Timia xanthaspis Loew
Creators: name: Morgulis, E.
name: Freidberg, A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ulidiidae
Timia
Timia xanthaspis

description: Timia xanthaspis (Loew)
(Figs. 13, 19, 54, 77, 91)
Empyelocera xanthaspis Loew, 1868: 175
Material examined. ISRAEL: Jordan Valley: 'En Gev, 7.v.1997, A. Freidberg (1♀); Lower Nahal Tirza [Wadi Farra, Jordantal], 200 m, 28.iii.1959, J. Klapperich (2♀); Lower Nahal Tirza, Jiftlik [Jiftlik], 11.iv.1981, A. Freidberg (18♂, 1♀); Gilgal, 18.iv.1996, A. Freidberg (1♀); Gilgal, 13km SE, 18.iv.1996, A. Freidberg (4♂, 2♀); Nahal Yitav spill, 31º55'N 35º61'E, 16.iii.2005, L. Friedman (2♂, 2♀), I. Zonstein (1♂); Allenby Bridge, 8.i.1931, O. Theodor (1♂); Judean Desert: Yeriho [Jericho], 30.iii.1973, D. Furth (1♂), 8.iii.1976, M. Kaplan (1♂); Wadi 'El Malikh [W. El Malich], 8.v.1983, I. Yarom (1♀); Juden Hills: Yerushalayim [Jerusalem], 1.v.1935 (1♀); Dead Sea Area: Qalya [Kalia], 8.iii.1976, A. Freidberg (1♂, 1♀), M. Kaplan (1♀), 29.iii.1976, A. Freidberg (10♂, 4♀); Nahal Qumeran, 24.iii.1987, A. Freidberg (4♂, 2♀), F. Kaplan (1♂, 3♀), 25.iii.1987 (1♀), 9.iv.1987, A. Freidberg (1♂), 22.iii.1993 (1♂, 4♀); 'Enot zuqim [Ein-Feshkhha], 15.iii.1977, M. Kaplan (1♀); Foothills of Judea: Qiryat Gat, 19.iv.1977, F. Kaplan (1♂, 7♀), [Kiryat Gat], 19.iv.1977, A. Freidberg (11♂, 12♀); Northern Negev: Mishmar HaNegev [mishmar hanegev], 200 m, 19.iv.1961, O. Theodor (1♀); Sharsheret, 1.iv.1978, D. Furth (1♀); Urim, 3.iv.1971, J. Kugler (1♂); 'Arad, 1.v.1997, A. Freidberg (1♀); Central Negev: 'En 'Avedat [Avdat], 19.iv.1975, A. Freidberg (1♂, 2♀), [Ein Avdat], 29.iii.1980, W. N. Mathis and A. Freidberg (1♂, 5♀); 'En Mor [Ein Mur], 11.iv.1970, J. Kugler (1♂, 1♀), 31.iii.1981, A. Freidberg (7♂, 8♀), 31.iii.1981, F. Kaplan (3♂, 6♀); 'En Mor, 30º50.676'N 34º46.603'E, 18.iii.2010, A. Freidberg (1♂, 11♀), E. Morgulis (5♂, 5♀), 4.iv.2010, A. Freidberg (1♂, 2♀); 'En Mor, 30º51N 34º47'E, 28.iv.2011, A. Freidberg (7♂), E. Morgulis (1♂); 'En Mor, Nahal Hawarim, 30º50.676'N 34º46.603'E, 4.iv.2010, A. Freidberg (26♂), E. Morgulis (24♂); Rosh Horesha, 28.iv.2011, A. Freidberg (1♂); 'Arava Valley: 'En Hazeva, 4.iv.1998, A. Freidberg (1♀); Hazeva, 3.iii.1971, J. Kugler (3♂, 2♀); Sappir, 22.iii.2003, A. Freidberg (1♂); Yotvata [Yotveta], 11.iv.1972, J. Kugler (1♀)(TAUI).
