Billaea triangulifera Zetterstedt 1844
Creators: name: Zhang, Chun-Tian
name: Shima, Hiroshi
name: Wang, Qiang
name: Tschorsnig, Hans-Peter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Billaea
Billaea triangulifera

description: Billaea triangulifera (Zetterstedt, 1844)
Figs. 56–59, 87, 96, 99
Dexia triangulifera Zetterstedt, 1844: 1269.
Billaea triangulifera.— Stein 1924: 230, 232 (key and notes).— Herting 1960: 127 (biology).— Kolomiets 1966: 91 (key and notes).— Zimin et al. 1969: 1271 (key).— Herting 1984: 140 (catalog).— Tschorsnig 1985: 100 (male postabdomen).— Sheng 1990: 142 (host).— Herting & Dely-Draskovits 1993: 360 (catalog).— Tschorsnig & Herting 1994: 80 (key).— Ziegler & Shima 1996: 428 (distribution).— Chao et al. 1998: 2156 (note).— Ziegler 1998: 165 (puparia and mature larva).— Richter 2004: 352 (key).— Zhang et al. 2004: 127 (checklist).— O’Hara et al. 2009: 28 (catalog).— Shima 2014: 833 (catalog).
Gymnodexia triangulifera (Zetterstedt): Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891: 364 (description).— Bezzi & Stein 1907: 440 (catalog).— Townsend 1936: 146 (key in Theresiini).
Asbeila ruficornis Robineau-Desvoidy, 1863: 399.— Herting 1974a: 40 (as syn. of triangulifera; type examination).— Herting 1984: 140 (catalog).— Herting & Dely-Draskovits 1993: 360 (catalog).
Billaea trigonota Kolomiets, 1966: 103.— Herting 1984: 140 (as syn. of triangulifera; catalog).— Herting & Dely-Draskovits 1993: 360 (catalog).
Billaea tsherepanovi Kolomiets, 1966: 101.— Herting 1984: 140 (as syn. of triangulifera; catalog).—Herting & Dely- Draskovits 1993: 360 (catalog).
Diagnosis. Antenna dark brown, arista plumose, thoracic dorsum with 5 narrow dark longitudinal vittae, 2 katepisternal setae, male fore claws and pulvilli short, fore tibia with 2 posterior setae, abdomen black with gray pruinosity and a pair of large black triangular markings on tergites 3 and 4.
Redescription. Body length 6.7–13.0 mm.
Male. Head (Figs. 87, 96). With dense grayish white pruinosity; frontal vitta black; lunule brownish yellow; antenna dark brown except for brown pedicel; arista dark brown; palpus reddish yellow except for brown base. Vertex 0.14–0.20 of head width; frontal vitta about as wide as fronto-orbital plate; parafacial 2.0–2.5 times as wide as flagellomere 1; facial carina short and low, or distinct, lower margin of face slightly protruding forward; gena broad, genal height 0.40–0.56 of eye height in profile. Fronto-orbital plate with 2–3 rows of fine black hairs; parafacial bare; inner vertical seta about 4/7 of eye height; 9–10 pairs of inclinate frontal setae as long as ocellar seta, upper ones shorter than inner vertical seta; vibrissa inserted at level of lower margin of face. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by 1/2–3/4 length of flagellomere 1, the latter 2–3 times as long as pedicel; arista long plumose, including plumosity 2.0–2.4 times as wide as flagellomere 1; pedicel with a long seta about as long as antenna. Prementum about 3 times as long as wide; palpus slightly longer than prementum.
