Ulidia facialis Hendel, 1931

Kameneva, Elena P. & I., Valery A. Korneyev I., 2019, New species and synonymies in the genus Ulidia (Diptera: Ulidiidae) from the Middle East, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 49 (2), pp. 243-266 : 260-265

Ulidia facialis Hendel, 1931

( Figs 37–54)

Ulidia facialis : Hendel 1931: 60 (description); Hennig 1940: 14, 16 (key, redescription, figures of male genitalia); Steyskal & El-Bialy 1967: 38 (checklist); Zaitzev 1984: 61 (catalogue); Kameneva 2008: 440, 443 (key, illustration); Morgulis & Freidberg 2014: 223 (discussion).

Ulidia fascialis : Hendel 1931: 60 (emendation; unavailable); Hennig 1940: 16 (discussion; Principle of the First Reviser applied); Morgulis & Freidberg 2014: 230 (discussion).

Ulidia salonikiensis : Hennig 1940: 13, 17 (key, description); Zaitzev 1984: 61 (catalogue); Belcari et al. 1995: 7 (checklist); Kameneva 2008: 447 (material); Morgulis & Freidberg 2014: 223 (key), n. syn.

Ulidia omani : Steyskal 1970: 227 (description); Zaitzev 1984: 61 (catalogue); Kameneva 2008: 440 (key); Morgulis & Freidberg 2014: 223 (key), 229 (redescription, incl. male and female genitalia, material, discussion), n. syn.

T. persica : Hennig 1965: 5 (description); Zaitzev 1984: 64 (catalogue), n. syn.

Diagnosis: This species is similar to U. bartaki n. sp. in having acrostichal seta lacking, wing with darkened pterostigma, frons widely reddish or yellowish brown, finely dotted, mesonotum finely rugulose, haltere knob yellow, and all tarsi entirely black, differing from it by smaller size, surstylus angulate, with 3–5 thick prensisetae, cerci short oval, non-produced, and phallus with stipe as long as or longer than preglans, and glans poorly sclerotized, bearing no long projected lobes (in U. bartaki n. sp. size bigger, surstylus apically rounded, with thin setae only, cerci long oval, produced ventrally, phallus with stipe conspicuously shorter than preglans, and glans with at least one moderately sclerotized lobe and largely sclerotized inner structures). Most specimens from Egypt, Israel, Iraq and Iran also differ from U. bartaki n. sp. in having hyaline wing apex without dark spot, whereas the specimens from Greece have apical dark spot. In addition, specimens of U. facialis can be recognized from cell r 4+5 strongly narrowed at apex (distance between apices of veins R 4+5 and M ≤0.33× as long as crossvein DM–Cu (in other Ulidia , cell r 4+5 only slightly narrowed to the apex, distance between apices of veins R 4+5 and M ≥0.33×, usually 0.35–0.55× as long as crossvein DM–Cu).

Redescription: Head ( Figs 14–16) black, with frons, face, parafacial and gena brownish yellow to dark brown. Head ratio h:l:w=1:1.05–1.1:1.35–1.4. Frons (from lunule to anterior ocellus) as long as wide, reddish brown to dark brown medially, with orbits widely black, shining, laterally shallowly wrinkled, with small, usually inconspicuous white microtrichose triangular spot at anterolateral margin, slightly convex, with numerous short (0.2–0.3× as long as orbital setae) black setulae inserted into shallow pits. Vertical plates and ocellar triangle shining black; 2 pairs of black orbital setae, of them anterior seta inclinate and posterior seta lateroclinate, 0.6–0.7× as long as medial and lateral vertical seta; ocellar setae lateroclinate, as long as posterior orbital seta.

