Megaselia labiata : Borgmeier 1967

Megaselia labiata Borgmeier, 1967

Megaselia labiata: Borgmeier 1967: 420.

Megaselia termitomyca Disney, 1989: 46. Syn. n.

This species was described from the Congo, where it was associated with termites (Borgmeier 1967). Having been described after Beyer’s (1965) keys, it was included in Borgmeier’s (1968) catalogue. However, many of Beyer’s species were omitted from this catalogue as Beyer declined to send Borgmeier a copy of his 1965 monograph. This was because Beyer had been upset by Borgmeier’s criticisms of his work. Beyer’s monograph only became known to Borgmeier in March 1969 when it was abstracted by the Zoological Record (Borgmeier 1971). Consequently Borgmeier was unable to indicate how M. labiata runs down in Beyer’s keys. It was only when RHLD belatedly annotated these 1965 keys to include subsequently described species that it revealed M. termitomyca to be a synonym of M. labiata. This species is not covered by any key. In Beyer’s (1965) keys both sexes run to couplet 19 on page 54. The male runs to lead 2, to M. nigricauda Beyer, 1965, but is immediately distinguished by its enlarged labella of the proboscis (Borgmeier 1967: fig. 2). The female of M. labiata fits neither option in couplet 19, as the thorax is too pale for lead 2 and the frons too wide for lead 1.

It was previously reared from the stipes of Termitomyces sp. in Zaria, Nigeria (Disney 1989).

Material examined: 2♂ 2♀ (2♂) Kpessou, ex Termitomyces medius R. Heim & Grassé (TU116021), 30.vi, emerged 10.vii (42-10).

Published as part of Disney, R. Henry L., Kurina, Olavi, Tedersoo, Leho & Cakpo, Yvonne, 2013, Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) reared from fungi in Benin, pp. 357 in African Invertebrates 54 (2) on page 366, DOI: 10.5733/afin.054.0204, http://zenodo.org/record/79…