Revision of the Bengalia torosa Wiedemann, 1819 species-group (Diptera: Calliphoridae), with notes on the systematic position of B. robertsi Kurahashi, 1987 and B. subnitida James, 1964
Author
Rognes, Knut
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-03-07
4391
1
1
71
journal article
30584
10.11646/zootaxa.4391.1.1
d2f6f62c-9c3c-4951-9409-01bf33f2f027
1175-5326
1193860
93A0AF58-9FD7-417F-9019-BC6C72423C1B
Bengalia escheri
Bezzi, 1913
(
Figs 47–76
)
Bengalia escheri
Bezzi, 1913: 76
(as “
Escheri
”). Correct original spelling (as required by ICZN Article 32.5.2.5).
Lectotype
♂
(ETHZ; for details see “
Type
material examined”), here designated.
Type
locality:
Taiwan
[as “
Formosa
”],
Tainan
.
Bengalia escheri
:
Senior-White (1923b: 37)
(
India
; male from Garo Hills,
Assam
).
Bengalia escheri
:
Senior-White (1924: 105)
(
India
[doubtful (?) records of females from Khasia Hills],
Taiwan)
.
Bengalia escheri
:
Senior-White
et al.
(1940
: 97
)
(
India
[“
Assam
, Khasi and Garo Hills”],
Taiwan
[as “Formosa”]).
Bengalia
(
Ochromyia
)
escheri
:
Fan (1965: 194)
(
China
)
.
Bengalia escheri
:
Fan (1992
: 534
; 1997: 454),
Feng
et al
. (1998
: 1378
) (China [Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang]).
Bengalia escheri
:
Kurahashi & Thapa (1994: 218)
(first record from
Nepal
).
Bengalia escheri
:
Kurahashi
et al
. (1997
: 41
)
(
Malaysia
[
West Malaysia
]).
Bengalia escheri
:
Thinh (1988: 15)
(
Vietnam
)
.
Bengalia escheri
:
Kurahashi & Chowanadisai (2001: 202)
(
Vietnam
[citing
Thinh (1988)
]).
Bezzigalia rivanella
Lehrer, 2005
: 109
.
HoloType
♂
(
MSNM
; for deTails see “
Type
maTerial examined”), by original designation.
Type
locality:
India
,
Darjeeling
, Kalimpong.
Syn. nov.
Gangelomyia escheri
:
Lehrer (2005: 112)
(
Malaysia
[N.
Kedah
, Changlun (as “Changloon”),
West Malaysia
]
,
Taiwan)
.
Bengalia escheri
: Verves
(2005: 239; catalogue entry).
Gangelomyia escheri
:
Lehrer (2006a: 10)
(
India
[
Arunachal Pradesh
(as “Birmanie”)]
,
Taiwan)
.
Bengalia escheri
:
Rognes (2009a
: 98
; a few remarks on morphology).
Bengalia escheri
:
Kurahashi & Bunchu (2011: 263)
(
Thailand
)
.
Bengalia escheri
: Yang
et al
. (2014: 88)
(
Taiwan
;
5 males
and
5 females
examined in this study).
Diagnosis
.
Male
. Length: 13.0–
13.5mm
(n=3). Frons at vertex / head width ratio 0.30–0.35 (mean 0.33, n=3). Dark species. Head with dark spot on upper part of parafacial, often strikingly large and black. Thorax and abdomen usually very dark (
Figs 60–62
); also pleuron dark (
Fig. 60
). Abdomen with broad dark marginal bands, T5 black (
Fig. 62
). Anepimeron with only black setulae or lower half with a few pale setulae (
Fig. 70
). Femora dark in distal half (
Fig. 60
). Fore femur with numerous densely set setulae on
a
and
av
side (
Fig. 63
). Fore tibia with a row of several (4–6) slender, spinous setae (
Figs 59
,
63–64
,
73–74
). Wing with pale area surrounding
r-m
crossvein (
Fig. 61
). ST5 flap half circular (
Figs 51–52
,
65
,
68
), and with a small, broad process on each side of the flap (
Fig. 52
). Cercus evenly narrowing to a point in posterior view (
Fig. 47–48
,
71
). Surstylus blunt in posterior view (
Figs 47– 48
,
71
) but very wide in lateral view, with a pronounced nick in the distal ventral part (
Fig. 47–48
,
72, 76
); except in one male (
Kedah
Changloo, NHMUK), where the nick is very small. [
Lehrer (2005: 114, fig. 49B)
did not illustrate the nick in the surstylus]. Bacilliform sclerite process with a retrograde projection only (
Figs 49–50
,
75– 76
). Its hind edge (i.e., edge opposite the retrograde projection) straight or almost straight (
Figs 49–50
,
75–76
). Distiphallus as shown in
Figs 53–57
. Distal lip process (
dlp
) bifurcate in apical view (
Fig. 57
). Opening of ejaculatory duct surrounded by fine denticles (
Fig. 56
), also visible in lateral view (
Fig. 54
). Pre- and postgonite as in
Fig. 58
.
