Aulacephala maculithorax Macquart
Creators: name: Nihei, Silvio S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Aulacephala
Aulacephala maculithorax

description: Aulacephala maculithorax Macquart
(Figs 1–8, 12, 39)
maculithorax Macquart, 1851: 139 (166), pl. XV, fig. 6. Lectotype female (MNHN) desig. by Crosskey, 1971: 264 (not examined). Type locality: Madagascar.
Aulacocephala badia Gerstaecker, 1863: 1035. Holotype female (ZMHB) (examined by photos). Type locality: South Africa (as “Caffraria”).
Aulacocephala badia; Brauer, 1863: 170, fig. 9 (female); Malloch, 1925: 147, fig 1 (comments, wing illustration); Bau, 1928: 298 (comments).
Aulacephala badia; Ricardo, 1901: 109 (list).
Aulacocephalopsis badia; Townsend, 1918: 165 (comments on male); Townsend, 1936: 115 (list, key to world Aulacephalini).
Aulacocephala maculithorax; Brauer, 1863: 191, pl. III, fig. 5 (female); Verbeke, 1963: pl. II, fig. 17 (male phallus).
Aulacephala maculithorax; Bigot, 1859: 533 (comments on female, Madagascar); Bequaert, 1922: 303, fig 1a (synonymy of badia, synonymy of Aulacocephalopsis, wing illustration); Séguy, 1926: 6, figs 8 and 9 (head and wing); Bequaert, 1929: 163 (comments,? Madagascar); Townsend, 1936: 115 (list, key to world Aulacephalini); Townsend, 1938: 256 (incorrect information about the type being in Lille Museum or lost); Crosskey, 1971: 264 (lectotype designation, type data); Mesnil, 1973: 1229 (key to species); Crosskey, 1980: 836 (catalogue).
Distribution (Fig. 39). Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia,? Madagascar (see comments below), Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Redescription. Male. Body length: 9.5–11.8 mm (mean=10.9), wing length: 9.0– 11.2 mm (mean=10.4) (n=7).
Coloration: Head brown with whitish pruinosity on face, parafacial, fronto-orbital plate, facial ridge and gena; ocellar triangle brown (Fig. 3). Scape and pedicel yellowish, postpedicel light reddish brown but base and apex yellowish, arista yellow (Fig. 3). Palpus and proboscis yellowish. Thorax brown with whitish pruinosity, scutum with non-pruinose, bare paired stripes, one between acrostichal and dorsocentral rows and another between dorsocentral and intra-alar rows (Fig. 1). Wing hyaline (Figs 1, 12), wing veins yellow but basal parts of veins, r-m, dm-cu and final section of M (distal to bend) brown to dark brownish; with conspicuous infuscation around basal part of veins, r-m, dm-cu and final section of M; tegula (epaulet) brown to dark brown; calypters light brownish on disc and borders; halter yellow, knob brownish. Legs yellowish, with whitish pruinosity on coxae, femora and tibiae; tarsomeres yellow (Fig. 2). Claws light brown with black apex; pulvilli yellow. Abdomen brown, with posterior margins of tergites 1+2, 3 and 4 darkened, some specimens also with posterior margin of tergites 1+2, 3 and 4 noticeably marked with narrow yellow transverse line (like A. hervei); tergites 3, 4 and 5 with dense whitish pruinosity on anterior 2/3 (Fig. 1).
Head: Eye bare, at most with very short and sparse setulae; inner anterior ommatidia enlarged. Frontal vitta extremely narrow so that fronto-orbital plates touch each other on upper half, although broadening ventrally (Fig. 3). Fronto-orbital plate covered with short and fine setulae from midlevel downwards to level of antennal insertion; no developed setae on frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate (Fig. 3). Ratio of frons width/head width at level of lunula 0.10–0.14; ratio of frons width/head width at vertex level 0.02–0.035 (Fig. 3). Ocellar triangle constricted and swollen (visible in profile), with few setulae; with three developed ocelli, shining-coloured, and easier to recognize than in female. Fronto-orbital plate as narrow as arista width on upper half, and about 2x arista width at lowermost level (Fig. 3). Parafacial bare and as wide as upper portion of fronto-orbital plate (Fig. 3). Antennal axis/ head height ratio 0.49–0.59 (Fig. 2). Facial ridge narrower than in females (compare Figs 3 and 4). Antenna short; postpedicel about 1.5x pedicel length in lateral view; arista elongate and slender, about 3.5x postpedicel length (Fig. 3). Genal dilation less developed (more discrete, more flattened) than in female, and densely covered with short black setulae. Genal height/head height ratio 0.07–0.11 (Fig. 2).
