Physocephala goergeni, Stuke & Clements, 2019

Stuke, Jens-Hermann & Clements, David K., 2019, New conopid records from the Afrotropical Region (Diptera) - Part 3: Physocephalini, Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (2), pp. 209-273 : 264-269

P. goergeni spec. nov.

( Figs 134–142 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A4F67D5A-00A2-451D-8B10-59F1CA272EC0

Holotype ♀. (1) “ Togo / Kloto /forest area / Feb. 2018 / Col.: G. Goergen ”; (2) “ Holotypus / Physocephala goergeni / spec. nov. ♀ / det. Stuke 2019” . Holotype is depos- ited in ZMHB. The specimen is pinned and in very good condition.

Description of holotype (female)

Length 10.8 mm; Wing-length 7.0 mm; Head-height 2.8 mm.

266 Jens-Hermann Stuke & David K. Clements

Head. Antenna orange-brown, pedicel and tip of first flagellomere blackish-brown. Arista stylus-like, with 2 aristomeres situated at tip of first flagellomere ( Fig. 137 ). Basal aristomere with projection about as long as api- cal aristomere. Scape about four times longer than max- imum width, apically and ventrally with setae. Pedicel about six times longer than maximum width, apically and most of dorsal surface covered with black setulae. Ped- icel lacking any ridge at base, expanded towards apex. First flagellomere long and conical, about three times as long as high, pointed, ventrally with indistinct membra- nous area. Lunule between base of antennae and ptilinal suture distinct, slightly longer than width of scape. Eye brown, lacking ommatrichia, facets all of about the same size. Posterior margin of eye with distinct shining inden- tation. Gena-height / eye-height (measurements taken from head in lateral view) = 0.1. No ocellar tubercle, no ocelli and no ocellar triangle evident. Frons ( Fig. 135 ) longer than broad, slightly concave, not projecting above eyes posteriorly, lacking any setulae. Anterior margin of frons slightly concave. Frons yellow with broad brown midstripe. No frontofacial spot. Frons indistinctly dusted all over. Vertex as broad as frons, separated from latter by laterally distinct and medially indistinct ridge. Dense cover of black setulae on vertex forming a more or less level-topped pile in lateral view ( Fig. 136 ). Vertex api- cally with triangular field which lacks setulae or any distinct depression. Face yellow with central brown to blackish spot. Facial grooves with indistinct dusting, nar- rowly dusted along eye margin. Gena yellow, generally lacking setae, although with several setae below postcra- nium. Distinct facial grooves reaching mouth edge, fa- cial carina reaching from base of antennae to a distinctly broadened and outstanding frontoclypeal tubercle. Ptili- nal suture stretching on either side well beneath antennal bases. Oral cavity tapers dorsally. Postcranium not obvi- ously invaginated, black dorsally and yellow ventrally. Whole postcranium slightly dusted, with no obviously denser dusting adjacent to posterior margin of eye. Oc- ciput and postgena covered with black setulae. Postgena not widened and not delimited from occiput. Bottom portion of postcranium distinctly separated-off and not setulose. Proboscis reddish-brown basally and black api- cally, labellum blackish-brown. Frontoclypeal membrane long, light orange-brown and hardly delimited from or- ange-brown clypeus. Palps absent. Labium longer than head-length in lateral view, thickened basally, anterior section completely fused into a tube. Labrum as long as labium but very narrow. Labellum short, completely di- vided, hardly broader than adjacent haustellum, and cov- ered with very short setulae.

Thorax mainly black, with pleura black to brown. Postpronotum orange-brown. Thorax evenly grey-dusted all over, lacking any distinctly denser dusting or shining areas. Presternum distinct, broad. Basisternum broad, not narrowed ventrallyh to a point, lacking setae or setulae. Proepisternum also lacking setae or setulae. Scutum covered with black setae. Notopleuron and postalarcallus with several stronger setae. Postalarcallus lacking any curved setulae beneath the black setae. Katepisternum with 10–15 setae posterodorsally, 1–2 setae medially, and no setae ventrally. Metakatepisternum, anepisternum and anepimeron lacking setae or setulae. Mediotergite convex, covered with strong black setae which can be as long as maximum diameter of hind femur. Subscute- llum inconspicuous. Scutellum densely covered with black setae and with 3 outstanding larger setae on posterior margin. Wing as Fig. 142 : Fore-margin of wing tinged brown, with brownish membrane between costa and media, brown basal-medial cell and slightly brown- ish hind-margin of discal-medial cell. Hyaline membrane between media and vena spuria in cell r 4+5. Veins brown to black. Wing completely covered with microtrichia. Radial-medial crossvein short but complete. Basal-me-

