New species and records of Melaloncha (Udamochiras) beekilling flies (Diptera: Phoridae)
Author
Gonzalez, Lisa
Author
Brown, Brian V.
text
Zootaxa
2004
730
1
14
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.158463
b6c0d681-42dd-443e-a3ad-7eb1109dc45d
11755326
158463
49972CE6-847E-4708-940A-239B2ADB3745
Melaloncha atribiseta
new species
Figs. 5
,
12
Recognition. The pair of conspicuous, ventrally curved setae at the apex of the ovipositor is similar to those of
M. biseta
Brown
, but the ovipositor of
M
.
atribiseta
is more sharply curved in lateral view and the frons is black. This species keys to couplet
13 in
Brown’s (2004a) key, but matches neither choice, as its ovipositor is not laterally flattened like that of
M
.
nigricorpus
Borgmeier
and is not narrowed at the apex like that of
M
.
anaticula
Brown.
Description. Female (male unknown). Body length
2.1–2.4 mm
. Mean frontal width 0.35 head width; range 0.34–0.35. Frons entirely black except in some specimens (including
holotype
) ventrally apex and area surrounding ventral interfrontal setae, which are both orange; setal bases black, including setal bases of ventral interfrontal setae in those with orange color; with fine reticulate sculpturing and punctate with small black setulae; median furrow faint but present. Dorsal interfrontal setae present, located slightly ventral to ventral ocellus. Palpus unmodified. Ocular and genal setae yellow, flattened. Foreleg, including foretarsomeres, uniformly brownish yellow. Combined length of foretarsomeres approximately 0.9 tibial length. Tarsal claws on all legs finely bifurcate (bifurcation extremely small on some specimens). Mid and hind leg brownish yellow; hind femur with dark brown macula at apex. Mean costal length 0.53 wing length; range 0.48–0.57. Wing vein R2+3 absent. Abdominal tergites black with anterior band of silver pollinosity. Venter of abdomen gray; venter of segment with few fine setae. Ovipositor relatively long, tubular and evenly curved. Short, fine ventral setae and sparse, fine dorsal setae present, mainly at apex of ovipositor. In dorsal view, ovipositor parallelsided, but with preapical and basal broadening. Two large, ventrally curved setae present at apex of ovipositor.
Host. Flies were attracted to a mixed aggregation of
A. mellifera
,
Partamona epiphytophila
and
Plebeia
sp.
Distribution.
Bolivia
.
Derivation of specific epithet. Based on Latin
ater
for black, and
biseta
, the name of a similar species from which
M. atribiseta
differs by the black frons.
Holotype
. Ψ,
BOLIVIA
: La Paz:
40 km
N Caranavi, Cumbre Alto Beni,
15.83°S
,
67.56°W
,
19.iv.2003
, Brown, Marcotte, Zumbado, honeyspray,
1600 m
[LACM ENT
181197
] (CBFC).
Paratypes
.
BOLIVIA
: La Paz:
40 km
N Caranavi, Cumbre Alto Beni,
15.83°S
,
67.56°W
, 1Ψ,
12.iv.2003
, 1Ψ,
18.iv.2003
, 2Ψ,
19.iv.2003
Brown, Marcotte, Zumbado, honeyspray,
1600 m
(CBFC, LACM), 3Ψ,
19.iv.2004
, E. Zumbado, honey spray,
1600 m
(CBFC, LACM).