Helina franzosternita Xue, 2025

Li, Siyu, Xue, Wanqi, Nihei, Silvio S. & Zhang, Chuntian, 2025, Four new species of Helina Robineau-Desvoidy from far northwestern China (Diptera: Muscidae), Zootaxa 5719 (2), pp. 207-227 : 215-217

Helina franzosternita Xue sp. nov.

( Figs 3–4 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Description. Body length 6.5 mm.

Male. Head. Eyes bare. Frons about 2.5x as wide as anterior ocellus, and about 1.2x as wide as postpedicel, frontal vitta black, significantly wider than fronto-orbital plate; 5–6 pairs of frontal setae on lower 3/5 of frons, without orbital setae, fronto-orbital plate and parafacial with gray white pruinosity, parafacial about 1.2x as wide as postpedicel, gena with gray pruinosity, genal setulae black, genal height about 1/3 of eye height, anterior margin of gena with one row of slightly curved upward setae. Antenna black, postpedicel about 2.5x as long as broad; arista long plumose, the longest hairs about 1.2x as long as postpedicel; epistoma not protruding, vibrissal angle situated behind frontal angle; prementum with weak pruinosity, about 2.2x as long as broad, palpus black, longer than prementum; labellum about 1/2x as long as prementum;

Thorax. Ground colour black, with weak gray pruinosity; scutum with four black vittae, the inner vitta (between acr rows) reaching the middle of the subscutum, scutellum black, with weak gray pruinosity, the lower part of the side with 2–3 setulae, and venter with mostly light-colored ciliae; acr 0+1, dc 2+4, ial 0+2, pra hair-like and short; meron and katepimeron setulosa; notopleuron, prosternum and anepimeron bare; anterior anepisternal seta 1, katepisternal setae 2+2.

Wing. Wing slightly transparent, basal veins faint yellow, apical veins brown, basicosta and tegula brown, costal spine long and strong, subcosta bend in a bow shape, Rs node bare, M straight; middle of dm-cu slightly curved inward; calypters faint yellow, lower calypter tongue-like, halter yellow.

Legs. All black; fore tibia without median p; mid femur without developed av, with complete pv row, 3–4 big and long on basal half, with 2 apical p; mid tibia with 2 p; hind femur with complete av row, without pv, hind tibia with 3 short median av, 3–4 ad, 1 sub-basal pd, without apical pv; all tarsi longer than tibiae; claw and pulvillus long and big, approximate as long as fifth tarsomere.

Abdomen. Ground-colour black, conical in dorsal view, with dense gray pruinosity, without shifting spots, tergites 3 and 4 respective with a pair of dark brown spots; the spots in tergite 3 about 1/4 the length of the tergite, and tergite 4 smaller; tergite 3 posterior marginal setae large on the side, short in the middle, tergites 4 and 5 posterior marginal setae complete and upright, tergite 5 with complete discal setae row and median marginal setae, one row of long discal seta, tergite 5 setae all upright; sternite 1 bare; sternite 5 with long fringes.

Terminalia. Cerci invaginated in pre-apical part, the distal width of the posterior view about 1/2 of the basal width. Surstylus elliptical in shape, and with many hairs. Pregonite approximately equal to the length of postgonite. Postgonite with spines.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Kanas Lake, Bu'erjin Country, Altay Prefecture , 1400–2050 m, 47°42′02N, 86°52′20E, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region , 11.vii.2018, Chuntian Zhang leg. ( SYNU2009658 ) . Paratypes: 2 ♂, same as holotype ( SYNU2009652 , SYNU2009653 ). The specimen SYNU2009652 was dissected for description and illustration of male terminalia .

Etymology. The specific epithet is based on sternite 5 with dense and long fringe of setulae. Greek word “ franz ” means fringe, “ sternita ” means sternite. It is a female noun in the nominative singular.

Distribution. China ( Xinjiang).

Remarks. The new species is similar to H. subsetiventris , but differs from the latter as follows: eye with sparse short ciliae, frons narrower than the distance between posterior ocelli, frontal vitta narrower than fronto-orbital plate; pra about 2/3 the length of posterior notopleural setae, mid femur with ad row, which become shorter and thinner toward the apex; mid tibia with 3 p; hind femur with pv on apical 1/4.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Helina franzosternita Xue sp. nov., male. A–B. Dorsal and lateral habitus. C. Head in anterior view. D. Sternite 5. E. Cerci in posterior view. F. Terminalia, pregonite and postgonite. Scale bars: A–C, 1 mm; D–F, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Helina franzosternita Xue sp. nov., male. A. Abdomen in dorsal view. B. Sternite 5. C. Cerci in posterior view. D. Epandrium, cercus and surstylus in lateral view. E. Terminalia. F. Pregonite and postgonite. Scale bars: A, 1 mm; B–F, 0.1 mm.