New conopid records from the Afrotropical Region ( Diptera ) – Part 3: Physocephalini 267 dial-cubital crossvein incomplete. Radius R 1 and R 2+3 terminate close together in costa, well beyond end of subcosta. Radius R 4+5 with shallow, even curve in dis- tal section directed towards fore-edge of wing. Cell r 4+5 pedunculate, vein R 4+5 +M 1 well distinctly longer than radial-medial crossvein. Cubital cell cup elongated, lon- ger than vein A 1 +CuA 2, and pointed distally (i.e. cubitus CuA 2 and anal vein A 1 meet at an acute angle). Cubital veins CuA 1 and Basal-medial-cubital crossvein separat- ed. Upper and lower calypters yellowish-white to brown, upper calypter with black setulae on margin. Alula broad (distinctly broader than long), lacking setulae on posteri- 268 Jens-Hermann Stuke & David K. Clements

or margin. Venae spuriae pronounced in cell r 4+5, cubital cells cup and cua1, and discal-medial cell. Haltere white, with light brown base. Knob of haltere with black setulae. Legs orange with black to dark brown tarsi. Legs with in- conspicuous silver dusting, coxae densely silver-dusted. Posterior surfaces of fore and middle tibiae with obvious silver-dusted fields distally. Legs generally with short, adpressed black setulae. Base of fore and middle femo- ra lacking denser black setulae basally. Areas with dense black to brown setulae anteroventrally on tip of fore tibia, and ventrally and posteriorly on tip of hind tibia. Middle femur lacking a distinct row of regularly arranged setu- lae. Hind femur ventrally with several long thin setulae. No preapical setae dorsally on tibiae. No setae ventral- ly on tibiae but all tibiae dorsally with distinct line of densely-arranged small black setulae ( Fig. 140 ). Femo- ra ventrally lacking rows of short black setae, but with indistinct lines of setulae. Coxae with several setae but none outstandingly long. Hind femur slightly thickened in basal half. Each metatarsus with 1–2 stronger seta ven- trally on base. Pulvilli yellowish-white. Claws brown, with broad black tips. Empodium light brown, about as long as pulvilli.

Abdomen dark brown to black, with theca and later- al margins of tergites 2–3 orange-brown. Abdomen with dense black setulae all over, those on tergite 2 less dense and obviously longer. Abdomen entirely somewhat sil- ver, brown or golden-dusted, more strongly so at hind margins of tergites 1–3. Tergite 8 shining. Tergites 1–3 fused and hardly distinguishable from each other. Max- imum width of abdomen at segment 3. Sternites cannot be seen due the ventrally overlapping tergites. Tergite 5 and sternite 5 not completely fused laterally. Shape of theca as Figs 138 & 139 . Anterior surface of the theca with long black setulae. Posterior surface apically with crescentric field of long, blunt, close-set black spicules which stand very close together, not arranged in rows.

Diagnosis

Physocephala goergeni is easily identified as member of the Physocephala pubescens species-group by the long setae on the mediotergite ( Fig. 141 ). Within this group it belongs among those species which lack any setulae on the frons. The shape of the field of thick black setae on the theca distinguishes ♀ P. goergeni immediately from P. nigrita ( Fig. 139 vs. Fig. 146 ). Additional important characters include the level-topped pile of setulae on the vertex ( Fig. 136 ) and the shorter basal aristomere (cf Fig. 137 vs. Fig. 145 ).

Etymology

This species is dedicated to Georg Goergen (Ibadan, Ni- geria) who collected the holotype, and who appears to be the first entomologist to collect Conopidae in Benin and Togo .

Distribution

To date only the locus typicus in Togo is known. The sampling site is situated at 6°57’31.66″N 0°34›29.75″E.

Figures

Figs 134–137. Physocephala goergeni spec. nov. (♀, holotype). 134. Habitus, lateral view; 135. Frons, dorsal view; 136. Lev- el-topped pile of setulae on vertex, lateral view; 137. Arista, lateral view.

Figs 138–142. Physocephala goergeni spec. nov. (♀, holotype). 138. ♀ theca, lateral view; 139. ♀ theca, posterior view; 140. Middle tibia, dorsal view; 141. Mediotergite, posterior view; 142. Wing, dorsal view.

Figs 143–146. Physocephala nigrita Camras (1962). 143. Frons, dorsal view (♂, Bwamba); 144. Mediotergite, posterior view (♀, Bafut village); 145. Arista, lateral view (♀, Bafut village); 146. ♀ theca, ventral view; (♀, Bafut village).