Trichosia (Trichosia) conglobata Rudzinski 2005
Creators: name: Sutou, Mitsuaki
name: Menzel, Frank
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Sciaridae
Trichosia
Trichosia conglobata

description: Trichosia (Trichosia) conglobata Rudzinski, 2005
Fig. 7 A ‒ E
Material examined.
JAPAN • 3 ♂♂; Honshu, Miyagi Pref., Sendai, Taihaku, Mukaiyama, mixed forest dominated by Pinus densiflora, Abies firma and Quercus serrata; 38°14'33"N, 140°52'00"E; alt. 70 m; 22 May 2000; M. Sutou leg., sweep-net; SDEI • 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same data but 14–19 May 2001; reared from larvae and pupae collected at 11 May 2001; 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, NSMT; 1 ♂, MZH; 1 final-instar larva and 2 male pupae were preserved in ethanol; PCMS • 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same data but 30 Apr. – 29 May 2002; reared from larvae and pupae collected at 28 Apr. 2002; 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, PCMS; 1 ♂, MZH; 19 final-instar larvae, 1 male pupa, and 1 female pupa were preserved in ethanol; PCMS.
Description.
Male. See Rudzinski (2005) for a morphological description of the male of this species. Wing length and body size of the specimens examined in this study are 2.5‒3.1 mm and 2.6‒3.1 mm respectively.
Female. Similar to male, but flagellum of antenna about 0.8 times shorter than that of male. Wing length 2.8‒3.2 mm. Body size 3.6‒4.0 mm.
Final-instar larva. Head (Fig. 7 D, E): Well-chitinized, dark brown. Frontal plate (fp) with 4 pairs of sensory pits (p 1 ‒ p 4), of these, p 3 and p 4 with very short, minute sensory hair. Gena (ge) with 5 pairs of dorsal sensory pits along marginal suture (p 5 ‒ p 9). Besides them, each gena with 3 dorsolateral, 1 ventrolateral, and 1 ventral sensory pits, of these, anterior dorsolaeral pit with minute sensory hair like p 3 and p 4. Anterior part of head dorsally with labrum (lb), clypeus (cl), and antennal plate (ap), laterally with mandible (md), and ventrally with maxilla and hypopharynx (hp). Maxilla is subdivided into three sclerites, galeolacinia (gl), stipes (st), and cardo (cd); galeolacinia with serrated margin, fused basally with stipes. Thorax and abdomen (Fig. 7 C): Body comprises 3 thoracic and 9 abdominal segments. Creamy white in color, but yellowish when alive. Surface smooth without setae, locomotory pad slightly developed ventrally on abdominal segments. Prothoracic and 1 st to 7 th abdominal segments with spiracles; diameter of prothoracic spiracles larger than that of abdominal ones. Body size: 5.5‒9.0 mm.
Pupa. Similar to pupa of Trichosia pilosa (currently known as Leptosciarella pilosa) figured in Plachter (1979) in having a remarkable process on vertex. The pupa of T. caudata also has this characteristic process on vertex (Tuomikoski 1957). Body size: 3.4‒4.1 mm.
Remarks.
This species was first described in Rudzinski (2005) from Taiwan, and is newly recorded here from Japan. This study found the following two instances of intraspecific morphological variation of this species. According to Rudzinski (2005), the males of this species have the gonostylus with 5 spines which are separated into two groups: 3 spines in the upper group and two in the lower group. Among 12 males from Japan examined in this study, 10 males have the gonostylus with 5 spines like specimens of Taiwan. However, 2 males from Japan have gonostylus with 4 spines (Fig. 7 A, B). Another intraspecific variation was found in the thorax. A small sclerite of the thorax called posterior pronotum (frequently abbreviated to ppn) has 4 setae in the specimens of Taiwan. Among the 12 male and 5 female specimens from Japan examined in this study, 2 males and 3 females have posterior pronotum with a few setae, but the posterior pronotum of the others is bare. The female and the immature stages of this species are examined here for the first time. The larvae were collected from rotten wood, so they are xylophagous.
description: Published as part of Sutou, Mitsuaki & Menzel, Frank, 2025, The genera Mouffetina Frey and Trichosia Winnertz (Diptera, Sciaridae) in Japan with a key for the Japanese species and an updated world checklist, pp. 167-182 in Contributions to Entomology 75 (1) on pages 167-182, DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.75.e145605