Melastrongygaster chaoi Shima, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Shima, Hiroshi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Melastrongygaster
Melastrongygaster chaoi

description: Melastrongygaster chaoi Shima, sp. nov.
Figs. 11–12, 15–18
Closely resembling the preceding species, but differing as follows:
Male. Shining black markings on inner margin of fronto-orbital plate extending below to upper 1/2 of parafacial; frons at the narrowest point nearly as wide as base of arista; parafacial weakly narrowed below, about 5/7 (about 3/ 5 in profile) as wide as 1st flagellomere at middle height; inner vertical seta shorter, at most 2/7 as long as eye height; ocellar seta slightly shorter than inner vertical seta; base of antenna nearly level with lower 1/4 of eye height in profile; pedicel with a long seta which is about 4/5 as long as pedicel and 1st flagellomere together. Thoracic dorsum with thin pale brownish gray pruinosity on postpronotal lobe and scutum, 2 broad outer and 2 narrow inner vittae recognizable on presutural area of scutum; 2 katepisternal setae; discal scutellar setae indistinct among many long and suberect hairs. Wing hyaline, weakly tinged with pale brown, more strongly tinged on basal portion; lower calypter pale brownish, inner portion strongly tinged with dark brown; relative lengths of costal sectors 2nd, 3rd and 4th approximately as 1:3.5:1.5; last section of vein CuA1 about 3/5 as long as dm-cu crossvein. Fore tibia with a row of rather long posterodorsal setae and 2–3 posterior setae; mid tibia with 1–2 anterodorsal, 2–3 posterodorsal, 1 posteroventral and 1 ventral setae; hind tibia with 3–4 anterodorsal, 3–4 posterodorsal and 3 ventral setae. Abdomen shining black, with thin brownish gray pruinosity on dorsum of anterior 1/2 of 3rd and 4th tergites and very thin grayish pruinosity on anterior portion of 5th; 3rd abdominal tergite with 1 pair of anterior and 2 pairs of, or 5, long irregularly set posterior discal and a row of strong marginal setae.
Male terminalia: Epandrium with 2 pairs of strong setae; surstylus in lateral view nearly parallel-sided, weakly narrowed apically, without hair or pile; bacilliform sclerite very short and fused posteriorly with inner wall of surstylus; cerci in dorsal view widely separated basally and apically, close together on basal 1/2 to 3/4, in lateral view broad at base and narrowed to basal 2/3, apex weakly curved ventrally.
Female. Unknown.
Body length: 6.1–7 mm.
Holotype male, Yulin, 3000 m, Kanding Xiang, Sichuan, China, 20.viii.1993, H. Shima (IZCAS).
Paratypes: 1 male, same data as holotype; 3 males, Zheduo-shan, 3000–4000 m, Kanding Xian, Sichuan, 19- 24.viii.1993, H. Shima & A. Nakanishi; 1 male, Paoma-shan, 2600 m, Kanding Xian, Sichuan, 18.viii.1993, X. Lin; 1 male, Xingdu Qiao, 3700 m, Kanding Xian, Sichuan, 22.viii.1993, A. Nakanishi (IZCAS, KUM).
Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to the late Professor Chao Chien-ming, pioneer of tachinid taxonomy in China and a collaborator in the survey from which the above type specimens were obtained.
Distribution. China (Sichuan).
Remarks. The epandrium of this species has 2 pairs of strong setae and the male cerci are narrowed from base to apical 1/4 and divergent in dorsal view.
description: Published as part of Shima, Hiroshi, 2015, Melastrongygaster, a new genus of the tribe Strongygastrini (Diptera: Tachinidae), with five new species from Asia, pp. 427-445 in Zootaxa 3904 (3) on pages 433-436, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3904.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/243928