Blepharella fuscibasis Shima and Zhang, 2025

Shima, Hiroshi, Tachi, Takuji & Zhang, Wenxia, 2025, The genus Blepharella Macquart (Diptera: Tachinidae) from the Oriental Region, Journal of Natural History 59 (21 - 24), pp. 1647-1687 : 1653-1657

Blepharella fuscibasis Shima and Zhang sp. n.

( Figure 2 )

Diagnosis

A medium-sized shining black goniine; head and anterior 2/5 of presutural scutum with golden yellow pruinosity; occiput with a row of black setulae on upper 1/2; antenna black and palpus yellow; scutellum entirely black; apical scutellar setae fine and crossed erectly; wing base tinged with brown-black; mid-tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae in male, 4–5 in female; male claws and pulvilli longer than 5th tarsomeres; abdomen shining black, dorsum with narrow whitish pruinose bands on 3rd and 4th tergites; male with sexual hair patches of dense fine hairs on venter of 4th abdominal tergite.

Description

Holotype male, CHINA / Yunnan, Simao Pr. / Jiangchen Dazhai / 1200 m, 12.iii./1995. H. Shima ( IZCAS) . Paratypes, 1 male, 1 female, China, Shaanxi, Bridge 3 km NW Donghetai, 1500 m, 28 .vi .1997, H. Shima and A . Nakanishi; 3 males, Yunnan, same data as holotype ( BLKU, KUM); 1 male, Nepal, Bagmati, Basantapur , 2300 m, 9 .v .1972, H. Shima ( KUM) .

Body length: 8.3–9.5 mm.

Male. Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and postocular area with golden yellow pruinosity; face with thin greyish pruinosity, gena and occiput with greyish white pruinosity; frontal vitta velvety brownish; antenna brown-black, palpus yellowish, weakly darkened near base. Vertex 0.19–0.21 of head width; frontal vitta widened anteriorly, about 5/8 of fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial narrowed below, about as wide as postpedicel at mid-height; lower margin of face weakly projecting beyond level of vibrissal base; gena 0.29–0.31 of eye height; occiput flat. Inner vertical seta slightly shorter than 1/2 of eye height; outer vertical seta absent; 2–3 reclinate orbital setae, if 3 then posterior setae smaller, anterior seta about 2/3 as long as inner vertical seta; 8–10 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly level with apex of pedicel; fronto-orbital plate with 2–3 rows of short fine black hairs, which do not descend below frontal setae; vibrissa inserted above lower margin of face at most by 1/2 length of pedicel; facial ridge with several short setae and fine hairs at most on its lower 1/4; gena with dense short fine hairs, a few strong setae mixed with them on lower portion; occiput with a row of black setulae on upper portion. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about length of pedicel; postpedicel about 3 times as long as pedicel; arista thickened on basal 1/3, 2nd aristomere slightly longer than wide. Palpus subequal in length to postpedicel.

Thorax including scutellum shining black in ground colour, apical margin of scutellum sometimes dark brownish; dorsum of postpronotal lobe and anterior 2/5 of presutural area of scutum, except three longitudinal vittae on anteromedian portion, with golden yellow pruinosity, pruinosity becoming thinner posteriorly; pleura with very thin greyish pruinosity. Prosternum with a rather long seta and some fine hairs on each side; postpronotal lobe with 4 setae, 3 posterior setae set in a straight line; basal scutellar seta slightly shorter than subapical seta and 1.5 times as long as scutellum; lateral scutellar setae double, posterior seta longer than anterior seta and slightly longer than scutellum; apical scutellar setae fine, hair-like, about 1/3 as long as scutellum, crossed suberectly; distance between subapical scutellar setae about 2/3 of that between subapical and basal scutellar setae; 3 katepisternal setae. Wing distinctly tinged with brown-black from base to end of vein R 1 between costa and vein M 1 from base to r-m crossvein, cells bm and cup, and lower calypter; relative lengths of costal sectors 2nd, 3rd and 4th approximately 3:4:2.5; length of vein M 1 from dm-cu crossvein to bend about 1.5 times distance between bend and wing margin. Legs black, pulvilli pale brownish; mid-tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with a closely set row of anterodorsal setae, submedian strong seta absent among them; fore claws and pulvilli longer than 5th tarsomere.

Abdomen shining black, lateral portions of 3rd tergite sometimes reddish brown, dorsum with whitish pruinosity sometimes on anterior margin of 3rd tergite, anterior 1/ 4 (or less) of 4th tergite and anterolateral margin of 5th tergite, venter with whitish pruinosity on anteromedian and lateral marginal areas of 3rd tergite, anterior marginal area of 4th tergite, and anterior 1/2 of 5th tergite. Hairs on 3rd tergite short fine and recumbent, those on 4th tergite short and suberect on anterior 1/2 and long and erect on posterior 1/2, and rather strong and erect on 5th tergite; median marginal setae absent on syntergite 1 + 2 and 3rd tergite, or very fine at most 1/3 as long as following tergite on 3rd tergite; no median discal setae on 3rd and 4th tergites; 5th tergite with erect long median discal and median marginal setae mixed with strong bristle-like hairs; venter of 4th tergite with fine and long hairs of sexual hair patches occupying roundish posterior 2/3 of tergite; 5th sternite with deep inverted U-shaped median incision, anterior margin very narrow, posterior lobe without process.