Female
. Length:
12.5–14.5mm
(n=2). Frons at vertex / head width ratio 0.33, n=1). External characters agree with those of the male.
Discussion.
Usually a very dark species.
Bezzigalia rivanella
Lehrer
is based on a pale, not fully sclerotized specimen. Lehrer’s illustration of its distiphallus (
Lehrer 2005: 110, fig. 48C
) is based on artifacts, i.e., a destroyed apical part.
FIGURES 47–59.
Bengalia escheri
Bezzi
(47–49, 51, 53–56, 58–59: male from Mishmi Hills, India [as “Burma”], NHMUK; 50, 52, 57: male from N. Kedah, Changloon, India, NHMUK).
47.
Epandrial complex, posterior view (under stereomicroscope).
48.
Epandrial complex, posterior view (under compound microscope, for better resolution).
49.
Epandrial complex, left lateral view.
50.
Epandrial complex, left lateral view.
51.
ST5 flap.
52.
ST5 flap.
53.
Distiphallus, dorsal view.
54.
Distiphallus, left lateral view.
55.
Distiphallus, ventral view.
56.
Distiphallus, apical view.
57.
Distiphallus, apical view.
58.
Pre- and postgonites.
59.
Right fore leg, inside view. Scale bars: 0.5mm (Fig. 48); 0.25mm (Figs 51–56, 58). Abbreviations:
bsp
= bacilliform sclerite process;
dlp
= distal lip process;
lf
= lateral finger;
pog
= postgonite;
prg
= pregonite;
sd
= semidomes.
Biology.
Unknown.
Distribution.
China
,
India
*,
Malaysia
(West
Malaysia
*),
Nepal
,
Taiwan
*,
Vietnam
*,
Thailand
*.
Type
material examined.
Bengalia escheri
Bezzi, 1913
.
LECTOTYPE
♂
(ETHZ), here designated, labelled (
Fig. 66
) (1)
TYPUS
[black print on red label]; (2)
Bengalia
/
escheri
/
♂
Bezzi /
Type
[handwritten by J. Escher- Kündig on paper with pale blue crossed lines]; (3) 13228 [handwritten by Escher-Kündig on same
type
of paper as label 2]; (4)
Bengalia
/ Escheri / Bezzi /
Typen
♂
♀
[handwritten by Bezzi on pale brown paper]; (5)
LECTOTYPE
(m) /
Bengalia escheri
/ Bezzi, 1913: 76 / Esch.-Künd. no. 13228 / des. K. Rognes 2016.
PARALECTOTYPE
♀
(ETHZ), here designated, labelled (1)
TYPUS
[black print on red label]; (2)
Bengalia
/
escheri
/
♀
Bezzi /
Type
[handwritten by J. Escher-Kündig on paper with pale blue crossed lines]; (3) 13229 [handwritten by Escher-Kündig on same
type
of paper as label 2]; (4)
PARALECTOTYPE
(f) /
Bengalia escheri
/ Bezzi, 1913: 76 / Esch.-Künd. no. 13229 / des. K. Rognes 2016. [The
lectotype
and
paralectotype
labels were affixed to the specimens by Rod Eastwood and Michael Greeff (ETHZ),
28 June 2016
, more than seven years after I had studied the specimens.]
FIGURES 60–66.
Bengalia escheri
Bezzi
(lectotype, ETHZ).
60.
Anterior part of body, left lateral view.
61.
Posterior part of body, left lateral view. Arrow points to
r-m
crossvein.
62.
Abdomen, posterodorsal view.
63.
Left fore leg, inside view.
64.
Right fore leg, outside view.
65.
ST5
in situ
at tip of abdomen, oblique antero-ventrolateral view.
66.
Labels.
Additional remarks. Bezzi (1913) described
Bengalia escheri
on the basis of one male and one female in “der Sammlung des Herrn Dr. J. Escher-Kündig aus
Zürich
, welcher die Liebenswürdigkeit hatte, mir die Art für die Beschreibung zu überlassen, und zu dessen Ehren benannt ist. [the collection of Dr. J. Escher-Kündig in
Zürich
, who had the kindness to leave the description of the species to me and in whose honour it is named.]”. The number “13228” on the third label of the
lectotype
(
Fig. 66
) refers to a handwritten entry in the ETHZ catalogue of the Escher-Kündig collection, which reads [slashes represent a line shift in the catalogue]: “13228
Bengalia
♂
escheri Bezzi
Type
♂
/ von Bezzi beschrieben und nach mir / benannt /
Tainan
(
Formosa
) gekauft von Rolle”. The handwriting in the catalogue is obviously Escher-Kündig’s and is the same as on labels 2 and 3. The entry in the catalogue for the number “13229” on the
paralectotype
female reads: “
Bengalia
♀
escheri Bezzi
Type
♀
/
Tainan
(
Formosa
) gekauft von Rolle”.