Thorax. Black on scutum, with dense gray pruinosity; 5 longitudinal black vittae present, median vitta about as wide as inner vitta, slightly more than the pruinose distance between median and inner vittae, inner vitta about 0.5 times as wide as outer vitta on presutural scutum; scutellum black, with gray pruinosity. Four postpronotal setae, 3 strong basal setae nearly in a straight line; 2–3 presutural and 2–3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 3 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 2 postsutural intra-alar setae; 3–4 supra-alar setae; 2 katepisternal setae. Wing. Hyaline, brownish, tegula and basicosta dark brown; calypter yellowish white; halter reddish brown at base and dark brown at apex. Relative lengths of 2nd, 3rd and 4th costal sectors approximately as 4.5:9:4; vein M at bend nearly right-angled, with a short appendage, from dm-cu crossvein to its bend about 2.5 times distance between the bend and wing margin, cell r4+5 open. Legs. Black, with grayish pruinosity, pulvilli yellowish. Fore claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomere; fore tibia with a row of short anterodorsal setae on basal 3/5, and 2 posterior setae; mid tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal, 2–3 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with a row of closely set anterodorsal setae, 2–3 posterodorsal and 2 ventral setae.
Abdomen (Fig. 99). Ovate, black in ground color, with gray pruinosity; tergites 3 to 5 each with a pair of black triangular markings (large markings on tergites 3 and 4, and small markings on posterior 1/4 of tergite 5). Black hairs on dorsum dense short and recumbent; syntergite 1+2 with 1 lateral marginal seta; tergite 3 with 2 median marginal and 1 lateral marginal setae. Male terminalia (Figs. 56–59). Cerci long and pointed at apex; surstylus rather broad and weakly blunt at apex, and bent backward. Pregonite long and wide, postgonite about as long as basiphallus; distiphallus long and slender, with spinules on ventral membranous surface, basal sclerotized part about as long as membranous apical part.
Female. Vertex 0.3–0.4 of head width; frontal vitta widened anteriorly, slightly less than fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point; genal height 0.60–0.67 of eye height; inner vertical seta about 0.7 of eye height, about 1.3 times as long as outer vertical seta; 2 strong proclinate orbital setae; ocellar setae about as long as frontal setae. Hind tibia with 2 strong anterodorsal setae among closely set anterodorsal seta row. Other characters are same as in male.
Type material. Syntypes ♂♂, ♀♀, Finland [as “E Finlandia, probably present-day Finland and a portion of adjacent Russia] and various localities in Sweden (in Norrbotten, Dalarna, Östergötland, and Gotland Provinces) (MZLU: O’Hara et al. 2009: 28). Not examined.
Material examined. CHINA. Hebei: 1♂, Xiaowutai Mountain, 26.vi.2009, C. Fu. Heilongjiang: Yichun, Wuying, 1♂, 9.viii.1977, S.-Y. Fang (SEMC), 1♂, 6–10.vii.1996, C.-T. Zhang (SYNU); 2♂♂, 2♀♀, Tuqiang, vii.1989, 1 ♀, Tuqiang, 3.viii.1988, M.-L. Sheng (SYNU). Inner Mongolia: 1♂, Moerdaoga, 600–1000 m, Genhe, 1.viii.2007, Z.-Y. Yao. Jilin: 2♂♂, 2♀♀, Hengshan, Changbai Mountains, 15–16.vii.1990; 1♂, Baihe, North Changbai Mountain, 1300–1800 m, 31.vii.2008, Z.-Y. Yao (SYNU). Qinghai: 1♂, Tongren, 1.vi.1975, J.-Y. Wu; 4♂♂, Yushu, 3200–3800 m, 2–6.vii.1975, Z.-Z. Chen, J.-S. He, Q.-S. Fan (SEMC). Xizang (= Tibet): 1♀, Yanba, 3900 m, Changdu, 8.viii.1976, Y.-H. Han (IZCAS). JAPAN. Hokkaidō: 3♂♂, Jozannkei, Sapporo, 20– 21.viii.1996, T. Tachi; 2♂♂, Okapeppu-rindo, Shiretoko, 29.viii.1995, 12.viii.1996, T. Tachi (BLKU). Honshu: 1♂, Mt. Tanigawa, Gunma, 13.vii.1971, R. Kano; 1♂, Hirogawara, Ashiyasu Vil., Yamanashi, 20.viii.1997, T. Tachi (BLKU). Kyushu: 1♀, Mt. Hiko, Fukuoka, 17.vi.1986, M. Yoshida (KUM). GERMANY. 1♂, Markgröningen, 28.v.1973, B. Herting; 1♂, Bayern (OFr), Frohnlach, 18.viii.1996, H.-P. Tschorsnig; 1♂, Baden- Württemberg, Schwarzwald, S Eyachmühle (S Neuenbürg), 4.viii.1999, H.-P. Tschorsnig; 1♀, Kaiserstuhl, Staffelberg, 19.viii.1975, B. Herting. SWITZERLAND. 1♀, Bern, Grindelwald, Alp Scheidegg, 1500–1600 m, 28.vii.2002, H.-P. Tschorsnig; 1♀, Delémont, Domont, 5.vii.1969, B. Herting. CZECH REPUBLIC. 1♀, F. Kowarz, Franzensbad [= Františkovy Lázně] (SMNS).
