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

description: Aulacephala Macquart
Aulacephala Macquart, 1851: 138 (165). Type species: Aulacephala maculithorax Macquart, by monotypy. Aulacocephala Gerstaecker, 1863: 1033. Unjustified emendation.
Aulacocephalopsis Townsend, 1918: 165. Type species: Aulacocephala badia Gerstaecker [= maculithorax Macquart], by original designation.
Distribution (2 species) (Fig. 39). Afrotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic.
References. Macquart, 1851: 138 (described Aulacephala and the type species A. maculithorax); Gerstaecker, 1863: 1035 (described Aulacocephala badia); Bequaert, 1922: 303 (synonymized badia with maculithorax, synonymized Aulacocephalopsis with Aulacephala); Bequaert, 1922: 305 (described A. hervei); Malloch, 1925: 147 (described Aulacocephala karnyi); Bequaert, 1929: 164 (synonymized karnyi with hervei); Townsend, 1936: 115 (key to world Aulacephalini); Mesnil, 1973: 1229 (diagnosis and key to species); Crosskey, 1976: 64 (key to Oriental genera of Ormiini); Crosskey, 1984: 243 (key to Afrotropical genera of Ormiini); Chao & Xue, 1998: 1954 (cat., key to Chinese genera of Ormiini).
Diagnosis. Aulacephala can be distinguished from other ormiine genera by having cell r4+5 closed far before the wing margin with a very long petiole (about twice as long as r-m) (Figs 11−12); prealar seta absent; ocelli present (but reduced) and noticeable infuscation on wing (Figs 11−12). Aulacephala closely resembles Mediosetiger, with which it shares the above listed characters, but differs from the latter by having abdominal discal setae absent; face oestriform (i.e., forming a long narrow strip from the oral cavity to the antennal apices and flanked on each side by extremely broad, flattened and densely setulose facial ridges) (Figs 3−4); and the postsutural intra-alar seta absent (sometimes weakly developed).
Description. Head: Male holoptic (Figs 1, 3), female dichoptic (Fig. 4). Ocelli present. Female frons conspicuously broad, while male holoptic with extremely narrow frons. Antenna very short, its length much less than 1/4 of eye-height. Face oestriform, i.e., forming a long narrow strip from oral cavity to antennal apex and flanked on each side by broad, flattened and densely short setulose facial ridges (Fig. 3). Vibrissa not differentiated, as well as subvibrissal and subcranial setae (Fig. 3). Oral cavity very reduced and subcircular; palpus very short, with short black setulae apically; labella and prementum reduced. Multiple irregular rows of black postocular setulae from outer vertex ventrally to postgena, and then with pale occipital setulae towards center; with no setulae (either black or pale) at back of vertex and with only pale setulae behind oral cavity. Occiput concave middorsally. Thorax: Densely covered with short black setulae on dorsum and laterally, except for paired stripes on scutum that are non-pruinose, bare, one between acrostichal and dorsocentral rows and another between dorsocentral and intraalar rows. Usual thoracic bristling not strongly developed. Acrostichal setae 0+1; dorsocentral setae 2+4 (weakly developed, only the last postsutural setae conspicuous); postpronotal setae 2 (outer one stronger than inner one, accompanied by long fine setulae); intra-alar setae absent (sometimes with weak adventitious setae); supra-alars 1+1 or 1+2 (prealar seta not differentiated). Notopleural setae 2, with dense short black setulae on notopleuron. Postalar setae 2, subequal in length, with dense short black setulae on postalar callus. Prosternum bare and notably developed as bilobed (bilaterally symmetrical) inflated apparatus with hemispherical depression on each side. Proepisternum bare, 2 strong proepisternal setae; 1 strong proepimeral seta; katepisternal setae 2; katepimeron (barette) bare. Six strong anepisternal setae on posterior margin, and several long upcurved setulae on upperanterior corner, anepisternum covered with black fine setulae. Anepimeron with several long fine black setulae on upper and lower portions, without any developed seta. Scutellum with 2–3 lateral and one apical pairs of setae. Meron with tuft of long fine setae, but no regular row distinguishable.
Wing (Figs 11–12): Tegula (epaulet) densely short setulose; costal spine not differentiated; cell r4+5 closed far before wing margin with very long petiole (over twice as long as r-m). Rs node setulose dorsally and ventrally; distance of M bend to wing margin subequal to length of r-m. Noticeable infuscation on some wing veins.
Legs: Fore femur with dorsal, posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae, posterodorsal row irregular. Mid femur without developed setae, except for some basoventral setae and 2 weak preapical posteroventral setae; no median anterior seta. Mid tibia with one anterodorsal seta at apical third, and one ventral seta at apical third. Hind tibia with one anteroventral seta at apical third.
Abdomen: Globose in both dorsal and lateral views, conspicuously broader than thorax (Fig. 1), densely covered with fine black setulae, those setulae longer on tergite 5. Syntergite 1+2 with medial excavation extending to posterior margin. Abdominal setae not differentiated (median marginals, lateral marginals, and discals all absent). Sternite 1 widely setulose.
Male terminalia (Figs 6–7) (based on A. maculithorax): Cerci strongly fused (no suture recognizable) with the posterior apex acuminate in both dorsal and lateral views; surstylus strongly arcuate inwardly (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 (Fig. 7); 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 terminalia (Fig. 8) (based on A. maculithorax): Tergite 6 separated into hemitergites, with row of spiniform straight setae on inner margin, 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 and 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.
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 3-4, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3931.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/288102