Bezzigalia rivanella
Lehrer, 2005
. HOLOTYPE ♂ (MSNM), labelled (1) Ind.Mus. / Kalimpong, / Darjiling dist. / E. Himalayas, /
600-4500 ft
. /
24.IV-10 V 15
. / F.H.Gravely [vertically near left hand margin of label] [printed, there is a horizontal line printed below first line]; (2)
lateralis
[printed]; (3) HOLOTYPUS [black printed on white label glued to bigger red label]; (4)
Bengalia
♂ /
rivanella
Lehrer
sp.n.
/ Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER /
XII.2004
[printed, pin hole at middle]; (5)
Bengalia
♂ /
rivanella
Lehrer
sp.n.
/ Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER /
XII.2004
[printed, pin hole near right hand margin] (
Fig. 69
) [Dissected by Lehrer; terminalia in glycerol in big plastic vial and transferred by me to glass microvial; the holotype is rather teneral, as shown by its pale colouration compared to that of fully developed
B. escheri
specimens and the wrinkled and folded abdominal tergites (
Fig. 67
) and (some) legs; left hind leg missing].
Additional remarks. The following items were present in Lehrer’s vial: (1) parts of ST5, including the ST5 flap, and (2) the epandrial complex, which included the epandrium, cerci, surstyli, and the left bacilliform sclerite.
The phallus, pre- and postgonites and hypandrium were absent. The ST5 parts were joined to the ventral surface of the epandrial complex by a greyish stiff substance, apparently
Canada
balsam. I did not try to separate the two pieces from each other at first but later succeeded in removing the ST5 parts from the epandrium. One of the surstyli is displaced, and both have a conspicuous nick in the lower distal margin (
Fig. 72
), inadequately figured by
Lehrer (2005: 110, fig. 48B)
. The shape of the bacilliform sclerite process, with its single projection pointing towards the inside of the base of the cercus (
Fig. 75
), together with the shape of the ST5 flap (
Fig. 68
), show that the species is
B. escheri
. The chaetotaxy of the fore tibia (
Figs 73–74
) (not illustrated by Lehrer) and the vestiture of the anepimeron (
Fig. 70
) confirm this. Lehrer’s figure of the distiphallus is very strange (
Lehrer 2005: 110, fig. 48C
): most of the semidomes appear to have been destroyed, like most of the hypandrial complex, which is possibly the reason for the absence of the phallus from the vial.
FIGURES 67–76.
Bengalia escheri
Bezzi
(67–75: holotype of
Bezzigalia rivanella
Lehrer
, MSNM; 76: dissected male from Taiwan, CNC).
67.
Hind part of body, dorsal view. Arrow points to
r-m
crossvein.
68.
ST5 flap.
69.
Labels.
70.
Left anepimeron, lateral view.
71.
Epandrial complex, posterior view.
72.
Distal surstylus, broadest aspect view. Arrow points to nick in distal surstylus
73.
Left fore tibia and femur, outside view.
74.
Right fore tibia, inside view.
75.
Left bacilliform sclerite process and distal surstylus, lateral view.
76.
Right bacilliform sclerite process and distal surstylus, lateral view. Arrow points to nick in latter. Abbreviations:
bsp
= bacilliform sclerite process;
dsur
= distal surstylus.
Other material examined. BPBM.
Taiwan: 1 ♂, labelled (1) TAIWAN: Wulai / nr. Taipei, 300- /
500m
,
12.IV.1960
[printed]; (2) T. C. Maa / Collector / BISHOP [printed]; (3)
Bengalia
/
escheri
♂ / Bezzi / Det. H. Kurahashi, [handwritten; last line printed, black line above last line of text] (4) Sweeping [printed]; (5)
Gangelomyia
♂ /
escheri
(Bezzi)
/ Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2005 [printed; pin hole in middle]; (6)
Gangelomyia
♂ /
escheri
(Bezzi)
/ Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2005 [printed; pin hole near right hand margin] [Left mid leg and right fore and mid legs lost; abdomen very dark; dissected by Lehrer; terminalia in big plastic vial with glycerol, moved to glass microvial by me; phallus movable against the postgonites, but all dissected parts are infiltrated by Canada balsam; anepimeron predominantly with black setulae, with a few pale setulae in lower half; there is a prominent nick in the surstylus and the bacilliform sclerite process is as in other
escheri
, with tip directed inwards].
