Thornburghiella veve Oboňa & Ježek, 2017

Oboňa, Jozef, Ježek, Jan & Manko, Peter, 2017, A new Palaearctic Thornburghiella from Transcaucasia (Diptera: Psychodidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 57 (1), pp. 205-214 : 207-213

Thornburghiella veve Oboňa & Ježek sp. nov.

( Figs 1–18 )

Type locality. Armenia, the Small Caucasus , eastern slopes of the Bazum Mountain ridge ; small, steep brook (0.3–1 m wide, 0.01–0.15 m deep) in a relatively dry landscape, stony substrate with depositions of fine particulate organic matter, surrounded by woody and herbaceous vegetation ( Fig. 19 ). GPS coordinates 40°56′52.7″N, 44°37′37.2″E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, Armenia, Lori Province near Dzoraget village, tributary of the Pambak River at the H24 road serpentine ( Fig. 19 ), 1030 m a.s.l., 1.ix.2015, SW, J. Oboňa, P. Manko & Ľ. Hrivniak leg. Slide with a dissected specimen, Cat. No. 34708, Inv. No. 22620 ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 2 JJ (slides, NMPC): The same locality, date and collectors, Cat. No. 34709–34710, Inv. No. 22621–22622 ( NMPC). All material J. Oboňa, P. Manko & Ľ. Hrivniak leg. (by sweep netting).

Description. Male. Head as long as broad (measured without mouth parts, Fig. 1 ); vertex conically inflated dorsally, with numerous setae alveoli almost regularly spaced over its entire surface. Eyes separated ( Figs 1 , 7 ); interocular suture conspicuously sclerotized, inverted V-shaped, sclerotized parts gradually tapering from eyes to median, but not fused medially; the suture is framed by triangular outline with concave ventral margin, extended dorsally to lanceolate apex ( Fig. 7 ); eye bridge formed generally by six facet rows, numbers of facets in more dorsal rows are lower, with dorsal margins of eyes undulated; minimum distance between eyes corresponds roughly to three facet diameters; index of distance from tangential points of eye apices to minimum of frons 8.6, to facet diameter 26.9. Setae alveoli of frontoclypeus arranged in triangular, centrally placed patch near base of antennae, tapering to irregularly arranged and interrupted dorsoventral stripe of hairs below frontal suture ( Figs 1 , 7 ). Antenna with 15 articles; scape almost cylindrical ( Fig. 2 ), 2.5 times as long as its maximum width, narrowed at base, somewhat widened apically, with two tapering lobes to which pedicel is jointed; pedicel almost globular, slightly asymmetrical. Flagellomere 1 pear-shaped (as long as three following flagellomeres together), with flagellomere 2 inserted at mid length, with pointed protuberance extending beyond flagellomere 2; postpedicel with six conspicuous, strong bristles arranged in row, inserted in longitudinal axis ( Figs 2, 3 ); scape and pedicel with stiletto-shaped scales in contrast to needle-shaped macrosetae of flagellomeres ( Fig. 4 ); flagellomeres 2–14 ovoid, apical flagellomere twice length of previous one, with conical apiculus in longitudinal axis; ascoids almost straight, needle-shaped, paired, 1.2 times as long as flagellomeres in which they are inserted. Mouthparts extending beyond basal palp segments; length ratio of maxillary palp segments 1.0: 1.6: 1.5: 1.6; apical segment annulated ( Fig. 5 ); terminal labial lobes ( Fig. 8 ) without rows of spines; ratio of maximum length of cibarium ( Fig. 12 ) to length of epipharynx 2: 1.

Thorax ( Figs 13, 14 ) with mesothoracic allurement protuberance ovoid, almost flattened, with dense insertions of hairs; with thoracic spiracle inserted anteriorly; spiracle shape reminiscent of savoie biscuit ( Fig. 13 ). Prothoracic allurement organ (patagium, Fig. 13 ) almost globular, approximately of the same size as spiracle. Anepisternum with triangular setose patch ( Fig. 14 ). Wings ( Fig. 9 ) 3.5 mm long (holotype and both paratypes), well sclerotized, widely lancet-shaped, not enlarged in anal and humeral areas, with rounded apex, slightly clouded by brownish shade; wing membrane bare, mostly without infuscation except for inconspicuous spots at apices of R

1

, R

2

, R

3

, M

1

, M

2

, M

3

, CuA

1,

and CuA

2

; medial fork (put back to basal wing cell) incomplete, placed proximally to radial one (BCD 142°, Fig. 9 ); basal costal nodes distinct, Sc strengthened and thickened on both ends, slightly bent and narrowed at mid-length; the following veins or their parts strengthened: R 1 nearly entire (not in a basal part), R 2, whole R 5 and parts of veins of prolonged basal cell, CuA 1 and CuA 2 for entire length with some differences (the first vein additionally with a thickened basis, half of the second vein conspicuously thickened in contrast to the rest); M 3 and CuA 2 without connection on CuA 1; R 5 extending distally to reach wing margin behind apex of wing; wing index 2.4. Halteres ( Fig. 6 ) spatula-shaped, asymmetrical, with prolonged stem; setae on haltere lance-shaped, thin; ratio of maximum length of halteres to their maximum width approximately 2.8: 1. Ratios of lengths of femora, tibiae and first tarsal segments: P 1 2.3: 2.4: 1.0, P 2 2.4: 2.8: 1.3, P 3 2.7: 3.3: 1.3; paired tarsal claws of P 1 ( Fig. 10 ) twice pointed (medial point is rudimentary, not conspicuous) and curved distad.