Face and lunule reddish brown to dark brown, facial carina 1.1× as wide as antennal groove and 1.2× as wide as high, shining, finely shagreened; epistome brownish yellow to dark brown, finely shagreened; subgena moderately low, slightly lower than width of antennal groove, brown to dark brown, shagreened or rugulose. Antennal groove 1.8–1.9× as high as wide, deep, brownish yellow, white microtrichose except ventral surface shining yellow to brown. Eye 1.1–1.15× as high as long. Gena brownish yellow to brown (sometimes to black in posterior quarter), half as high as eye; parafacial entirely shining, brownish yellow to brown. Occiput entirely black, mostly subshining, rugulose; ventral half of occiput conspicuously swollen. Medial vertical seta 0.65–0.75× as long as frons width, 1.1× as long as lateral vertical and 1.6–1.8× as long as ocellar and orbital setae; postocellar seta 0.3–0.4× as long as medial vertical seta or lacking.Antenna: scape brown, pedicel shallowly incised, brown to black; flagellomere 1 short oval, 1.1× as long as wide, brownish to black, white microtrichose; arista bare, brown to black. Clypeus black, at most as long as eye. Palp dark brown, gray microtrichose, with 5–6 black lateroventral setae basally and 3–4 short setae at apex. Mouthparts black, with labellum short and prementum shining black, elongate, 1.0–1.1× as long as labellum.

Thorax ( Figs 37, 38, 41) entirely black, scutum and scutellum sparsely rugulose, subshining to matt; other parts subshining, sparsely rugulose or shagreened; posteroventral margin of scutellum without microtrichose area; postscutellum and lateroventral parts of mediotergite subshining black, finely rugulose or inconspicuously microtrichose. Scutum wide, 1.1–1.2× as long as wide, with irregular, moderately short setulae in intra-alar area and regular row of 10–12 dorsocentral setulae and 1 dorsocentral seta ( Fig. 37); acrostichal seta lacking, at most 4–5 setulae between dorsocentral rows; postpronotal lobe with 1 thin, unmodified seta and 2–3 setulae; proepisternal ridge poorly expressed, with 1–3 fine setulae; proepisternal seta tiny, inconspicuous; other setae moderately long, black: 2 postsutural supra-alar, 1 intra-alar and 1 postalar. Scutellum moderately long, twice as wide as long, sparsely shagreened, with 2 pairs of black scutellar setae.

Wing ( Figs 43–46) hyaline with pale brownish tinge, with cells bc, sc, pterostigma and veins gray to brown; wing apex usually hyaline, in specimens from Greece, pale brown spot at wing apex reaching from apex of cell r 1 to middle of cell r 4+5 present; cell r 4+5 strongly narrowed to apex: section of costal vein between apices of R 4+5 and M 0.25–0.3× as long as vein DM–Cu. Postero-apical extension of cell cup as long as transverse section of vein Cu 2. Calypters with long white fringe. WL= 2.3–2.9 mm. Haltere with base brown, knob creamy white.

Legs entirely black; all setae and setulae black, except fore tibia, fore and hind basitarsi ventrally with brush of dark yellow setulae; femora slender, with fine, unmodified setae; mid tibia apically with 1 long seta; hind femur slightly thickened apically, with 1–2 strong preapical setae dorsally.

Abdomen entirely black subshining, finely shagreened, subshining, with inconspicuous and sparse microtrichia only at sides of tergite 1, basal half of tergite 2, and base of tergite 5; syntergite 1+2 anteriorly narrow, widened posteriorly, with short black setae laterodorsally, tergites 3–4 laterally short and sparsely setose; tergite 5 of male and female sparsely shagreened, with sparse and relatively long setae posteriorly and laterally; female abdominal tergite 2 without dimple-like structures; female tergite 6 transverse, entirely developed, but hidden underneath of tergite 5, with 2 rows of setulae. Sternites wide in both sexes, separated by rather narrow, black membrane from tergites; sternite 1 wider than long; sternite 2 moderately wide, 1.3× as long as wide, with desclerotized ‘window’ in anterior ⅓; sternites 3–4 of male and 3–5 of female subquadrate, with a few sparse setae (4–6 longest at posterior margins); tergite and sternite 6 of female conspicuously narrower than preceding tergites, as wide as and half as long as oviscape, both with 2 rows of setae, setae of posterior row moderately long. Sternites 4–6 of female without anteromedial apodemes.

