Silba

Genus Silba View in CoL

Note 66. Silba adipata . According to McAlpine (1956b: 526) “The holotype, allotype, and one paratype are in Dr. Sacca’s collection (now held in the Sapienza University of Rome ), three paratypes are in the British Museum (Natural History) and two are in the Canadian National Collection at Ottawa, type number 6273”.

Note 67. Silba albisquama . The holotype is a female but McAlpine (1970: 447) associated and described a male specimen from Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen, New Guinea, which had been determined by Kertész as albisquama .

Note 68. Silba apodesma . Listed as occurring in Madagascar by McAlpine (1980: 632). At that time S. apodesma was the only known member of the Silba admirabilis species-group known from the Afrotropical Region. In the review of the species-group, MacGowan (2015: 525) described S. spiculata from several localities in Madagascar. Subsequently MacGowan (2019: 236) stated that “It is very likely that the previous records of S. apodesma from Madagascar actually relate to the rather similar S. spiculata and as a result S. apodesma is removed from the Madagascar checklist”.

Note 69. Silba arcana . Described from a female holotype, according to McAlpine (1960: 369) the allotype is a headless male.

Note 70. Silba atratula . McAlpine (1956: 533) stated “According to Dr. J. R. Vockeroth, there are four specimens in the British Museum (BMNH) standing under the name L. atratula Wlk. , none of which bear Walker’s type label”. However, McAlpine (1975b: 998) indicated that the holotype was in the BMNH and listed the data labels on the specimen pin. He also stated that he added a further label to indicate that this specimen is the holotype – whether this actually constituted a lectotype designation is unclear. McAlpine (1975b: 998) also stated that Walker (1860a: 146) misidentified the sex of the holotype in the original description and that the specimen is in fact a male.

Note 71. Silba calva . The holotype is a female but McAlpine (1956b: 534) described and illustrated the terminalia of a male from southern India which he considered to be conspecific. Records from Fiji by Bezzi (1928: 99) were removed by MacGowan (2014c: 549).

Note 72. Silba citricola . Bezzi (1920: 207) stated “described from the Philippines (Los Baños), also two males from Darwin, Northern Territories, Australia. Fay & MacGowan (2022: 115) stated “specimens of Silba citricola ( Bezzi, 1913) recorded by Bezzi 1920: 207 as Lonchaea citricola Bezzi, 1913 from Darwin, Northern Territory have, on further examination by IM, proved to represent specimens of Silba septuosa ”.

Pitkin (1989: 478) listed S. citricola as occurring in Australia, from the Northern Territories and in Queensland. The Northern Territories record is discussed above and I can find no record of Queensland specimens. As a result, it is considered that S. citricola is not a confirmed Australian species.

Note 73. Silba consentanea . According to Bezzi (1920: 204) (footnote) Lonchaea = Silba consentanea, Walker 1860a: 146 , from Macassar, Indonesia is described as having white halteres and thus cannot be a member of the Lonchaeidae . However, S. consentanea is referred to by Kertész (1901: 84), is included in the key to the Silba abstata species-group by McAlpine (1975b: 1003) and is listed by Pitkin (1989: 478). The holotype female, which is in poor condition, is in the British Museum Natural History. I have examined photographs of the specimen and the halteres, although having a pale stem, have a darkened knob. However, without an associated male it is not possible at present to know if any other described Silba species might be a junior synonym of S. consentanea .

Note 74. Silba devians . This is the only Silba species known from the Neotropics and indeed the only Silba species known from the Americas apart from the introduced Silba fumosa . It was placed in the genus Neosilba in the species key of McAlpine (1962) but subsequently returned to the genus Silba by McAlpine & Steyskal (1982). Further research is required to establish whether it is possibly an aberrant Neosilba species or perhaps even an introduced of a Silba species from the Old World.

Note 75. Silba eximia . This is a very unusual lonchaeid, in describing the holotype McAlpine (1964b: 706) stated that “at first glance this unusual specimen might be interpreted as being teneral or otherwise abnormal. However, close inspection affirms that it is extremely well formed in every way; the entire integument appears perfectly tanned and hardened. If normal, the pale colour of the legs, pleura, and halteres is uniquely different from any other species in this family”. This species is still only known from the female holotype captured in 1958. Until further material including attributed males are obtained the status of this species must remain somewhat uncertain.

Note 76. The holotype male of Silba nigritella has had the terminalia carefully removed leaving the abdomen almost complete. Fragments of the terminalia are mounted in Canada balsam on a separate microscope slide. In this condition it is difficult to obtain an overall impression of the shape of the genitalia and the phallus is not evident or perhaps missing.

Note 77. Silba pallicarpa . Originally described from a single female captured in the Philippines ( Bezzi, 1920; 208). The type description makes it evident that, with partly pale tarsomeres, this species is a member of the S. admirabilis species-group but without an associated male its identity remains unclear. The characters identified in the holotype description; entirely bare scutellar margin, antennal postpedicel black apart from being “a little brownish along the inner border”, plumosity of arista as wide as the depth of the first antennal flagellomere and wings with diverging third and fourth veins, may be an aid in determining the corresponding male. This description does not immediately associate it with other members of the S. admirabilis species-group which are found in the region ( MacGowan 2015: 532).

Note 78. Silba perplexa . Described from a female holotype with associated male, described and illustrated by McAlpine (1956b: 538 Figs. 36, 37, 45) as a junior synonym Silba filifera ( Bezzi, 1913) .

Note 79. Silba setifera . McAlpine (1975b: 1004) stated “the occurrence of setifera on Taiwan ( Hennig 1941) is doubtful. Specimens in the Hungarian National Museum and in the Canadian National Collection from the same localities as those listed by Hennig belong to Silba srilanka McAlpine, 1975 . I have not seen any representatives of setifera from Formosa (= Taiwan)”.

MacGowan (2014c: 551) stated “McAlpine (1975) in a general statement on wider distribution listed S. setifera as occurring in Fiji. No further data was presented. Pitkin (1989) apparently followed McAlpine in his listing of this species from Fiji. I have not seen specimens of this species in the Terrestrial Arthropod Survey of Fiji material or in museum collections. I would propose that, until a definite specimen from Fiji is located, that this name is removed from the Fiji checklist”.

Note 80. Silba taciturna . Described from a single female specimen. I can find no further reference to this species apart from by McAlpine (1975b: 1000) who stated that it is related to Silba cupraria (de Meijere, 1910) but provided no further details or information.

Note 81. Silba ungulifera . According to McAlpine (1964a: 710) the holotype is deposited in Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris. However, MacGowan (2019: 240) reported that the holotype specimen could not be located in Paris. The holotype does appear on the Canadian National Collection database and was possibly on loan to McAlpine but never returned.

Note 82. At the time of publication of this catalogue type material of these species belonging to ZIN is temporarily on loan in the collections of ZMUM ( Nartshuk, 2021). The published list of type material in ZMUM ( Ozerov, 2010) does not make this situation clear.

Note 83. Despite making enquiries with Argentinian institutions, I have not been able to identify the location of the type material of these species. Blanchard (1948: 172) stated that specimens of Lonchaea crossi were taken at the Estación Experimental Tucumán. However, Emilia Perez, of the successor institution to the Estación Experimental Tucumán - the Miguel Lillo Foundation, Tucumán, has told me that the type is not in their collections.

Note 84. Evenhuis et al. (2015: 35) stated that “Townsend’s collections are found in an array of depositories. The early Diptera collections made by Townsend (up to 1894) were deposited in the University of Kansas. Some Californian collections made in 1895 were deposited in the California Academy of Sciences but were destroyed in the earthquake and fire of 1906.”