Ptilocera smaragdina Walker 1849
Creators: name: Mason, Franco
name: Rozkošný, Rudolf
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Stratiomyidae
Ptilocera
Ptilocera smaragdina

description: Ptilocera smaragdina Walker, 1849
(Figs 27–29, 34, 42, 70–71, 136–153)
Ptilocera smaragdina Walker 1849: 525.
Ptilocera smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven, 1857: 92. Primary homonym of Ptilocera smaragdina Walker, 1849. Ptilocera smaragdifera Walker, 1859: 94, syn. nov.
Type material. P. smaragdina: The female holotype is deposited in BMNH and labelled: " Type / Philippine Is., Purchased Cumming. /One of Walkers series so named/ Holotype [in red circle], HOLOTYPE Ptilocera smaragdina Walker, det. J. E. Chainey 1982/ HOLOTYPUS Ƥ Ptilocera smaragdina Walker, 1849: 525, F. Mason & R. Rozkošný det., 2009". Condition: left flagellum absent and right flagellum partly missing, mid left leg absent, right wing broken at costal vein.
P. smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven: Location of syntypes unknown (see Remarks).
P. smaragdifera Walker: Two female syntypes are deposited in BMNH and labelled: "Celebes, Macassar, A. R. Wallace, purchased Stevens [round greyish label]/ SYNTYPE, Ptilocera smaragdifera Walker, det. J. E. Chainey 1982, SYNTYPE?" [in azure circle]/. One of them is herewith designated as " LECTOTYPUS Ƥ, Ptilocera smaragdifera Walker 1859: 94, Mason & Rozkošný des. 2009" [red label] and the second as "PARALECTOTY- PUS" Ƥ. Both are conspecific with the holotype of P. smaragdina. Condition of the lectotype fairly bad, (last three antennal flagellomeres missing, left wing broken at discal cell, glued on plastic label). Condition of the paralectotype much worse (thorax broken, only a half of left wing present, all legs missing).
Diagnosis. Antenna completely brown to black in both sexes. Male abdomen with only two very small hair patches on tergite 4 and transversely subtriangular patches on tergite 5. Female usually with extensively reduced wing mictrotrichia as in P. continua but relatively narrow and longitudinal hair patches on tergites 3 and 4; tergite 5 with transversely subtriangular or almost linear patches.
Description. Male (Figs 70, 136–141): Length (mm): body 8.7–9.5 (n=5), wing 8.5–9.0 (n=5) Head. Lower frons shining black, only slightly testaceous near bases of antennae, with small, reverse heart-shaped, finely divided medially, silverish tomentose spots along each eye margin. Antenna (Fig. 137) completely brown to black, basal flagellomere longer than broad, sometimes reddish brown. Apical flagellomere long, about 5.0 times as long as preceding flagellomere. Palpus brown, with apical segment distally truncate and brown haired.
Thorax (Fig. 136) black, finely punctate, scutum covered with short black pile and shining purple to bluishgreen, green and silverish scales arranged into four longitudinal stripes. Medial pair reaching to transverse suture but lateral pair continuing to base of scutellum. Scutellum (Fig. 136) margined with iridescent scales, with brown and slightly upturned spines, medial spines as long as 0.4–0.5 of scutellar length at middle. Wing (Fig. 70) with distal half somewhat less infuscated than proximal half, pale transverse streak in middle of wing reaching from costa to lower margin of discal cell, relatively broad. Proximal part of axillary cells and basal half of alula bare. Calypter brown, with dense brown hairs along margin. Legs brown and brownish haired but slender basitarsus of mid leg often yellowish.
Abdomen (Fig. 136) black, finely punctate, paired small hair patches present on tergite 4, tergite 5 with two well separated subtriangular to transverse patches. Male terminalia (138–141): tergites 6–8 as in Fig. 138, epandrium subquadrate (Fig. 141), medial process of genital capsule gently concave (Fig. 139), posterolateral papillae on aedeagal complex rather short, without transverse ridge but with a group of small, hyaline and flattened spines at base (Fig. 140).
