Phortica (Ashima) mediarista Chen

Chen, Hongwei & Máca, Jan, 2012, Ten new species of the genus Phortica from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Zootaxa 3478, pp. 493-509 : 496-497

Phortica (Ashima) mediarista Chen , sp. nov.

( Figs 8–10 )

Diagnosis. This species differs from the other Ashima species by having the arista both with dorsal and ventral long branches and with apical expansion; however, it is slightly similar to P. tanabei Chen & Toda in Chen et al., 2005 from China, Myanmar and Malaysia in the aedeagus bearing prickly sclerites and numerous, small triangular processes (in P. tanabei : aedeagal median rod apically hooked, somewhat like anchor).

Description. Frons brownish, with thick and dense interfrontal setae. Pedicel and first flagellomere yellowish. Face brown, with yellowish white patches on lower corners. Clypeus medially white, laterally black. Thorax and scutellum orange brown. Legs yellow, with neither submedial, dark spots on femora nor dark rings on tibiae; fifth tarsomere of foreleg with long seta apically (see Fig. 1 D in Cao et al., 2011). Abdominal third to fifth sternites broadened, shorter than wide, with several long setae laterally; sixth sternite without long setae laterally. Male terminalia: Surstylus with several setae, pubescence and ca. 10 prensisetae on ventral margin to inner surface ( Fig. 9 ). Paramere weakly sclerotized and smooth apically, with 2 sensilla subbasally ( Fig. 10 ). Aegeagus lacking median rod ( Fig. 10 ).

Measurements. BL = 3.44 mm, ThL = 1.56 mm, WL = 2.50 mm, WW = 1.25 mm, arb = 6-7/6-7, avd = 0.80, adf = 1.20, flw = 1.20, FW/HW = 0.38, ch/o = 0.06, prorb = 1.20, rcorb = 0.65, vb = 0.40, dcl = 0.50, presctl = 0.60, sctl = 1.10, sterno = 0.90, orbito = 1.80, dcp = 0.20, sctlp = 1.20, C = 2.11, 4c = 1.64, 4v = 3.09, 5x = 0.75, ac = 3.60, M = 0.73, C3F = 0.68.

Type material. Holotype 3 ( SEHU), MALAYSIA: Mahua, Crocker Range, Sabah, 16.x.1999, MJ Toda.

Distribution. Malaysia (Sabah).

Etymology. A combination of the Latin words: medius + arista, referring to the arista expanded apically and with dorsal and ventral branches.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 10. Phortica (Ashima) mediarista Chen, sp. nov., male terminalia: 8. Epandrium, cercus and surstylus (lateral view); 9. surstylus (inner view); 10. hypandrium, paramere, gonopods, aedeagus and aedeagal apodeme (lateral view).

FIGURES 1 – 3. Phortica (Allophortica) chingolaensis Chen & Máca, sp. nov., male terminalia: 1. Epandrium (epand) and cercus (cerc) (lateral view); 2. surstylus (ventral view); 3. hypandrium (hypd), paramere (pm), gonopods (gon), aedeagal median rod (aed) and aedeagal apodeme (aed a) (lateral view) (all scale lines = 0.1 mm through this paper).