Pseudocleitamia lagarosia (Hendel, 1914) (Diptera: Platystomatidae)

Hendel (1914) described Pseudepicausta lagarosia. With respect to the foreleg of the male, he noted: Vorderschenkel des male ventral mit lanzettförmigen Borsten besetzt [foreleg of male ventrally with lanceolate bristles]. Malloch (1939) described the new genus Pseudocleitamia for the new species Pseudocleitamia setigera. D. K. McAlpine (2001, Rec. Aust. Mus. 53(2):113–199) proposed that Hendel’s species be transferred to Malloch’s genus together with Walker’s (1859) species Dacus pompiloides. The three species of Pseudocleitamia—P. pompiloides, P. lagarosia, and P. setigera—are known only from New Guinea and the Aru Islands. Only P. lagarosia males have lanceolate setae (Fig. 2) on the foreleg. The images of Pseudocleitamia lagarosia (Hendel, 1914) presented here (Figs 1, 2) are of a specimen with label-data: “PNG Wanang3, 175 m | -5.2277° 145.0797° Malaise | 28–29.xi.2012 | IBISCA Niugini P4910 [vial number 18472] | Coll. by Gewa, Damag, Novotny, Leponce” sampled during the Our Planet Reviewed—Papua New Guinea (Mt Wilhelm 2012–2013) IBISCA expedition.

In his review of the Australasian genera of Signal Flies (Diptera: Platystomatidae) McAlpine (2001:126) provided a key to genera, couplet 40 identifies Pseudocleitamia—First basal cell at least as wide as combined width of second basal and anal cells; posterodistal angle of discal cell acute [= basal radial cell at least as wide as combined width of basal medial and anterior cubital cells; posterodistal angle of discal medial cell acute], see labelled wing in Figs 3–5 which are based on Hendel’s (1914) figure 121 (sourced online from Biodiversity Heritage Library). 

The function of the lanceolate setae shown here is unknown.