Antocha (Antocha) nebulipennis immaculata Alexander, 1938

Markevičiūtė, Radvilė, Podenas, Sigitas, Saldaitis, Aidas & Bernotienė, Rasa, 2019, A new species of Antocha Osten Sacken, 1860 (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Sichuan China, Zootaxa 4661 (1), pp. 118-132 : 127-129

Antocha (Antocha) nebulipennis immaculata Alexander, 1938

( Figs 15 , 37–43 )

Antocha (Antocha) nebulipennis immaculata Alexander, 1938a: 319 (description); 1963: 337.

Diagnosis. Medium sized, brownish-gray species with light brownish-white wing, pterostigma light brown, caudal margin of tergite 9 with two rounded projections, gonocoxite irregular oval-shaped, without extra lobe, outer gono- stylus blackened with narrow apex.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE, male (slide mounted): W. China, Mupin, Szechwan, 3500 m, VI– 30–1929, D.C. Graham ( USNM) . Metatype, male (slide mounted), W. China, Kina, Kansu, Kung-tze-tagpa Zalok Valley , Min-shan, 3000 m, VII–20, 1930, D. Hummel ( USNM).

Additional material examined. 1 male (in ethanol): China, W. Sichuan, road Ya’an / Kangding, Erlang Shan Mt. , altitude 2100 m, N29°52.391′, E102°18.593′, 2010.IV.10–11, coll. A. Saldaitis ( NRC).

Redescription. Adult, male (N= 3). General body colour brownish-gray, abdomen brownish-gray. Body length 6.1 mm. Wing length 8.1 mm.

Head. Generally dark gray, covered with grayish pruinosity. Antenna ( Fig. 37 ) 1.2 mm long; scape elongate, nearly cylindrical, brownish-gray; pedicel round and short, brownish-gray; flagellum 14-segmented, generally brownish-gray; flagellomeres elongate, decreasing towards apex; apical segment oval, approximately as long as penultimate. Rostrum, palpus and mouth parts brownish-gray.

Thorax. Generally brownish-gray. Pronotum brown, covered with grayish pruinosity. Ground colour of me- sonotal prescutum brownish-gray. Three prescutal stripes distinct. Scutum brownish-gray. Scutellum brown. Me- diotergite dark brown, covered with grayish pruinosity. Pleuron brownish-gray except ventral light brownish-gray part of katepisternum. Wing ( Fig. 38 ) light brownish-white; pterostigma oval, light brownish-gray; veins generally brownish, but yellowish at wing base. Venation: vein Sc long, ending before branching point of Rs; radial sector long and straight; cell dm comparatively small, approximately twice as long as wide; veins A 1 and CuP strongly divergent; tip of A 1 reaches distinctly beyond the level of Rs origin; anal angle large, nearly right-angled. Halter 0.9 mm long, base of stem pale brownish-gray, remaining part of stem and knob pale brownish. Legs: coxa light brown, slightly darkened at base, darkening more intense on fore and less distinct on posterior coxae; trochanters light brown; femora and tibiae brown with narrowly darkened distal ends, three basal tarsomeres light brown with darkened distal end, remaining tarsomeres dark brown; legs covered with semi-erect, black setae. Length of femora: I: 5.7 mm, II: 6.3 mm, III: 6.6 mm; tibiae: I: 6.4 mm, II: 6.3 mm, III: 6.8 mm; tarsi I: 5.3 mm, II: 4.7 mm, III: 4.8 mm.

Abdomen. Generally dark brownish-gray, pruinose. Tergites brownish gray, posterior margin darkened. Ster- nites brown, pruinose, lighter than tergites. Male hypopygium ( Fig. 39 ) brownish-gray, slightly lighter than abdo- men. Tergite 9 ( Fig. 41 ) transverse, conspicuously bilobed, caudal margin with two rounded projections. Sternite 9 ( Fig. 40 ) oblong with rounded apex. Gonocoxite irregular oval-shaped, without mesal lobe. Outer gonostylus dis- tally blackened, apex not abruptly narrowed. Inner gonostylus, arcuated, apex dilated into weak spatula, densely set with short curved spinous setae. One pair of simple, sabre-shaped parameres, tip of paramere below tip of aedeagus. Aedeagus ( Fig. 42 ) narrow with lateral flanges.