Female (Figs 27–29, 34, 42, 71, 142–153). Length (mm): body 6.0–10.7 (n = 9), wing: 5.9–9.0 (n = 9) Head. Tomentose patches at inner eye margin as in other species. Frontal index: 0.8–1.5 (avg = 1.2, n = 8). Antenna (Figs 144–145) completely black, lateral projections on flagellomeres 3 and 4 usually paler. Basal flagellomere slightly broader than long, sometimes reddish brown, apical flagellomere about 4–5 times as long as preceding flagellomere. Palpus large and dark brown, two-segmented (Fig. 27). Scutum (Figs 142–143) black, densely punctate, with short pile, covered with metallic iridescent appressed scales (Fig. 42). In dorsolateral view relatively broad longitudinal stripes more or less visible although only indistinctly separated in presutural area. Scutellum covered with relatively sparse scales and with four stout but short, brown to yellow spines, medial spines only 0.2–0.3 times as long as scutellum at middle. Anepisternum with fairly large bare area (Fig. 28), prealar prominence as in other species (Figs 28–29, 34). Wing membrane (Fig. 71) bare on alula, proximal part of anal cell, extensive central part of posterior cubital cell and base of anterior cubital cell. Transverse yellowish streak in middle of wing moderately distinct but less conspicuous than in male. Calypter brown, with wooly, white (rarely blackish) marginal fringe. Legs mainly black, only middle and hind basitarsi yellow. Abdomen black, with black, bluish or violet reflections, finely punctate, tergites 3 and 4 usually with well defined subrectangular to narrow and longitudinally oriented hair patches, tergite 5 with two usually transverse and narrow to subtriangular patches at anterior margin (Figs 142–143, 148–153). Genital furca as in Figs 146–147.
Variation. In the female the first and second flagellomeres may be ochre yellow to dark brown, the tips of the scutellar spines also vary from yellow to dark brown as well as the colour of basitarsus on the mid and hind leg. The reduction of microtrichia on the female wing membrane is usually as extensive as in the females of P. c o n t i - nua. The yellowish transverse streak at the middle of the wing is more or less distinct and also the shape of the abdominal hair patches varies in both sexes. Rarely the female hair fringe along the margin of the calypter may be darkened. In extreme cases the hair pattern on tergite 4 may resemble that of P. c o n t i n u a (cf. Figs 148–153).
Remarks. The synonymy of P. smaragdina and P. smaragdifera proposed here is based on a comparison of the type material of both species and fixed by the lectotype designation of P. smaragdifera. Walker´s (1859) superficial original description of P. smaragdifera is based on a male but Brunetti (1923) stated that only 2 females (identified probably by Walker) were available in BMNH in reasonable condition and J. E. Chainey labelled them as syntypes of P. smaragdifera in 1982 (cf. Woodley 2001: 136). Recently we found in the BMNH a third female collected also at Macassar [=Ujung Pandang] by A. R. Wallace (see Material examined).
P. smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven, 1857 is preoccupied by P. smaragdina Walker, 1849 and was considered to be identical with P. smaragdifera already by Edwards (1915). We tried to find the syntypes of P. smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven that should be deposited in ZMAN (Woodley 2001: 136) but without any success. In RMNH there is a pair of specimens from the type locality Manado (Sulawesi) labelled as “ Syntype (red label), P. smaragdina v.Voll., Coll. F. M. v. d. Wulp”. These specimens are evidently conspecific but especially the female differs considerably from the original description where the female is characterised by the completely black last flagellomere. Actually both specimens belong to P. continua (with markedly, although only partly, white last flagellomere in the female) and their diagnostic characters are significantly distinct from the original description so that we believe they are not syntypes of P. smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven. Nevertheless, this erroneous designation of syntypes may explain the fact that van der Wulp (1896) proposed the name P. smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven as a synonym of P. f a s t u o s a (= P. continua).