Redescription. Head (Figs. 13, 19): Structure: 1.19–1.32 times as high as long. Frons posteriorly 1.06–1.10 times as wide as long and at lunule level 1.35–1.42 times as wide as long, strigose. Eye 1.28–1.36 times as high as long. Gena 0.27–0.29 times as high as eye, strigose. Fronto-orbital plate at antenna insertion level 0.33–0.39 times as long as eye. Color and vestiture: occiput mostly black except median occipital sclerites and at eye margin orange, silvery microtrichose. Vertex reddish-brown laterally, orange medially. Frons brown posterolaterally, orange to yellow medially and anteriorly, with median line of white microtrichia, laterally white microtrichose, punctate at setae and setulae bases. Face shiny yellow to orange; antennal groove medially blackish, laterally brown-orange. Pedicel brown; first flagellomere black, silvery microtrichose; arista yellow medially, brown basally and apically, with microscopic rays. Gena and parafacial shiny orange to yellow. Postgena and ocellar triangle black. Palpus yellowish-brown to black, slightly gray microtrichose. Setae and setulae: all setae and setulae (except setulae on labellum) black. Medial vertical seta 1.03–1.11 times as long as lateral vertical seta; ocellar and postocellar setae each 0.27–0.41 times as long as medial vertical seta; orbital seta 0.3–0.4 times as long as medial vertical seta. Frons short setulose. Gena with 1–2 setae and several setulae; postgena setulose. Palpus with long black setulae; labellum with long, mixed black and white setulae.
Thorax: Color and vestiture: reddish-brown to black. Scutum mostly white microtrichose except subshiny non-microtrichose spots at setae and setulae bases and non-microtrichose lateral postsutural spot adjacent to suture. Scutellum shiny orange to yellow, sometimes partially or completely black (see comments). Setae and setulae: all setae and setulae black. 2 supra-alar, 2–4 anepisternal, 1 katepisternal and 2 scutellar setae present. Postpronotal lobe, scutum, anepisternum, katepisternum and scutellum setulose, setulae about 0.2 times as long as major setae.
Legs: Coxae and trochanters blackish-brown; basal 0.25–0.75 of forefermur and hindfemur black, remaining parts yellow; midfemur often entirely yellow, sometimes with basal 0.2–0.5 black; tibiae mostly yellow, sometimes black at dorsoapical 0.3–0.5; tarsi with 2–3 distal tarsomeres black, 2–3 basal tarsomeres usually yellow, sometimes black.
Wing (as in Fig. 32): Hyaline, no pattern present; pterostigma mat yellow. Venation: Veins yellow. Crossvein R-M aligned proximal to apex of vein R1. Ratios: Cell r4+5 0.30–0.35; vein Cu2 1.47–1.60. Calypteres white. Halter base orange to brown, stem and knob yellow.
Abdomen: Tergites 3–6 shiny black and setulose.
Male terminalia: Epandrium (Fig. 54) as high as wide; cerci triangular, separate; lateral surstylus apically bent and medially inclined. Phallus without caecum. Glans (Fig. 77) with abundant basal and apical membranous adjunctions.
Female terminalia: Aculeus 8.0–9.1 times as long as wide. Cercal unit (Fig. 91) triangular, apically pointed, with well pronounced lateral groove. Sensilla: BV apical to BD. Spermathecae globulose, slightly conical (as in Fig. 102) with smooth surface.
Measurements (mm): Body length 2.8–5.6, wing length 2.7–4.5.
Type locality. "Sarepta, Südrussland" (Volgograd, Russia).
Distribution. South Ukraine, South Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Greece, Israel, Iran.
Adult activity in Israel: March to May.
Diagnosis. This species differs from its congeners in the following combination of characters: a predominantly microtrichose scutum, except at setae and setulae bases, usually a yellow scutellum and a unique glans structure.
Comments. This species represents an unusual kind of variation: whereas most specimens have an entirely or predominantly yellow scutellum, often with the anterolateral corners darker, some specimens (2–7%) have the scutellum predominantly or entirely black (or blackish). In other specimens (5–10%) the scutellum appears to be highly transluscent, revealing the black color of the body parts beneath it, consequently appearing black or blackish.
description: Published as part of Morgulis, E. & Freidberg, A., 2014, The Ulidiini (Diptera: Tephritoidea: Ulidiidae) of Israel, with a key to the world species of Ulidia and description of five new species, pp. 201-247 in Zootaxa 3780 (2) on pages 220-221, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3780.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/228269