Male postabdomen ( Figs 48–54) brown to black; pregenital sternites moderately long; sternite 8 with numerous subequal setulae. Epandrium as in Figs 49, 51, 53; cerci very short, not produced ( Fig. 51, cyan arrows); lateral surstylus simple, with two mesally directed, angulate lobes ( Fig. 51, red arrows); medial surstylus, bearing 11–55 thin, moderately long setulae, and 3–4 prensisetae ( Fig. 51, black arrow). Phallus with stipe almost as long as or slightly longer than preglans (without glans); membranous inflatable valve as long as preglans; preglans without spines; glans poorly sclerotized, with 3–4 short acute projections ( Figs 48, 52, 54).

Female terminalia: oviscape black, 0.9× as long as tergite 5, aculeus 0.75 mm long, 8–8.5× as long as wide, with long and thin setae on tergite and sternite 8 and subtriangular cercal unit (see also Morgulis & Freidberg 2014: fig. 96); 3 globular spermathecae with smooth surface and inverted necks.

Biology: Unknown.

Material examined: Syntypes of Ulidia facialis 2♀: Egypt: Mariout , 5–10.iii.1929 ( EFC) .

Holotype of Ulidia salonikiensis ♂: Greece: “Saloniki / 26 301”, “Miari /- smeca I”, “ Holotypus ” [red label] “ Ulidia / salonikiensis / n. sp. / det. Dr. W. Hennig 1939” ( ZMHB) . Paratypes: 2♀: Greece: “Saloniki / 26 299” and “ Saloniki / 26 299” [“Saloniki Turkei an Garry de N. Hough ” according to the Museum Catalogue], “ Paratypus ” ( ZMHB) .

Holotype ♂ and paratypes 1♂ 2♀ of Ulidia omani : Israel: Be'er Sheva' [Beersheba], 24.iii.1964 [64], P. Oman ( USNM).

Holotype ♂ of T. persica : Iran: Belochistan , Iranshahr, 800 m, 1–10.iii.1954, Richter & Schäuffele . Paratypes: 2♂, same data as holotype; 11–18.iii.1954 , 2♂ 3♀, SE Iranshahr, Barnpurufer, Richter & Schäuffele, 13.iii.1954 ( SMNS) .

Other material examined: Egypt: 6♂, Mariout , 5–10.iii.1929, Efflatoun ( EFC) . Israel: 3♂ 2♀, Ein Avda , 29.v.1980, Mathis & Freidberg ; 1♂, Yeruham , 25.iii.1987, Freidberg ; 2♂ 1♀, Bor Mashash , 25.iii.1987, Kaplan ; 4♀, Dimona , 12.iv.1990, Freidberg ; 4♂ 3♀, Nahal Seher , 6.iv.1992, Freidberg ; 4♂ 1♀, Mizpe Ramon observatory, 17.iii.1995, Freidberg ( SIZK) . Iraq: 1♂ 2♀, Haira , pools in steppe, 6.iv.1988, Olejnicek ( MBC, SIZK) .

Remarks: Hendel (1931) had used two alternative spellings: “fascialis ” (in the title) and “facialis ” (in the body of description); later Hennig (1940) cited both names together and selected the spelling “facialis ” as correct; according to the Principle of the First Reviser ( ICZN 1999: Art. 24), the spelling Ulidia facialis Hendel, 1931 was fixed as the valid name for this species. The statement of Morgulis and Freidberg (2014: 230) that “the spelling “facialis ” … is an unjustified emendation” is therefore incorrect.

Probable conspecificity of specimens identified as U. omani and U. facialis was noted by Morgulis and Freidberg (2014), but the synonymy was pending, despite no characters to distinguish them were found. Detailed study by M.S. El-Hawagry of genitalia in the topotypic specimens collected together with the syntype females, but formally not included by Hendel (1931) into the type series, has shown that U. omani and U. facialis have the same structure of the male surstyli, cerci and phallus, which are very constant and species-specific.