Elevation range in China. Specimens were collected at 2200–3500 m.

Period of activity in China. Adults are flying from April through July.

Habitat. River and small streams surrounded by virgin mixed forest ( Fig. 43 ), dominated by various broadleaved trees such as oaks ( Quercus dentata , Q. glauca ), poplars ( Populus cathayana , P. simonii ), elm ( Ulmus parvifolia ), rhododendrons ( Rhododendron brachycarpum , R. dauricum ), and bamboos ( Phyllostachys ssp., Borinda ssp., Fargesia spp.).

Distribution. China (Sichuan), Myanmar.

Remarks. A redescription of this species is provided to add several features not mentioned in the original de- scription; i.e., characters of pedicel, rostrum, palpus, sternite 9, aedeagus. Some morphological features of A. (A.) nebulipennis immaculata ( Figs 45, 48, 51, 54 ) are similar to other species: A. (A.) fortidens ( Figs 44, 47, 50, 53 ) known from China and A. (A.) nebulipennis nebulipennis ( Figs 46, 49, 52, 55 ) known from China, India, Malay- sia and Taiwan. These three species have similar tergite 9 ( Figs 47, 48, 49 ) where the caudal margin bearing two rounded projections. The gap between the two rounded projections of tergite 9 in A. (A.) nebulipennis immaculata ( Fig. 48 ) is wider than in A. (A.) fortidens ( Fig. 47 ) and A. (A.) nebulipennis nebulipennis ( Fig. 49 ). The apex of the gonocoxite is not narrowly elongate in A. (A.) nebulipennis immaculata ( Fig. 45 ) and in A. (A.) nebulipennis nebulipennis ( Fig. 46 ), compared to the narrowly elongate apex of gonocoxite in A. (A.) fortidens ( Fig. 44 ). The outer gonostylus in these species is curved with a narrow apex, but in A. (A.) nebulipennis immaculata ( Fig. 51 ) it is shorter than in A. (A.) fortidens ( Fig. 50 ) and A. (A.) nebulipennis nebulipennis ( Fig. 52 ). The outer gonostylus in A. (A.) fortidens ( Fig. 50 ) bears a strong tooth on the outer margin before the apex and in A. (A.) nebulipennis nebulipennis ( Fig. 52 ) the outer gonostylus is abruptly narrowed, without a strong tooth. The wing in A. (A.) nebulipennis immaculata ( Fig. 54 ) has a pale pterostigma, and in A. (A.) fortidens ( Fig. 53 ) and A. (A.) nebulipennis nebulipennis ( Fig. 55 ) the pterostigma is darker, brownish-gray.

Figures

FIGURE 43. Habitat of Antocha (Antocha) nebulipennis immaculata.

FIGURES 13–21. Male genitalia of genus Antocha in China, Sichuan, dorsal view. 13. A. indica; 14. genital structures and tergite 9 of A. bifida; 15. A. nebulipennis immaculata, holotype; 16. A. spiralis (byAlexander 1932); 17. A. constricta, holotype; 18. A. multidentata, holotype; 19. A. setigera, holotype; 20. A. lacteibasis (by Alexander 1935); 21. A. minuticornis, holotype.

FIGURES 37–42. Antocha (Antocha) nebulipennis immaculata, male. 37. antenna; 38. wing; 39. genitalia, dorsal view; 40. sternite 9; 41. tergite 9; 42. genital structures and aedeagus, dorsal view.

FIGURES 44–55. Distinctive features of three males of Antocha species. 44. A. fortidens genitalia, dorsal view; 45. A. nebulipennis immaculata genitalia, dorsal view; 46. A. nebulipennis nebulipennis genitalia, dorsal view; 47. A. fortidens tergite 9; 48. A. nebulipennis immaculata tergite 9; 49. A. nebulipennis nebulipennis tergite 9; 50. A. fortidens outer gonostylus; 51. A. nebulipennis immaculata outer gonostylus; 52. A. nebulipennis nebulipennis outer gonostylus; 53. A. fortidens wing; 54. A. nebulipennis immaculata wing; 55. A. nebulipennis nebulipennis wing.