Phalacrotophora spectabilis Schmitz 1925

Phalacrotophora spectabilis Schmitz, 1925

(Figs 3–4; 6; 11; 13; 15.)

Material. 1 male: Budapest, Pestszentlőrinc, Péterhalmi–erdő, tölgyes, 2002.06.16., leg. L. Papp; 2 females: ibid., tölgyes tisztások [Quercetum, on glade], 2002.05.25–26. leg. L. Papp; 1 male: Salgótarján, József–lejtakna, 2003. május 28., leg. L. Papp; 1 male, 1 female: Budapest, Tündér–hegy, autós hálózás [car net], 2002.06.24, leg. O. Merkl; 1 female: Ibafa: Gyűrűfű, Malaise csapda, 2007.06.23–24., leg: S. Tóth.

Other material studied. Seebenstein Austr. inf., “87. P. Lőw.” det. Schmitz; NHMW.

Distribution. Austria, Hungary, Slovakia (type locality: “Nagysalló, Com. Bars” — now Tekovské Lužany, Slovakia).

Description of the male. Frons shiny yellow, with dark patches around the ocelli. First flagellomere globose, yellowish, with preapical arista. Palps normal in size, yellowish. Only two supra-antennal setae present (Fig. 3). Antials somewhat closer to the lateral margin of frons than to the weak median-saggital furrow. Anterolaterals more caudal to antials and close to eye margin, like mediolaterals. Preocellar setae slightly more caudal than mediolaterals, both preocellars and mediolaterals weaker than antial or anterolateral setae. Thorax yellow, mesopleuron bare. Scutellum with four setae, anterior pair 2/3 as long as the posterior one, both are strong. Scutellum and haltere yellow. Wing venation very close to that of P. pictofasciata. Legs yellow. The fifth foretarsomere longer than the fourth, fore metatarsus only 1.5 times longer than next tarsal segment (Fig. 6). Strong dark palisade on every tarsal segment on their posterior surface. Tergite I yellowish, tergite II to VI brownish, each fading to yellow on its caudal margin. Some setae and several hairs emerge on lateral margin of tergite II. Anal tube yellowish. Apical seta bare.

Notes. All previous citations for Hungary of this species refer to localities out of the present-day borders, therefore the earlier data refer to other countries (Papp 2002). The holotype was deposited in HNHM, but perished in the big fire in 1956 (Földváry & Papp 2007). This species is new to the fauna of Hungary.

Schmitz (1940/41) mentioned P. spectabilis from Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) without any comments. Very likely that record refers to the male specimen I studied from the NHMW.

Notes on affinities of P. pictofasciata and P. spectabilis. In Europe there are only two Phalacrotophora species with four subequal scutellar setae, but there are several more worldwide. Schmitz (1925) noted that they resemble in many features to P. appendicigera Borgmeier, 1924. The Australian P. magnifica Borgmeier, 1962 possesses four subequal scutellar setae and the same ratio of fore tarsus, as with the European species with four subequal scutellar setae. I studied the holotype of Phalacrotophora maculiterga Borgmeier, 1958 from Burma. The characters of this species are intermediate between P. spectabilis and P. pictofasciata. Brown (2004) used Phalacrotophora species for outgroup comparison to define the character states the genus Melaloncha. I found that one of the characters he used — the shape and proportions of anepisternum — distinguishes the species with four from the species with two scutellar setae. This fact apparently confirms Brown’s (2004) supposition that the genus Phalacrotophora is possibly paraphyletic. This species-group is to be characterized as follow:

- four subequal scutellar setae;

- characteristic shape of anepsiternal furrow (see Fig. 7 in Brown 2004);

- ratios of foretarsomeres.

However this group within Phalacrotophora seems to be well defined, to raise it to supraspecific level (e.g. subgenus) is not actual without a world revision of the genus.