Material examined. 38 3, 40 Ƥ (including 3 female type specimens). Indonesia: Sulawesi: Macassar [=Ujung Pandang], 1 Ƥ, A. R. Wallace, in BMNH. Kendari, iv. 1874 3 3, 1 Ƥ, O. Beccari, in MSNG. Utara, Mage Dumoga National Park, Torant Base camp, 200 m, Project Wallace 1985, 15. v.1985 1 Ƥ, M. R. Wilson, in BMNH. Lueuk Bunga, Malaise trap, 300 m, 1. xi.1989 1 Ƥ, C. V. Achterberg, in RMNH. Philippines: Leyte: Utap, 30. xii.1957 1 m, in BPBM. Luzon: Los Banos, viii.1916 2 Ƥ, F. X. Williams, in BPBM; 2 Ƥ, P. I. Baker, in MSNM. Manila, 11.iv. 1918 2 3, 4 Ƥ, 15.ix. 1918 4 3, 15.x. 1918 17 3, 13 Ƥ, 15. xi.1918 13, 2 Ƥ, 5. vi.1919 1 Ƥ, 11.vi. 1919 4 3; all Mc Gregor, all in MSNM. Mt. Makiling, 1 Ƥ, Baker, in USNM; 30. iv.1968 1 Ƥ, M. D. Delfinado; Dalton Pass, 915 m, Nueva Vizcaya, 9.–10.iv. 1968 1 3, D. E. Hardy; all in BPBM. Mindanao: Butuan, 1 3, McGregor; Cotabato Province, Polo near base of Mt. Matutum, 600 m, 14. viii.1958 1 m, H.E. Milliron, in BPBM. Davao, 1 Ƥ, P. I. Baker; both in MSNM. Negros Or.: Basig, 16. xii.1959 1 f, L. W. Quate, in BPBM. Masbate: Moboarea, 28. xii.1986 1 Ƥ, C. K. Starr, 1 Ƥ, in USNM. Papua New Guinea: New Britain: Bismarck I., Yalon, 1000 m, 20.v. 1962 1 3, 2Ƥ, Noona Dan Expedition 1961–1963, in ZMUC. Keravat, 23.–30.vi. 1965 3 3, R. W. Crosskey; Mosa, Palm Oil Plantation near Hoskins, 0–200 m, January 1969 1 3, Mrs. J. E. Benson, B.M. 1970–162; all in BMNH. Gazelle Peninsula, Gaulim, 140 m, 21.–27.x. 1962 1 3, 1 Ƥ, 19.–20.xi. 1962 1 3 and 100–150 m, 20.–28.xi.1962, 1 Ƥ, all J. Sedlacek, all in BPBM.
Distribution. This species was described from the Philippines and later recorded in Sulawesi. Some earlier data concerning Ujung Pandang (Walker 1859), Sangir (de Meijere 1911), Latimodjonggebirge-Uru and Talassa (Maros) (Lindner 1935) from Sulawesi are probably correct. Records by Kertész (1916) from “Borneo” and Lindner (1935) from Bantimoeroeng in Sulawesi under “ smaragdifera ” refer actually to P. kerteszi sp. nov. A record from Sri Lanka (Wulp 1896) needs revision (the original documentary material was destroyed in Budapest in 1956). Surprisingly we recorded this species also in New Britain (Papua New Guinea), where it was probably introduced. A record of Ptilocera sp. by Kertész (1916: 206) from Neu-Pommern [=New Britain] very probably also refers to this species.
Osten Sacken (1881) recorded about 30 specimens under P. smaragdina Snellen van Vollenhoven. In the original collection (MSNG) only 7 specimens were found in good condition, 4 of which from Kendari (Sulawesi) actually belong to P. smaragdina in the present concept (see Material examined) and 3 to P. violacea (see under this species).
description: Published as part of Mason, Franco & Rozkošný, Rudolf, 2011, A review of the Oriental and Australasian Ptilocera species (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), pp. 1-49 in Zootaxa 3007 on pages 17-19, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278481