CMNH.
Taiwan: 1 ♀, labelled (1) TAIWAN: Kaohsiung / Ten chih.
1550 m
/
23-04-03
N 120-45- / 13E,
23 Aug 1996
/ Chen Wen Young; (2)
Bengalia
♀ /
escheri
/ Bezzi, 1913 / Det. H.Kurahashi [both printed labels]; • 1 ♀, labelled (1) TAIWAN: Kaohsiung / Shanping.
640 m
. /
21–30 April 1988
/ C.Young, R.Davidson / J.Rawlins; (2)
Bengalia
♀ /
escheri
/ Bezzi, 1913 / Det. H.Kurahashi [both printed labels].
CNC.
Taiwan: 1 ♂, labelled (1) 1395 [printed on pale blue label]; (2) Sun Moon Lake / TAIWAN
13.VII.68
/ J.W.Boyes [printed]; (3) Boyes Cytolog. / Coll. # 1395 / To remain / in CNC [printed on yellow-brown label; number handwritten]; (4)
Bengalia
/
escheri
/ Bezzi / Det. Shewell. 1971 [handwritten label, except last line] [Terminalia extruded; I removed abdominal tip behind segment 4 for KOH treatment and dissection; terminalia in glycerol in glass microvial on same pin as specimen; specimen rather teneral, judging from the irregular depressions and bumps in the abdomen that give an impression of softness to the sclerites, and the thin epandrial complex sclerites and very short hypandrial plate; fore tibia with 4 not very long but regular
v
setae, preceded by 4 shorter and finer setae above them].
MNHN.
Vietnam: 1 ♀, labelled (1) Ban Nam Coun / H: Tonkin /
28 - 3 - 17
[handwritten] [The specimen stood in the MNHN collection under “
Bengalia lateralis
”].
NHMD.
Thailand: 1 ♀, labelled (1) THAILAND; Chiang Mai Province / Doi Suthep N. P. Konthathan /
6-700 m
26.ix.1981
/ Zool. Museum Copenhagen leg. [printed]; (2)
Bengalia
♀ /
escheri
/ Bezzi, 1913 / Det. H. Kurahashi. [printed]; •1 ♀, labelled (1) Thailand, Doi Suthep-Pui / natn. Park Konthathan / waterfall area,
600 m
/
20.–27.x.1979
/ Zool. Mus. Copenhagen Exped. [printed]; (2)
Bengalia
♀ /
escheri
/ Bezzi, 1913 / Det. H. Kurahashi. [printed]. [Both are very dark specimens.]
NHMUK.
India: 1 ♂, labelled (1) BURMA: / Mishmi Hills. / Lohit River. [this is actually in India (Arunachal Pradesh)] /
1.iv.1935
. / M. Steele.; (2) Brit. Mus. / 135-312.; (3)
Gangelomyia
♂ /
escheri
(Bezzi)
/ Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2005 [printed; pin hole in middle]; (4)
Gangelomyia
♂ /
escheri
(Bezzi)
/ Det. Dr.A.Z.LEHRER / 2005 [printed; pin hole near right hand margin] [Dissected by Lehrer; left postgonite broken; terminalia in glycerol, transferred to glass microvial by me]; Malaysia (West Malaysia): 1 ♂, labelled (1) N. Kedah. U.F.M.S / Changloon [= Changlun]. /
2.iv.-2.vii.
/ A.S. Slatter. / B.M.1938–744. [handwritten in black ink]; (2)
escheri
[handwritten]; (3)
Bengalia
♂ /
escheri
(Bezzi)
/ Det. Dr.A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed; pin hole in middle]; (4)
Bengalia
♂ /
escheri
(Bezzi)
/ Det. Dr.A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed; pin hole near right hand margin] [Dissected by Lehrer; terminalia in glycerol in big plastic vial, transferred to glass microvial by me]. [Both NHMUK specimens have pale setulae in lower half of anepimeron.]
NMW.
Indonesia (?): 2 ♀, labelled (1) Ost. Indien / Alte Sammlung [upper line handwritten, lower printed] [Pleuron dark; anepimeron with black setulae dorsally and posteroventrally, and with a few pale setulae anteroventrally; mid and hind femora with darkened distal third; a very pronounced dark spot in upper half of parafacial; clypeus projecting below lower facial margin; placed in collection under “
Bengalia lateralis
”].
ZMHB.
Taiwan: 1 ♂, labelled (1) Formosa / Taiwan [handwritten]; (2) Zool. Mus. / Berlin [printed] [The specimen was placed under
B. fuscipennis
; very dark, dark distal parts of femora; ST5 flap as in typical
B. escheri
].