Thorax: Postsutural intra-alar setae not differentiated, although some specimens might have one developed seta posteriorly. Supra-alar setae 1+1, postsutural one in median position. Mesothoracic spiracle partially exposed dorsally and ventrally, with light brownish branched hairs on anterior and posterior edges, but with longer hairs on lower 2/3; metathoracic spiracle not exposed, completely covered by short anterior lappet and opercular posterior lappet with brown branched hairs. Scutellum with three lateral and one apical pairs of setae, anteriormost lateral and apical pairs stronger, and with dense fine black setulae covering dorsal, lateral and lateroventral areas (the latter with long setulae).
Wing (Figs 2, 12): R1 with some tiny setulae on the very apex, and not sinuous on basal third; final section of M vein (distal to bend) strongly convex inwards; dm-cu strongly bisinuate; anterior end of dm-cu closer to r-m than to wing margin, but in some specimens about same distance from r-m and wing margin; and r-m placed about halfway between dm-cu and bm-cu.
Legs: Fore tibia with no anterodorsal seta, and 2 developed posterodorsal setae at middle. All claws slightly shorter than last tarsomere, and pulvilli slightly shorter than claws. Mid tibia with 1–2 posterodorsal setae on apical half. Hind femur with dorsal row of setae, with longer setae at base; anteroventral row of setae, with longer setae at apex; and some basal posteroventral setae developed. Hind tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal setae on median third, and 2–3 posterodorsal setae on median third.
Terminalia (Figs 6–7): Cerci strongly fused (no suture recognizable) with posterior apexes free and strongly divergent (Fig. 6); apex acuminate in both dorsal and lateral views (Figs 6–7); cerci slightly longer than wide (about 1.4x). Surstylus strongly arcuate inwardly (Fig. 6); with broad and rounded apex in both dorsal and lateral views (Figs 6–7), and with basomedial lobes bearing fine setulae hidden behind the cerci (Fig. 6). Bacilliform sclerite (processus longus) broad, articulated (not fused) with surstylus and hypandrium. Phallus (aedeagus) (Fig. 7) with basiphallus connected to phallapodeme at 180° angle, then distiphallus ventrally directed. Phallic guide elongate and slightly curved anteriorly, between the pregonites, at 180° angle with phallapodeme. Postgonite slender and acuminate. Pregonites free (not fused with each other and not fused to hypandrium) and long, reaching lower posterior margin of hypandrium in lateral view. Ejaculatory apodeme narrow and curved. Hypandrium deeply concave, half-bowl shaped, and longer than phallapodeme.
Female. Body length: 9.8–13.7 mm (mean=11.9), wing length: 9.5–12.1 mm (mean=11.1) (n=7).
