A New Species of Phora (Diptera: Phoridae) from IrelandAuthor(s): R. H. L. DisneySource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 20, No. 10 (Apr., 1982), pp. 424-425Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25538601 .

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424 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 20 No. 10 1982

A NEW SPECIES OF PHORA (DIPTERA: PHORIDAE) FROM IRELAND

R. H. L. Disney

Malham Tarn Field Centre, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 9PU

Amongst some scuttle flies collected in a malaise trap in a garden in Ireland by Dr M.

CD. Speight is a single male Phora Latreille. Examination of the hypopygium, on a

slide-mount of the specimen, revealed it to be a new species. It is described below.

Phora speighti sp. nov. (Figs. 1-3.)

Only <J known. Head: with relatively broad, more-or-less parallel-sided, frons (fig. 1). The 14 robust

hairs clearly weaker and shorter than the bristles, which comprise a pair of

supra-antennals and 2+2+4 bristles (fig. 1). Antennae and palps dark brown to

black.

Hypopygium: with left side of epandrium not divided into an upper and lower lobe (fig. 2). Right side of epandrium with relatively narrow process with a distinctly convex distal margin (fig. 3). Left side of hypandrium ending in a relatively short, upturned process (fig. 2). Upturned process of right side of hypandrium (fig. 3) brown and broader than in P. atra (Meigen) but narrower than in P. obscura (Zetterstedt).

Legs: dark brown to black apart from brownish yellow fore tibia and metatarsus. Hind tibia with a single anterior bristle in upper half. Mid tibia with a single anterior bristle in upper half and 5 longer dorsal bristles evenly spaced along upper two-thirds.

Wing: 2.77 mm long. Membrane distinctly tinted brownish, especially basally. Costal index0.583. Costal ratios 0.82 : 1. Costal cilia0.10?0.1 lmm on costal section 2. 5 bristles on axillary ridge.

Holotype: <J, Eire. Near Dublin (O 1627), 12-18 July 1981. Coll. M. C. D. Speight. In my collection.

In the keys to the palaearctic species of Phora given by Schmitz (1953 1955) P.

speighti runs to triplet 8 on page 328. The form of the process of the right side of the

epandrium immediately distinguishes P. speighti from P. hamata Schmitz and P. obscura. The undivided left side of the epandrium prevents further progress in Schmitz's Key.

Having discovered specimens of P. tincta Schmitz and/*, obscura with 2 instead of the usual single anterior bristle on the mid tibia it is conceivable that the same variation may occur in/*, speighti. Allowing for this possibility P. speighti can be keyed to couplet 8 on

page 318 of Schmitz's Key. The relatively broad, more-or-less parallel-sided frons

immediately distinguishes P. speighti from P. cilicrus Schmitz. The form of the

hypandrium and epandrium immediately distinguish P. speighti from P. stictica Meigen (figs. 175 and 176 in Schmitz, 1955).

The discovery that the tibial bristle characters, used as major diagnostic characters in Schmitz's Keys, are variable is derived from a careful study of slidemounts of the

hypopygia of a large series ofPhora specimens. Having now prepared an atlas of hypopygia drawings (as figs 2 and 3) for the British species oi Phora I have been led to revise some of

my earlier identifications of this difficult genus. Two published records requiring amendment are the specimen of* 'P. edentata Schmitz*' reported visiting an umbel (Disney 1980), which is now recognised as P. tincta. Likewise a specimen of P. aterrima

(Fabricius) (now called P. atra (Meigen)) recorded from Crianlarich (Disney and Irwin

1978) is also now recognised as P. tincta.

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 20 No. 10 1982 425

Figure 1. Phora speighti sp.oov. Irons of Figures 2-3. Phora speighti sp.nov. male male with bristles and hairs hypopygium viewed from left omitted (Scale line = 0.1 mm). side (fig. 2) and from right side

(fig. 3). (Scale lines = 0.1 mm).

Acknowledgements

I am graceful to the Royal Society for grants to further my studies of Phoridae.

REFERENCES

Disney, R. H. L. (1980) Records of flower visiting by scuttleflies (Diptera: Phoridae) in the British Isles. Naturalist, Hull 105: 45-50.

Disney, R. H. L. and Irwin, A. G. (1978) Some scuttleflies (Diptera. Phoridae) from Scotland. Glasg. Nat. 19: 377-383.

Schmitz, H. (1953) in Lindner, E. (Ed. )Die Fliegen derpalaearktischen Region 33. Phoridae Lief. 171:273-320.

-(1955) ditto. Lief. 18* 321-368.

TRACE METAL ANALYSIS OF SURHCIAL SEDIMENTS FROM BELFAST LOUGH

N. Manga, W. Hanvey, W. Byers and J. Brown

School of Environmental Sciences, Ulster Polytechnic, Shore Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

The release of heavy metals into the environment is, at present, causing great concern.

Aquatic ecosystems receiving industrial and domestic wastes over a period of years have shown a decline in species diversity (Mathis and Cummings 1973). It is well established that of the three main reservoirs for metals in the marine environment (water, sediment, biota) the major "trap" is sediment (Yim 1976, Greig et al. 1977, Jones and Jordan 1979).

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