, 800 m, 17.vii.2005, Yang Zaihua; 1 female (MHPC), Guizhou Province, Chishui, 315 m, 28.v.2006, Yang Zaihua. LAOS: 1 male (FSMU) Bolikhamsai Pro vince, Ban Nape–Kaew Nua Pass, 18°22.3'N, 105°09.1'E (GPS), 600 ± 100 m, 18.iv.-1.v.1998, E. Jendek, O. Sauša. VIETNAM: 1 female (NBC), Ninh Binh Province, Cuc Phuong National Park, near centre, ca. 225 m, 29. vi– 18.vii.2000, Mai Phu Quy; 1 male, 2 females (USNM), [Ha Tay Province], Mount Ba Vi, 900-1000 m, viii.1940, P.A. de Cooman; 1 male (USNM), same data but 800-1000 m, vii.1941; 1 female (USNM), Cao Bang Province, Phja-Den environs, 22°32.433'N, 105°52.012'E, 948 m, 1-6.vi.2011, Steven W. Lingafelter, daytime collecting; 1 female (USNM), Cao Bang Province, Phja-Den environs, 22°34.026'N, 105°52.246'E, 987 m, 25.v.-5.vi.2011, Steven W. Lingafelter, at lights.

Remarks.

The type locality, as stated on the locality label, is "Kuatun, Fukien" which in modern lexicon is Guadun, Fujian Province, in China. This settlement is located in the Wuyi Mountains, west of Wuyishan city. The 2300 m elevation given on the data labels is inaccurate, as the highest point in the Wuyi Mountains is a peak that is about 2150 m, and it is likely that the specimens were collected at a lower elevation than this. The type locality is nearly 1000 km from Sichuan Province in China, so it is a mystery as to why Lindner named this species Parastratiosphecomyia szechuanensis .

Leg coloration in this species is somewhat variable, but this may be in part due to preservation and the age of the specimens when captured.