Differs from male by the following: Coloration: Ocellar triangle yellow to light brownish; frontal vitta reddish brown on upper half (Fig. 4); fronto-orbital plate darker on upper portion and some yellowish to reddish brown at antennal level (Fig. 4); facial ridge with some yellowish areas (Fig. 4); gena yellow to light brownish; tegula (epaulet) brown to dark brownish. Head. Dichoptic (Fig. 4); inner anterior ommatidia not enlarged. Frons extremely broad, and narrowing very slightly at vertex (Fig. 4). Ratio of frons width/head width at level of lunula 0.48–0.50 (Fig. 4); ratio of frons width/head width at vertex level 0.45 (Fig. 4). Frontal setae very weakly developed and medioclinate (Fig. 4). Fronto-orbital plate covered with short and fine setulae from vertex ventrally and continuing until upper half of parafacials, setulae on inner upper half rather longer (Fig. 4); no developed setae on frons. Frontal vitta narrow, about 1.5x pedicel width at midlevel, broadening dorsally when approaching ocellar triangle, about or slightly over 2.0x pedicel width, and ventrally broadening slightly at level of lunula hardly 2.0x pedicel width (Fig. 4). Ocellar triangle developed and flattened (not constricted and swollen as in males) (Fig. 4), with few setulae, bearing three ocelli that are not as developed as in males, ocelli pale in colour and not conspicuously convex (although not flattened). Fronto-orbital plate notably broad and narrowing inconspicuously towards vertex, about 3.0–4.0x width of frontal vitta at midlevel (Fig. 4). Parafacial densely setulose on upper half (continued from fronto-orbital plate), narrowing notably from level of antennal insertion towards gena, upper width 2.0–2.5x lower width (Fig. 4). Facial ridge about 4/5 width of fronto-orbital plate. Antennal axis/head height ratio 0.49–0.56. Genal height/head height ratio 0.19–0.23. Legs: Fore tibia with 1–2 developed anterodorsal setae. Claws shorter than in males. Terminalia (Fig. 8): Tergite 6 separated into hemitergites, with continuous row of spiniform straight setae on inner margin from median third until half of apical third and two outer setae at middle, the right hemitergite without spiracle and the left hemitergite with one spiracle and a second spiracle segregated in the membrane (probably originated from tergite 7 sec Herting 1957). Tergite 8 separated into narrow hemitergites (not connected to each other, and not connected or fused to sternite 10). Sternite 10 (postgenital plate or hypoproct) covered with fine setulae, without any spiniform or strong setae/setulae. Cerci partially fused to each other basomedially, widely covered with fine long setulae, and basolaterally with dense rather stronger setulae. Three oblong spermathecae, two equal-sized and one smaller.
Type material examined. Holotype female of Aulacocephala badia Gerstaecker (ZMHB), labeled “Afr. austr. Drége” (dark-green label); “773”; “ Type ” (red label); “ badia / Gerst.” (dark-green label); “ Aulacephala / maculithorax Mcq. / det. Zumpt 57”. Specimen examined by photos kindly sent by James O’Hara (Canadian National Collection, Ottawa). Specimen in good condition, only left foreleg missing.
Examined material. BOTSWANA: Xugana Is., B. Lamoral Woodland, 19°04′S: 23°03′E, Malaise trap, 1 male, 18–25.xi.1980, 1 male, 22–26.xi.1979 (NMSA); CAMEROON, Rég. de Dchang, Plateaux Volcaniques, 1400m, 1 male, Gromier leg. (USNM); DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: N. Lac Kivu, Rwankwi, 1 female, v.1948, J.V. Leroy leg. (BMNH); Kasai River, 1 female, xii.1927, Lt. J. Ghesquière leg. (BMNH); KENYA, Nairobi, 1 male, iii.1926, van Someren leg. (BMNH); LIBERIA, 1 female, 16.v.1945, M.S. Briscoe leg. (USNM); MALAWI (“ Nyassaland ”): Fort Johnston [Mangochi], 1 female, 1911, P. Rendall leg. (BMNH); near Kaporo, N. Nyassa, 1 male, 13.viii.1909, J.B. Davey leg. (BMNH); Maiwale, 1 female, 22.x.1928, W.A. Lamborn