Milichia myrmecophila
Content
Description
Male: Head black, except for orange first flagellomere, orange vibrissal angle, and brown palpi. Frons brown microtomentose, twice as long as broad with concave sides, narrowest at midlength where it is 0.28x the width of head, at vertex and base of antennae 0.35x (fig. 1). Interfrontal hairs in a long row of about seven hairs, the anterior hair longest. Frontal triangle small, not extended further than ocelli. Two orbital setae, upper one reclinate, lower one proclinate. No frontal setae, but two rows of inclinate hairs of equal length. The row on the inner side of the orbital plate consists of about eight hairs, the row next to the eye is placed anteriorly and consists of about four hairs. Pro- and lateroclinate ocellar and inner and outer vertical setae present. Postocellar setae slightly converging. Orbital and frontal plates forming one plate, each having about one fifth the breadth of the frons. Orbital setae situated near inner side of plates. Plates shining behind orbital setae, subshining anteriorly. Lunula distinctly shining with one pair of setae, height about a quarter of the height of the frons. Genae narrow, vibrissa strong, followed by a row of bristles which get longer at the back of the head. Face short, antennae small, pedicellus nearly as long as first flagellomere, which is as long as lunula high. First flagellomere slightly longer than broad. Face and antennae with short pubescence, palpi with hairs of pubescence about twice as long. The palpi are round lobes which cover the proboscis at rest (fig. 2a, 2b). Breadth of palpi about twice, length slightly less than 3x the height of lunula. Labium 2.5x, labella about 4x the height of lunula. Labella flat, with five shallow pseudotracheae dorsally (fig. 2c), which disappear before they reach the margin of the labella (fig. 2d). Labella folded together at rest, microtomentose on outside, with several hairs the length of the interfrontal hairs.A
Thorax black. Mesonotum sparsely, scutellum thickly brown microtomentose, pleura grey microtomentose. Basisternum similar to shape "G" in Speight (1969), without precoxal bridge. Mesonotum and scutellum quite globular. Thorax about 1.3x as long as broad. Length of thorax: 1.2 mm. Chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural, 1 presutural, 2 postalar, 1 long and 1 very short dorsocentral, 1 long prescutellar, 1 apical and 1 subapical scutellar, 3 katepisternal and no anepimeral setae. Apical scutellar setae cruciate and standing vertically upright. Setae long and conspicuous.
Legs black except for distal end of fore tibia and base of fore and mid tarsus, which are yellowish. Coxae thick grey microtomentose, rest of legs thinly grey microtomentose except for ventral and posterior side of hind femur and upper side of mid and hind tibia, which are polished and glabrous. The brilliantly polished places on mid and hind tibia have a flattened slightly concave surface, which generates a sharp anterodorsal ridge on the hind tibia (fig. 3). Distal end of fore tibia and basal two tarsomeres with brush of yellow setulae. Basal three tarsomeres of hind leg with anteroventral row of very short black setulae next to a narrow brush of yellow-brown setulae. Fore tibia short (0.5 mm), only 0.6x the length of hind tibia (0.8 mm) (mid tibiae: 0.7 mm).
Wings and squamae slightly yellowish with dark spot at distal end of R1 and subcosta next to a black flap at costa near subcostal break. The flap has the shape of a narrow triangle, 0.18 mm long and 0.10 mm broad distally (fig. 4). It is microtomentose and the long sides of the triangle are covered with black setulae. R4+5 and M1+2 slightly converging at tip. Last section of M1+2 about 1.5x as long as penultimate section. Cell Cup closed.
Halteres black. Length of wing: 2.9 mm.
Abdomen black, second tergite brown microtomentose except for polished spot laterally. Third to fifth segment white microtomentose except for distal margin of fifth segment. Tergite two with one row of hairs on distal edge and a few scattered hairs. Tergite three and four with one row of hairs distally. Tergite five with a few scattered hairs and some setae at distal end. Male genitalia bent under ventral side of abdomen (fig. 5). Surstylus with pointed tip, not fused to epandrium. Phallapodemic sclerite fused with base of pregonites and with reduced median part of hypandrium. Distiphallus membranous with a ring of hairs near tip.
Body length: 3.3 mm
Female differs from male in the frons being parallel sided, 0.4x the width of head. Abdomen polished except for middle of tergite two, which is brown microtomentose. All tergites with a few scattered hairs. Flap on wing 1.4x longer than in male.
