The Genus Lotobia Lioy (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae) From The Oriental Region Author Hayashi, T. and P, L. & Taxonomy and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Medical Entomology The National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1 - 23 - 1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162 - 8640, Japan, E-mail: thaya @ nih. go. jp Author Papp, L. Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, H- 1088 Budapest, Baross utca 13, Hungary; e-mail: lpapp @ zoo. zoo. nhmus. hu text Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 2004 50 3 211 225 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.12586744 2064-2474 12586744 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 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- 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. 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 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.