Cephalodromia seia ( Séguy, 1963 )

Evenhuis J., Neal L., 2019, The genus Cephalodromia (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae) in China, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 49 (2), pp. 1-9 : 6-8

Cephalodromia seia ( Séguy, 1963)

( Figs 2, 4)

Cyrtosia seia : Séguy 1963: 253. (Type locality: “ Paita ” [= Baitazhen village, Shahe , Hebei Province,

36.878603°N 114.303034°E]). LectOtYpe ♀ (DesiGnateD heRein, see belOw) in MNHN. Cephalodromia seia (Séguy) : Evenhuis 2010: 21.

Diagnosis: This species can be separated from C. gobica in China by the all yellow legs (predominantly black in C. gobica ). It is easily separated from C. freidbergi by the yellow interhumeral marks coalesced with the yellow humeral marks (not coalesced in C. freidbergi ) and by the broad complete white transverse posterior abdominal tergal crossbands (these crossbands thin and broadly interrupted medially in C. freidbergi ).

Redescription: Lengths. Body: 1.8, wing: 2.8 mm.

Female. Head. Vertex and occiput subshining black; frons black with thin yellow stripe at inner eye margin, extending from antennal base but not reaching vertex; faced yellowish brown; occiput and vertex with short appressed grayish white hairs; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1.3× distance between lateral ocelli; antennae black; scape small, cylindrical, length subequal to width; pedicel cylindrical, slightly wider than long, slightly flared apically; first flagellomere subconical, length about 1.5× greatest width; second flagellomere with minute hairs laterally and apically, abOut ⅔ lenGth Of fiRst, with shORt, stubbY apical stYle; pOstGena bROwn, venteR Of head extended posteriorly as single medial ridge; proboscis black, tubular, length ca 2× heaD heiGht; labRum ⅘ lenGth Of pRObOscis.

Thorax. Mesonotum subshining black with yellow patterning, with scattered admixture of grayish white and black hairs dorsally and laterally; yellow color on following: interhumeral mark and humeral callus (coalesced) ( Fig. 4), notopleural line to postalar callus, indented dorsally in supra-alar area; scutellum yellow with brown spot basomedially; pleura with upper shining, lower pleura pruinose; propleuron and anepisternum predominantly yellow, black anteroventrally, katepisternum and meron yellow above, dark brown to black below; katepimeron yellow; anepimeron and katatergite black with yellow dorsally; metakatepisternum yellow; halter stem and knob yellow.

Legs. Yellow; tarsi yellowish brown; claws black.

Wing. Hyaline; veins yellowish brown; costa ends midway between end of R 4+5 and M 1; costal cell hyaline; vein Sc incomplete, ending at level about equal to origin of vein R 2+3; R 2+3 slightly upcurved apically, ending in costa equidistant between end of R 1 and end of R 4+5; R 4+5 sliGhtlY DOwncuRveD tO winG maRGin On apical ⅓; anal cell open in wing margin by width subequal in length to crossvein r–m; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing minute.

Abdomen. Dorsum black with scattered yellowish hairs; all tergites with broad yellow fascia posteriorly; sternites dark brown to black. Genitalia not dissected.

Material examined: China: 1♀ MinG TOmbs, 40 km N BeijinG, 1.x.1993, A. FReiDbeRG & F. Kaplan ( TAU) ; 5 syntypes (as regards designation of the lectotype ( Fig. 5), see below under Remarks) [Hebei Prov.], Paita , 13–14.viii.1930, É. Licent ( MNHN) .

Remarks: The species is RepResenteD in MNHN bY five sYntYpes (3♂, 2♀) that were collected in ‘Paita’ [elev. 1000–1100 m] [= current Baitazhen village], Shahe district, southern Hebei Province, by Père Émile Licent, S.J. on 13 and 14 August 1930. The best preserved of these syntypes, a female ( Fig. 5), is designated here as lectotype. It is double-mounted with a pin onto a stage and is in fair condition with the apical half of the proboscis broken off and left wing torn and folded alongside anD sliGhtlY unDeRneath the specimen. It caRRies the label “Paitá” / “13•VIII•30”. It is the only specimen of the type series that is pinned. The other four are each glued on their side onto separately pinned celluloid squares.

An avid naturalist since childhood, Licent joined the Jesuits because he was not keen on proselytizing to “the flock”, but instead wanted to pursue his naturalist interests. After graduating with a PhD and spending two years at the British Museum (Natural History), he was posted to China ( Cuenot 1966). He was there from 1914–1939 and spent those years collecting throughout northern China, doing primarily archaeological work in the first 10 years, but also collecting many plants and animals during that time and subsequently. To house his collections, he built the Musée Hoang ho-Pai ho in Tianjin (later renamed the Tianjin Natural History Museum; it is now a protected heritage site). Some 20,000 of his collected specimens were housed there. Other of his specimens were deposited in museums in Europe. After returning to France at the start of WWII, he worked with Eugène Séguy at the MNHN where the types of some his collected Diptera are deposited. In the biography of Licent by Cuenot (1966), Séguy wrote in remembrance of him “C’était un excellent entomologiste” and that the laboratory at MNHN had only good memories of him.