Milichiella aethiops
Reared from wild tuber and cactus.
Differs from other members of the aethiops-group in the shiny black mesonotum.
Male coloration and vestiture: frons subshiny to shiny black, ocellar triangle subshiny, orbital plates shiny black, lunule brown, basoflagellomere black, face silvery grey microtomentose, palpus black; thorax with mesonotum shiny black, scutellum and pleura slightly brown microtomentose, except for shiny spot on an- and katepisternum, wing hyaline, veins yellow, brown spot at tip of vein R1 absent, calypter white, halter black, legs black; abdomen with T2-4 brown microtomentose except for shiny posterolateral corners, T5 shiny black except for microtomentose anterior margin. Female coloration and vestiture: face brown, halter yellow, abdomen with T2-4 brown microtomentose, T5 shiny.
Morphology. Head: frons with 2 orbital and 2+0.6+0.6 frontal setae, middle frontal seta medioreclinate. In males frons 1.8x as wide at posterior margin than at base of antenna, arista about 3.1x as long as basoflagellomere wide, pubescence on arista very short, posterior eye margin without notch, gradually separating from head margin ventrally.
Thorax: 2 (var.: 3+1) dc, 1 prsc, 1 pprn, 1+0.7 prs and row of short setae, 2+0.8 keps setae, posterior prsc about as long as posterior dc, seta between posterior prsc and posterior dc present. Wing with vein R4+5 and M1 converging (1.7-2.7), and ultimate section of vein M1 2.2x as long as penultimate section. Fore femur normal setulose, tibial organ absent.
Male abdomen: posteromedial triangular projection of T1 into T2 weak. Tergal chaetotaxy: T2 anterolateral corner with more than 3 lines of setae, T2-5 setulose. S5 about 1.2x as long as wide, 1.4x as long and 0.9x as wide as S4, roughly rectangular with posterior margin indented, posterior 3/4 setulose. Male genitalia with apical seta on cercus as long as longest epandrial seta, 1 seta on subepandrial plate, surstylus 0.7x as long as epandrium high, slightly dilated posteroapically (1.4x), 2.5x as long as wide, structure of lateral surface smooth, medial surface without setulae but with relatively strong sensilla along margin, except for bare posteroapical part.
Special characters: one shorter prs anterior to main prs.
Body length: 2.5 mm; wing length: 2.4 mm.
Milichiella aethiops belongs to the aethiops-group. Species in the aethiops-group are characterized by posterior orbital seta absent, lower frontal seta medioreclinate, posterior eye margin without notch but gradually separating from head margin ventrally, abdominal triangle absent or weak, male T2-4 brown microtomentose with or without shiny posterolateral corners, T5 usually brown microtomentose with shiny tip, S5 roughly rectangular.
Nearctic
Collected in dry stream beds and in Malaise traps.