Melaloncha

Female Melaloncha punctifrons, photographed by Brian V. Brown.

Belongs within: Metopininae.

Melaloncha is a Neotropical genus of scuttle flies with larvae that are endoparasitoids of bees. Females have the abdominal segment 7 sclerotised and the following segments modified into a sharp stylet to form a piercing ovipositor.

Characters (from Brown 2004): Frons narrow. Supra-antennal setae absent. Fore femur with posterodorsal seta near apex. Apical tarsomere of fore leg lacking claws in male. Hind femur with erect dorsal setae. Mid and hind tibia with irregular, sinuous rows of enlarged setulae anterodorsally. Tergites and often thorax of most species with silver pollinosity. Female abdominal segment 7 completely sclerotised, forming a parasitic type ovipositor. Intersegment 7-8 modified, with sclerotisation of various forms. Posterior segments 9-10 of female abdomen forming a sharp, pointed, piercing stylet. Male with subepandrial plate with long, posterolateral lobes; aedeagus extremely elongate.

<==Melaloncha Brues 1904 [=Melanoloncha (l. c.)] B04
    |  i. s.: M. elongata BW09
    |--M. (Melaloncha) B04
    |    |--*M. (M.) pulchella B04
    |    |--M. (M.) cuspidata B04
    |    |--M. (M.) digitalis B04
    |    |--M. (M.) flava B04
    |    |--M. (M.) plaumanni B04
    |    |--M. (M.) punctifrons B04
    |    `--+--M. (M.) clavata B04
    |       |--M. (M.) hyalinipennis B04
    |       |--M. (M.) maculata B04
    |       |--M. (M.) palpalis B04
    |       |--M. (M.) sinistra B04
    |       |--M. (M.) striatula B04
    |       |--M. (M.) stylata B04
    |       |--+--M. (M.) cingulatus B04
    |       |  `--M. (M.) lamellata B04
    |       |--+--M. (M.) furcata B04
    |       |  `--M. (M.) obscurella B04
    |       `--+--M. (M.) nigrifrons B04
    |          |--M. (M.) nigrita B04
    |          `--+--M. (M.) genitalis B04
    |             |--M. (M.) glabrifrons B04
    |             `--M. (M.) ungulata B04
    `--M. (Udamochiras Enderlein 1912) B04
         |--M. (U.) flavilata Brown 2004 B04
         |--+--M. (U.) brevicarina Brown 2004 B04
         |  |--M. (U.) carinata Brown 2004 B04
         |  `--M. (U.) premordica Brown 2004 B04
         `--+--M. (U.) angustifrons Brown 2004 B04
            |--+--M. (U.) trua Brown 2004 B04
            |  `--+--M. (*U.) colossia (Enderlein 1912) [=*Udamochiras colossia] B04
            |     |--M. (U.) rhampha Brown 2004 B04
            |     |--M. (U.) rostrata Brown 2004 B04
            |     `--M. (U.) valeria Brown 2004 B04
            `--+--M. (U.) anaticula Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) apicula Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) basella Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) biseta Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) compressicauda Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) deinocerca Borgmeier 1960 B04
               |--M. (U.) exigua Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) falcata Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) hansoni Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) hirticauda Borgmeier 1934 B04
               |--M. (U.) lobata Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) maculifrons Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) nigricorpus Borgmeier 1934 B04
               |--M. (U.) parkeri Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) piliapex Borgmeier 1938 B04
               |--M. (U.) ronnai Borgmeier 1935 [incl. Phora apum Amerling 1862 (n. n.)] B04
               |--M. (U.) rubricornis Borgmeier 1924 B04
               |--M. (U.) simillima Borgmeier 1938 B04
               |--M. (U.) sinuosa Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) triangularis Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) villosa Brown 2004 B04
               |--M. (U.) woodi Brown 2004 B04
               |--+--M. (U.) aprica Brown 2004 B04
               |  `--M. (U.) paxilla Brown 2004 B04
               |--+--M. (U.) individa Brown 2004 B04
               |  `--M. (U.) rhypopoda Brown 2004 B04
               |--+--M. (U.) horologia Brown 2004 B04
               |  `--+--M. (U.) spatula Brown 2004 B04
               |     `--M. (U.) vargasi Brown 2004 B04
               `--+--M. (U.) spicula Brown 2004 B04
                  `--+--M. (U.) hamata Brown 2004 B04
                     `--M. (U.) mexicana Borgmeier 1971 B04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B04] Brown, B. V. 2004. Revision of the subgenus Udamochiras of Melaloncha bee-killing flies (Diptera: Phoridae: Metopininae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 140: 1–42.

[BW09] Buck, M., N. E. Woodley, A. Borkent, D. M. Wood, T. Pape, J. R. Vockeroth, V. Michelsen & S. A. Marshall. 2009. Key to Diptera families—adults. In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 95–156. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

Last updated: 7 June 2018.