A
A. Brake 1999: Prosaetomilichia de Meijere: a junior subjective synonym of Milichia Meigen, with a phylogenetic review of the M. myrmecophila species-group (Diptera, Milichiidae). – Tijdschr. Ent. 142: 31-36
Legs black except for distal end of fore tibia and base of fore and mid tarsus, which are yellowish. Coxae thick grey microtomentose, rest of legs thinly grey microtomentose except for ventral and posterior side of hind femur and upper side of mid and hind tibia, which are polished and glabrous. The brilliantly polished places on mid and hind tibia have a flattened slightly concave surface, which generates a sharp anterodorsal ridge on the hind tibia (fig. 3). Distal end of fore tibia and basal two tarsomeres with brush of yellow setulae. Basal three tarsomeres of hind leg with anteroventral row of very short black setulae next to a narrow brush of yellow-brown setulae. Fore tibia short (0.5 mm), only 0.6x the length of hind tibia (0.8 mm) (mid tibiae: 0.7 mm).
Wings and squamae slightly yellowish with dark spot at distal end of R1 and subcosta next to a black flap at costa near subcostal break. The flap has the shape of a narrow triangle, 0.18 mm long and 0.10 mm broad distally (fig. 4). It is microtomentose and the long sides of the triangle are covered with black setulae. R4+5 and M1+2 slightly converging at tip. Last section of M1+2 about 1.5x as long as penultimate section. Cell Cup closed.
Halteres black. Length of wing: 2.9 mm.
Abdomen black, second tergite brown microtomentose except for polished spot laterally. Third to fifth segment white microtomentose except for distal margin of fifth segment. Tergite two with one row of hairs on distal edge and a few scattered hairs. Tergite three and four with one row of hairs distally. Tergite five with a few scattered hairs and some setae at distal end. Male genitalia bent under ventral side of abdomen (fig. 5). Surstylus with pointed tip, not fused to epandrium. Phallapodemic sclerite fused with base of pregonites and with reduced median part of hypandrium. Distiphallus membranous with a ring of hairs near tip.
Body length: 3.3 mm
Female differs from male in the frons being parallel sided, 0.4x the width of head. Abdomen polished except for middle of tergite two, which is brown microtomentose. All tergites with a few scattered hairs. Flap on wing 1.4x longer than in male.
A
Diagnosis
Mostly black species with white microtomentum on male tergite three to five. Lunule very high and shining. Wing with black flap at subcostal break, hind tibia specialized. B
B. Brake 1999: Prosaetomilichia de Meijere: a junior subjective synonym of Milichia Meigen, with a phylogenetic review of the M. myrmecophila species-group (Diptera, Milichiidae). – Tijdschr. Ent. 142: 31-36
Citation
imago feeding on anal secreta of Crematogaster difformis Smith (Jacobson 1910: Ein Moskito als Gast und diebischer Schmarotzer der Crematogaster difformis Smith und eine andere schmarotzende Fliege. – Tijdschr. Ent. 52(1909): 158-164: 163 (as Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila))
figs of head, wing, imago feeding on anal secreta of Crematogaster difformis Smith (de Meijere &J.C.H. 1910: Drei myrmecophile Dipteren aus Java. – Tijdschr. Ent. 52(1909): 165-174,pl.10: 171, pl. 10 (as Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila))
Oriental catalog (Sabrosky 1977: Family Milichiidae, pp. 275-276. – In: Delfinado & Hardy, A catalog of the Diptera of the Oriental Region 3, x+854pp: 274 (as Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila))
type information (de Jong &H. 2000: The types of Diptera described by J. C. H. de Meijere: viii+271pp: 138 (as Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila))
citation (de Meijere &J.C.H. 1918: Studien über südostasiatische Dipteren. XIV. – Tijdschr. Ent. 60: 275-369: 353 (as Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila))
fig. of male sternite 5 (Brake 2000: Phylogenetic systematics of the Milichiidae [Diptera, Schizophora]. – Ent. scand. Suppl. 57: 1-120: 12)
diagnosis, combination, phylogenetic relationships, lectotype designation, figs of male head, proboscis, costal break, hind tibia, terminalia (Brake 1999: Prosaetomilichia de Meijere: a junior subjective synonym of Milichia Meigen, with a phylogenetic review of the M. myrmecophila species-group (Diptera, Milichiidae). – Tijdschr. Ent. 142: 31-36: 31)