Male terminalia. Cerci in lateral view rather broad and rounded apically, ventral margin straight with several hairs near apex, in dorsal view narrowed from base to basal 1/3, then nearly parallel-sided, apical 1/2 portion narrowly separated; surstylus in lateral view short and wide, narrowed at apical 1/3 and weakly curved ventrally, with dense hairs on ventrodistal 1/2; dorsal arms of hypandrium rather long and fused with each other; pregonite with several hairs on posterior margin; epiphallus inclined posteriorly; distiphallus with small spines on ventral margin.

Female. Mainly differing from male as follows: Vertex 0.24–0.25 of head width; frontal vitta about 5/6 of fronto-orbital plate at middle; antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about 2/3 length of pedicel, with apex of scape and marginal area of pedicel reddish yellow, postpedicel at most 2.8 times as long as pedicel; outer vertical seta hair-like, at most 1/3 as long as inner vertical seta; fronto-orbital plate with sparser hairs; 2 subequally long proclinate orbital setae strong; 7 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly level with base of arista; parafacial well narrowed below, almost 2 times as wide as postpedicel at middle height; gena about 0.26 of eye height; postpronotum, presutural area of scutum, intra-alar region and anterior 1/4 of postsutural scutum with golden yellow pruinosity except areas of longitudinal vittae, pruinosity becoming thinner posteriorly especially on postsutural area; pleura with rather thin greyish white pruinosity; claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomeres; abdominal dorsum with greyish white pruinosity on anterolateral margin of 3rd and 5th tergites and on anterior 1/3 of 4th tergite except for narrow median vitta, venter with thin whitish pruinosity on 3rd to 5th tergite; syntergite 1 + 2 with a pair of short median marginal setae, about 1/3 as long as 3rd tergite; 3rd tergite with a pair of median marginal setae about 2/3 as long as 4th tergite.

Female terminalia. Sixth tergite broadly separated into 2 nearly quadrate hemitergites, with dense long hairs on posterior 1/3; 6th abdominal spiracle on membrane of just anteroventral portion of 6th hemitergite, 7th spiracle on posteroventral portion of 6th tergite; 6th sternite as long as 6th hemitergites, with dense hairs on posterior 2/3; 7th tergite broadly separated into quadrate hemitergite, nearly as long as 6th tergite, with rows of fine short hairs on posterior 1/3; 7th sternite about 2 times as long as 7th tergite, narrowed posteriorly and roundly projected at apex, with many fine hairs on posterior 1/2; 8th tergite reduced to 2 small C-formed sclerites, posterior 1/2 broadened and rounded, without hairs; 8th sternite reduced to small quadrate sclerite, with short hairs on apical portion; epiproct dot-like; cerci short.

Egg. Length: 0.21–0.22 mm. Brown in colour, elliptic to round in form; chorion wholly covered with strong hexagonal ridges, ridges well recognisable in lateral view, many small punctures inside ridges, in dorsal view nearly barrel-like in form; aeropyle structure rounded, larger than each hexagonal area.

Host. Unknown.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to the characteristic feature of this species, the dark brown bases of the wings, from the Latin adjective ‘ fuscus ’ (dark), plus noun ‘ basis ’ (base).

Distribution

China (Shaanxi, Yunnan), Nepal (Bagmati) .

Remarks

This is a distinct species easily distinguished from other members of this genus in having dark brown wing bases. This species appears to be similar to the Japanese species B. bomolocha Shima and Tachi sp. n. because of the dark body colour and resemblance of the male terminalia. Blepharipa fuscibasis and B. bomolocha are different, in addition to the dark brownish wing base of B. fuscibasis Shima and Zhang sp. n., by the densely golden yellow pruinosity on the fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, upper postpronotal lobe and anterior 2/5 of the presutural scutum and parafacial distinctly shorter than parafacial in B. fuscibasis , whereas the parafacial is gradually whitish below and whitish yellow pruinosity on the postpronotal lobe and anterior 1/3 of presutural scutum in the male B. bomolocha , and facial length as long as fronto-orbital plate in the female of B. bomolocha .

Figures

Figure 2. Blepharella fuscibasis Shima and Zhang sp. n. (A) Adult male in lateral view. (B) Same in dorsal view. (C) Epandrium, cerci and surstylus in lateral view. (D) Same in latero-dorsal view. (E) Same in dorsal view. (F) Hypandrium, pre- and postgonite, epiphallus and aedeagus in lateral view. (G) Same in lateral view. (H) Egg in lateral view. (I) Same in dorsal view. (J) Female terminalia in lateral view. (K) Same in ventral view. Scale bars: C–G, J, K = 0.2 mm; H, I = 0.1 mm.