Megaselia albizona New Species.

Megaselia sulphurizona Borgmeier 1966, in part (paratype specimen from Palo Alto, California).

Figs. 5, 10, 12, 15.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: AC862EC4-1396-43F0-8E06- 97B4ACFB7CA5

Holotype. Male, USA: California: Los Angeles County: Rancho Cucamonga, BioSCAN site 38, 34.14°N, 117.52 °W, 1–8.viii.2016, L. Tagliani, Malaise trap, BioSCAN sample #18407 (LACM).

Holotype Barcode ---ACTTTATATTTCATTTTTGGGGCATGA- GCCGGAATAACAGGAACTTCTTTAAGAATTATAATTCGTGC TGAATTAGGACATCCAGGAGCTTTAATTGGTGATGACCAA ATTTACAATGTAATCGTAACTGCTCATGCATTTATCAT A A N T T T T T T TATAG T TATAC C TAT TATA ATAG G AG G AT T T G G A A AT T G AC TAG T G C C T T TA ATAT TAG G AG C T C C TGATATAGCTTTTCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGATTTTG AATACTTCCTCCTTCATTAACTCTATTGTTAGCAAGAA GTATAGTAGAAAATGGGGCTGGAACAGGATGAACCGT TTATCCCCCTCTATCTTCTAATATTGCACATAGAGGAT CTTCTGTAGATCTTGCAATTTTTTCTTTACATCTAGCA GGAATCTCATCAATTTTAGGTGCAGTAAATTTTATTAC TACAATTATTAATATGCGCTCAACAGGAATTACTTTTG AT C G A ATAC C T T TAT T T G T T T G AT CAG TAG G A AT TAC AG C T T TAC T T T TAC T C T TAT C C T TAC C C G TAT TAG CA GGAGCTATTACTATACTTTTAACAGATCGAAACTTTA ATACAT CAT T T T T T G AC C C T G C T G G AG G AG G AG AT C CAATTTTATACCAACATTTATTT---

Other museum specimens (not sequenced). USA: California: Los Angeles Co., Monrovia, Wallace Residence, 34.16°N, – 118°W, 523 m, 1 male, 19–26.i.2019, Malaise trap, B.V.Brown (LACM), Topanga Canyon, 1 male, 27.xi–5.xii.1993, Malaise trap, B.Brown, G.Hendler (LACM), Walker Ranch, Placerita Canyon, 1 male, 20.vi–21.vii.1999, Malaise trap, B.Brown, I.Swift (LACM), 1 male, 24.v.1999, Malaise trap, B.Brown, I.Swift (LACM), San Mateo Co., Palo Alto, Stanford University, 1 male, 16.xi.1953, P.H.Arnaud (LACM), San Luis Obispo Co., Los Osos, Pecho Willows, 35.23°N, 120.85°W, 3 males, 2–8.vii.2017, B.V.Brown, Malaise trap (LACM); Colorado: Jefferson Co., T1S R70W Sec 31, 1 male, 26–28.vii.1994, Malaise trap, V.Scott (LACM).

Diagnosis. Similar to M. sulphurizona (Table 2), but this species is morphologically distinctive through its mostly white tergite 6 (Figs. 5, 12), in addition to the usual white tergite 5. Other species have the anterior margin of tergite 6 white, but not to the extent found in M. albizona. Additionally, in this species, the left hypandrial process is about one-half the length as in the other species (except M. reductizona) (Figs. 10, 11).

M. albizona keys to M. sulphurizona in Borgmeier’s key to Group VIII species of Megaselia, and was part of Borgmeier’s concept of that species (one paratype of M. sulphurizona from Palo Alto, California is M. albizona).

M. albizona differs from all other white-belted species by at least 9% (Fig. 34, Table 1).

The specimens of this species are in BOLD as BOLD:AAP4680.

Distribution. Western North America. Besides our specimens from California and Colorado, USA, there are 14 additional specimens of this species in the BOLD database from southern British Columbia, Canada, and Utah, USA, that were used in the molecular analyses.

Etymology. From Latin for white (albi-) and belt (zona), referring to the white tergites 5 and 6.