leg. (BMNH); “ Nyassaland ”, 1 female, 1912, E.d. Rhoades leg. (BMNH); Cholo, 2700ft, 1 male, v.1920, R.C. Wood leg. (BMNH); MOZAMBIQUE (“PORTUG. E. AFR”), east of Mt. Mlanje [Mt. Mulanje], 1 male, 3–7.x.1913, S.A. Neave leg. (BMNH); NIGERIA, Baro, 1 female, x.1910, Dr. Ingram leg. (BMNH); SOUTH AFRICA: Transvaal, Potchefstroom (“Potchestm”), 1 female, no date, T. Ayres leg. (BMNH); Pretoria, 1 female, 07.iii.1917, G.A.H. Bedford leg. (BMNH); Pretoria, 1 male, no additional data (USNM); Natal, Weenen, 1 male, x–xi.1927, H.P. Thomasset leg. (BMNH); Natal, Lindeque Spruit, 14km SE Bergville, 1 female, 19.ii.1978, D. & M. Davis & B. Akerbergs leg. (USNM);?country/location, “Caught in Harris”, O’Paort (?leg), 1 female, 04.iii.1960 (BMNH); Pietermaritzburg, 1 male, 18.x.1961, B. & P. Stuckenberg leg. (NMSA); Tongaland, Ingwavuma District, Ndumu Reserve, 2 females, 1–10.xii.1963, B. & P. Stuckenberg leg. (NMSA); Merrivale, Stuckenberg House, 30°05′E, 29°30′S, 1051m, 1 male, 3.xi.2001 (NMSA); Cape Good Hope Nature Reserve, 1 female, 7–10.iii.1968, P. Spangler leg. (USNM); Cape Province, Wilderness, 1 female, 12–13.iii.1968, P. Spangler leg. (USNM); Cape Province, Stormsrivier, 2.5km S, 3 females, 11–12.iii.1978, D. & M. Davis & B. Akerbergs leg. (USNM); Cape Province, Thomas Baines Nature Reserve, 13km SW Grahamstown, Palmiet R., 2 females, 6.iii.1978, D. & M. Davis & B. Akerbergs leg. (USNM); Cape Province, Brackenhill Falls, 9km E Knysna, 5 females, 15–16.iii.1978, D. & M. Davis & B. Akerbergs leg. (USNM); Cape Province, Diepwalle Plantation, 39km NE Knysna, 1 female, 13.iii.1978, D. & M. Davis & B. Akerbergs leg. (USNM); Mpumalanga Province, Barberton District, Farm Alfa 448JU, 1 female, 22–26.xi.1972, A. Strydom leg. (NMSA); Algeria Forestry, Clanwilliam District, 1 female, 4–10.iii.1969, Potgieter & Strydom leg. (NMSA); Harkerville, Forest Reserve, 1 female, 1–5.iii.1972, L. & G. Vari leg. (NMSA); Groenkloof, 1 male, 19.xi.1921, A. Roberts leg. (NMSA); TANZANIA, Tabora, Igombe river, 1 female, x.1948, van Someren leg. (BMNH); UGANDA: Kampala, 1 female, i.1963, A.W.R. McRae leg. (at light) (BMNH); Kawanda, 1 male, 16.iv.1965, 4 females, 29.ix.1972, D.J. Greathead leg. (BMNH); Kalinzu Forest, 1 male, 1935, T.H.E. Jackson leg. (BMNH); and ZAMBIA: Lochinvar Nat. Park, 1 male, 10.v.1979, 1 female, 13.v.1978, G.W. Howard leg. (BMNH); Roma, Lusaka, 1 male, 29.xi.1979, G.W. Howard leg. (BMNH). [One male from Zambia /Roma-Lukasa and one female from Zambia /Lochinvar were dissected and examined.]
Synonymy of Aulacocephala badia Gerstaecker: During the course of my revision, I had not seen the female holotype of Aulacocephala badia Gerstaecker, 1863 deposited at Berlin (ZMHB), but only specimens studied and determined by Bezzi (1911), Townsend (1918) and Sabrosky, which were examined during a visit to the USNM collection. Recently, James O’Hara (Canadian National Collection, Ottawa) very kindly provided me some photographs of the holotype taken during his visit to the Berlin museum in summer 2014. With those photographs at hand, I could then confirm the synonymy of A. badia Gerstaecker with A. maculithorax Macquart.
Madagascar as the type locality. Bequaert (1919: 163) doubted that the type specimens studied by Macquart to describe A. maculithorax were really collected from Madagascar: “no specimen of Aulacephala has been taken in that island since”. And he goes further in suggesting that probably Macquart’s specimens were from South Africa. And then, since Bequart’s comment in 1919, no material from Madagascar has been reported.
description: Published as part of Nihei, Silvio S., 2015, Systematic revision of the ormiine genera Aulacephala Macquart and Phasioormia Townsend (Diptera, Tachinidae), pp. 1-26 in Zootaxa 3931 (1) on pages 4-9, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3931.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/288102