Aedeagal complex ( Figs 11 , 17 ) with smooth surface exteriorly (only small distal part is inconspicuously wrinkled), almost oval in dorsal view with apical cleft ( Fig. 11 ), compressed in lateral view ( Fig. 17 ); internal aedeagal structure with T-shaped sclerite proximally and pair of ligaments fused medially ( Fig. 11 ), ended by paired sclerotized ribs proximally and distally. Ejaculatory apodeme spatula-shaped, almost circular proximally, tapering in middle and divided distally ( Fig. 11 ); apodeme not quite straight in lateral view, narrow ( Fig. 17 ). Gonocoxites almost cylindrical, only slightly inflatedat mid-length ( Figs 11 , 18 ), 1.2 times as long as gonostyli, both parts haired. Gonostyli slightly sinuous in dorsal view, bulky basally, tapering to apex, with apical ¼ bifurcated ( Figs 11 , 18 ). Epandrium ( Figs 15, 16 ) not bare (see two divided areas of insertions of hairs distally), with posterior margin emarginate; basal, paired apertures conspicuous, separated, with irregular margins; ventral epandrial plate almost entirely reduced ( Fig. 15 ), equilateral triangular, only inconspicuously marked in a rough outline. Hypandrium narrow, slightly lengthened at median, bare ( Fig. 11 ). Epiproct inconspicuous, setose, almost rhomboidal; hypoproct conspicuous, setose, tongue-shaped, rounded apically ( Figs 15, 16 ). Surstyli approximatelly C-shaped in lateral view ( Fig. 16 ), almost straight in dorsal view ( Fig. 15 ), widened in basal two thirds, divergent in dorsal view, 1.6 times as long as epandrium, without apices bifurcated, subapically with cluster of 9 – 11 tenacula inserted; tenacula gradually shortening in length from those inserted more basally to those inserted more apically ( Fig. 16 ), with their apices pointed, not frayed; longest tenacula twice as long as diameter of surstylus (as measured exactly below the cluster of tenacula).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Important diagnostic characters of five species from Transcaucasia, Asia Minor and Central Asia, are compared in the Table 1. This includes Thornburghiella jankai Ježek, 1992 from Turkey, Anatolia; T. kovari Ježek, 1993 from Tajikistan; T. navoii from Kazakhstan; T. umbrosa Ježek, 1992 from Uzbekistan, and T. veve sp. nov. from Armenia. Selected diagnostic characters detailed in the table are as follows: shape of flagellomere 1 and number of bristles, wing angle (BCD), patterns of wing membrane, aedeagal structures, shape of ventral plate of epandrium, and number and shape of tenacula.

Etymology. The new species name is dedicated to the daughter of the first author, whose nickname Veve is derived from her name Veronika; noun in apposition.

Biology. Unknown. Adults were collected near a small tributary of a mountain river, at an elevation greater than 1000 m.

Distribution. Currently recorded only from Armenia.

Figures

Figs 1–6. Thornburghiella veve Oboňa & Ježek sp. nov., male. 1 – head, frontal view; 2 – scape, pedicel and flagellomeres 1–4; 3 – flagellomere 1, dorsal view (some bristles omitted); 4 – apical flagellomeres; 5 – maxilla and palpus maxillaris; 6 – haltere, lateral view. Scale: 1, 5, 6 = 0.2 mm; 2–4 = 0.1 mm.

Figs 7–11. Thornburghiella veve Oboňa & Ježek sp. nov., male.7 – frons and facets in detail, frontal view;8 – terminal lobes of labium; 9 – wing; 10 – tarsal claw of P1, lateral and diagonal views; 11 – aedegal complex, hypandrium and gonopod, dorsal view. Scale: 9 = 1 mm; 8 = 0.2 mm; 7, 10, 11 = 0.1 mm.

Figs 12–18. Thornburghiella veve Oboňa & Ježek sp. nov., male. 12 – cibarium, labrum and epipharynx, dorsal view; 13 – patagium, thoracic spiracle and adjacent sclerites, lateral view; 14 – pteropleurite and insertion of haltere, lateral view; 15 – epandrium and surstyli, dorsal view; 16 – epandrium and surstyli, lateral view; 17 – aedeagal complex, lateral view (ejaculatory apodeme is broken); 18 – gonocoxite and gonostyle, lateral view. Scale: 13 = 0.5 mm; 12, 14 = 0.2 mm; 15–18 = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 19. Photographs of the landscape (left) and detailed view (right) of the type locality of Thornburghiella veve Oboňa & Ježek sp. nov. Photo by P. Manko.