Hosts. The known host records (all Coleoptera Cerambycidae and all from the Palearctic) are: Acanthocinus griseus (Fabricius) (Hubenov et al. 2001), Acanthocinus xanthoneurus (Mulsant et Rey) (IOBC-List 10, IOBC-List 11, IOBC-List 14), Leiopus nebulosus (Linnaeus) (Čapek & Čepelák 1970, IOBC-List 12, IOBC-List 13), Monochamus sutor (Linnaeus) (Sheng 1990, in Daxinganling Mountain, northeastern Inner Mongolia), Morimus asper (Sulzer) (IOBC-List 11), Oplosia cinerea Mulsant, Oplosia fennica Paykull (IOBC-List 12, IOBC-List 13, and an unpublished record in SMNS), Pyrrhidium sanguineum (Linnaeus) (Herting 1960), Rhagium sp.—(IOBC- List 12), Saperda octopunctata (Scopoli). (Čepelák 1955), Saperda populnea (Linnaeus) (Vimmer 1913, Čepelák 1955b), Saperda scalaris Linnaeus (Campadelli & Gardenghi 1990, IOBC-List 13), Saphanus piceus (Laicharting) (IOBC-List 12), Stenostola dubia (Laicharting) (Ziegler 1990, IOBC-List 13, and an unpublished record in SMNS), Stenostola ferrea (Schrank) (several unpublished records in SMNS), Tetropium castaneum (Linnaeus) (Juutinen 1955, Kofler & Tschorsnig 2006), Tetropium fuscum (Fabricius) (Wettstein 1951, Juutinen 1955), Tetropium gabrieli Weise (Gorius 1955, Hellrigl 1985), and Xylotrechus altaicus (Gebler) (Cherepanov 1948).
Distribution. China (Hebei, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Xizang), Europe (all Europe), Japan (Hokkaidō, Honshu, Kyushu), Russia (W Russia, S Siberia, Far East Sakhalin), Transcaucasia.
Remarks. Identifying this species just from the key may cause a misidentification because it was described from Finland and our specimens were mainly from China, Mongolia and Japan. But the specimens of B. triangulifera from Germany, and Switzerland determined by one of us (Tschorsnig) seem to belong to the same species. Billaea triangulifera is widely distributed in the Palearctic Region and differs from other species of Billaea in having long plumose arista, 5 narrow longitudinal black vittae on presutural scutum, 2 katepisternal setae, fore tibia with 2 posterior setae, and abdomen dark, densely covered with gray pruinosity, with a pair of black triangular markings on tergites 3 and 4. It is similar to B. atkinsoni in general appearance with plumose arista, a pair of dark brown triangular marking on abdominal tergites 3 and 4, but differs from the latter in having broad gena, fore tibia with 2 posterior setae and different color pruinosity on abdomen and different shape of cerci and is distributed in temperate and cold climates of the Palearctic Region.
description: Published as part of Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Wang, Qiang & Tschorsnig, Hans-Peter, 2015, A review of Billaea Robineau-Desvoidy of the eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions (Diptera: Tachinidae), pp. 1-40 in Zootaxa 3949 (1) on pages 25-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3949.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/288389