Blepharella nigra Mesnil 1967
Creators: name: Shima, Hiroshi
name: Tachi, Takuji
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Blepharella
Blepharella nigra

description: Blepharella nigra Mesnil, 1967
(Figs 15–20, 33–34, 39–40)
Blepharella nigra Mesnil, 1967: 41. Holotype male (CNC; examined). Type locality: Nukabira, Hokkaido, Japan.
Blepharella nigra: Shima & Hara (2016: 17).
Blepharella sp. 1: Shima & Hara (2016: 17; misidentification).
This species was described from Obihiro, Hokkaido by Mesnil (1967: 41) and is redescribed here after examination of the holotype and additional specimens from Honshu and Shikoku.
Diagnosis. Medium-sized black fly, with palpus orange-yellow and scutellum black except narrowly reddishbrown apex; male vertex 0.23–0.24 of head width, female 0.26–0.28; 1st flagellomere of antenna about 4.5 times as long as pedicel in male, 3.8–4.0 times as long as pedicel in female; prosternum haired; male cerci strongly curved dorsally at apex in lateral view.
Redescription. Body length: 7.2–10.8 mm.
Male. Head with dense whitish pruinosity on face, yellow to golden-yellow pruinosity on fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and grayish-white pruinosity on occiput and genal dilation; antenna dark brown; palpus orange-yellow, with narrow dark portion at base. Vertex 0.23–0.24 of head width; frontal vitta subequal in width to fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial slightly narrower than 1st flagellomere at mid height in profile (subequal to 1st flagellomere when measured in horizontal position); gena 0.18–0.22 of eye height in profile (0.28–0.3 when measured in horizontal position); lower margin of face weakly produced forward, not extending beyond vibrissal base. Inner vertical seta slightly less than 5/8 of eye height; fronto-orbital plate with rather dense and fine short hairs, not descending below lowest frontal seta; anterior reclinate orbital seta slightly longer than posterior seta and about 2/3 as long as inner vertical seta; 8–9 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly level with base of arista; facial ridge with short and rather strong setae at most on lower 1/3–2/5; occiput without black setulae on upper 1/2. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about 1/2 length of pedicel; 1st flagellomere about 4.5 times as long as pedicel; arista thickened on basal 2/5, 2nd aristomere as long as wide. Palpus shorter than 1st flagellomere (ratio 3:3.5).
Thorax shiny black in ground color, posterior margin of scutellum narrowly and weakly reddish-brown; postpronotal lobe, presutural portion of scutum and lateral portion of postsutural scutum with thin grayish-white pruinosity and 5 rather narrow longitudinal vittae on presutural area of scutum; median vitta narrow and diffusing marginally, outer vittae traceable on postsutural scutum. Prosternum haired; distance between bases of subapical scutellar setae about 2/3 that between basal and subapical setae of corresponding side; apical scutellar setae about 3/4 as long as scutellum, crossed and suberect. Wing with lower calypter pale yellowish-white, sometimes margined with pale brown; 2nd costal sector about 3/4 as long as 4th; length of vein M from dm-cu crossvein to bend about 2 times as long as distance between bend and wing margin. Legs black, pulvilli pale brownish; mid tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with row of rather sparsely-set anterodorsal setae and with a strong submedian seta; claws and pulvilli slightly longer than 5th tarsomere.
Abdomen shiny black in ground color, narrowly reddish-brown on sides of 3rd tergite; dorsum with thin whitish or pale yellowish-white pruinosity on anterolateral 1/2 of 3rd tergite, anterior 1/2–2/5 of 4th tergite and anterolateral portion of 5th tergite, venter with thin whitish pruinosity on anterior 1/2 of 3rd tergite, anterior margin of 4th tergite and almost entire 5th tergite. Syntergite 1+2 with a pair of fine median marginal setae about 1/2 as long as 3rd tergite; 3rd tergite with a pair of strong median marginal setae about 4/5 as long as 4th tergite; 5th tergite with many strong erect setae, not forming distinct rows; venter of 4th tergite with rather dense, fine, short hairs not forming a distinct sexual hair patch. Terminalia: cerci in dorsal view long triangular, apical 1/3 of mid-dorsal portion excavated, apical 1/6 very narrowly separated, apex well curved dorsally; broad in lateral view, apical 1/3 of mid-ventral portion forming a keel, with long hairs, apex strongly curved dorsally; surstylus broad in lateral view, narrowed apically in apical 1/3, with many long hairs.
Female. Differs from male as follows: vertex 0.26–0.28 of head width; parafacial about 4/5 of 1st flagellomere at mid height in profile (subequal in width when measured in horizontal position); gena 0.18–0.20 of head height in profile (0.22–0.25 when measured in horizontal position); inner vertical seta slightly shorter than 1/4 of eye height; outer vertical seta fine, at most 1/3 as long as inner seta; ocellar setae fine but distinct, slightly finer and shorter than outer vertical seta; anterior reclinate orbital seta about 1.5 times as long as posterior seta and about 2/3 as long as inner vertical seta; 2 subequally long proclinate orbital setae, subequal in length to anterior reclinate orbital seta; fronto-orbital plate with rather sparse short hairs; facial ridge with rather strong and short setae on lower 1/3; occiput with a few black hairs in upper 1/3 and 2–3 rows of fine black hairs in lower portion; antenna with 1st flagellomere 3.8–4.0 times as long as pedicel; palpus shorter than 1st flagellomere (ratio 3:3.5). Thoracic dorsum with slightly denser pruinosity; 2nd costal sector of wing about 2/3 as long as 3rd; length of vein M from dm-cu crossvein to bend about 1.5 times distance from bend to wing margin. Mid tibia with 3 strong anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with sparser row of anterodorsal setae, 2 strong setae present among them; claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomere. Venter of 4th abdominal tergite with normal hairing as on the preceding tergite, and without sexual hair patches. Terminalia: 6th tergite broadly separated mid-dorsally into quadrate hemitergites, with a row of long and strong setae at posterior margin; 6th sternite only slightly longer than 7th sternite; 7th tergite divided into posteriorly-rounded quadrate hemitergites, with strong setae on posterior 1/4; 7th sternite narrowed posteriorly in posterior 1/ 3 in ventral view, apex weakly pointed; 8th tergite divided into small and anteriorly-curved hemitergites.
Egg. Length ca. 0.2 mm. Dark brown; in lateral view well raised posteriorly; chorion with large, strongly ridged polygonal cells; aeropylar structure strongly raised, well visible in lateral view.
Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂: Nukabira / Hokkaido / 24.vii.1964, S. Takano (367) (CNC); 1 ♀ paratype: Nukabira / Hokkaido / 27.viii.1963 / S. Takano (368) (CNC).
Additional material examined: 1 ♂, Honshu, Saitama Pref., Kamikawa, Kanasana Shrine, 15.vi.1986, K. Hara leg. (BLKU); 1 ♂, Honshu, Saitama Pref., Ryokami, Hinata-ôya, 22.viii.1987, K. Hara leg. (KUM); 1 ♀, Honshu, Saitama Pref., Yorii, Sakurazawa, 10.x.2003, K. Hara leg. (KUM); 1 ♀, Shikoku, Ehime Pref., Kumakogen, Yurano, 20.vii.2007, Malaise trap, E. Yamamoto leg. (KUM).
Distribution. Palearctic Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku*).
description: Published as part of Shima, Hiroshi & Tachi, Takuji, 2019, The genus Blepharella Macquart (Diptera: Tachinidae) in Japan, with notes on the Oriental species B. lateralis Macquart, pp. 131-144 in Zootaxa 4615 (1) on pages 138-139, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4615.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/3995412