Empis (Polyblepharis) seminskiensis, Shamshev, 2019

Shamshev, I. V., 2019, Six new species of the genus Empis (Diptera: Empididae) from the Altai Mountains of Russia, Zoosystematica Rossica (Zoosyst. Rossica) 28 (1), pp. 24-41 : 27-30

Empis (Polyblepharis) seminskiensis sp. nov.

( Figs 4, 5 )

Holotype. Male , “RUS [ Russia], Altai Rep [= Republic of Altai], Seminsky / Pass, 51.05N 85.59E, 1650 m, / 27– 30.06.2016, N. Vikhrev ”, “ Empis (Polyblepharis) seminskiensis Shamshev , sp. n. [red label]” ( ZMUM).

Diagnosis. Large species with body length about 9 mm, dichoptic eyes and black palpus; postpronotal lobe shiny, scutum with four vittae, acrostichals biserial, dorsocentrals uniserial, laterotergite with black setae; legs with yellow femora, black tibiae and tarsi, slender hind femur; abdominal tergites almost entirely shiny.

Description. Male ( Fig. 4 ). Body length 8.9mm; wing length 9.0 mm.

Head black. Eyes dichoptic, ommatidia of equal size. Frons broad, only slightly narrower than distance between outer margins of posterior ocelli, somewhat widened above antennae, densely brownish pruinose, with marginal setulae. Face wide, almost parallel-sided, largely brownish grey pruinose, narrowly shiny along lower margin, bare; clypeus shiny. Occiput densely brownish grey pruinose, with two transverse rows of numerous long strong black setae on upper part and some hair-like yellowish setae on lower part behind mouth-opening and closer to neck. Ocellar tubercle concolourous with occiput, with two long and several shorter setae. Antenna black; scape rather elongate, about twice as long as pedicel, both with short setulae; postpedicel moderately long, about twice as long as wide, with straight margins; stylus long, only slightly shorter than postpedicel. Proboscis moderately long; labrum brownish, 1.5 times as long as head height; palpus long, black, with rather numerous long thin black setae ventrally.

Thorax black, densely brownish grey pruinose (except as noted); antepronotum subshiny, postpronotal lobe broadly shiny on outer side; scutum with four distinct, broad, brownish vittae (in dorsal view); setation black. Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with 5–6 thin setae on lower part, bare on upper part. Antepronotum dorsally with 8–9 strong setae of different length on either side. Postpronotal seta present but short, of subequal length to setae situated anteriorly. Mesonotal setation well-differentiated: one moderately long presutural supra-alar, five notopleurals (three posterior setae somewhat longer), one postsutural supra-alar, two postalars (one of them much shorter), four scutellars (apical pair slightly longer); acrostichals short, thin, arranged in two close irregular rows, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals uniserial, nearly as long as acrostichals (except two pairs of long prescutellars). Laterotergite with several stronger black setae of different length and 2–3 short hair-like yellowish setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles brownish yellow.

Legs long, slender, only with black setation; coxae and trochanters black, former densely greyish pruinose, latter subshiny; femora almost entirely yellow, only extreme apex brown; tibiae brownish yellow near bases, otherwise brown; tarsi entirely brown. Coxae and trochanters with simple setae. Fore femur with four moderately long strong anteroventral setae in apical half, otherwise covered with minute setulae. Fore tibia with five short anterodorsal, four similar posterodorsal and three posteroventral setae (besides circlet of short subapicals). Fore basitarsus slender, with several short spine-like anteroventral and posteroventral setae; other tarsomeres clothed in short setulae (except circlet of short subapicals). Mid femur not pubescent ventrally but covered with minute spinule-like setulae, otherwise clothed in simple setulae. Mid tibia with three short anterodorsal and four similar posterodorsal setae (besides circlet of similar subapicals). Hind femur slender, only slightly broader than mid femur, not pubescent ventrally but covered with spinules, with complete rows of subequal short spine-like anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Mid tibia slender, with four short anterodorsal, four similar posterodorsal setae, and one short seta in posteroapical comb. Mid and hind tarsi similar to fore tarsus.

Wing membrane faintly brownish infuscate. Pterostigma brownish yellow, very narrow. Basal costal seta absent. Veins R 5 and M 1 slightly divergent in subapical parts; radial fork acute. Cell dm elongate. Anal angle acute, subsequently anal lobe well-developed. Calypter yellowish, pale fringed. Halter yellow.

Abdomen entirely black, with tergites (except hidden tergite 8) almost entirely shiny, tergites 1 and 2 narrowly brownish grey pruinose anteriorly, tergites 6 and 7 with large brownish grey iridescent spots; sternites rather subshiny, faintly greyish pruinose, with pruinosity denser on sternites 1 and 2; tergite 1 with short black setae, tergites 2–5 covered with uniform setulae black dorsally and pale laterally, tergites 6 and 7 with only pale setulae laterally, tergites 1–5 with strong short black posteromarginal setae laterally; sternites with scattered, mostly pale setulae, also sternites 5–8 with several long black posteromarginal setae. Postabdomen ( Fig. 5 ) not dissected and not macerated in the single holotype specimen; in situ tergite 6 somewhat broader than tergite 5 and slightly convex dorsally; tergite 7 somewhat concave posteriorly; sternite 7 unmodified; sternite 8 partly hidden by sternite 7, scoop-shaped, with lateral projections. Terminalia moderately large. Cercus brown, covered with black setulae, elongate oval (in lateral view), with smoothed inner margin and lateral lobe (in dorsal view). Epandrial lamella reddish brown to brown, rather subrectangular (in lateral view), covered with black setulae somewhat longer along the lower margin. Hypandrium brown, broadly rounded apically, bare. Phallus largely brownish yellow, brownish apically, of typical structure for Polyblepharis , divided, apical part of distiphallus long.

Female. Unknown.

Comparison. The new species is similar to E. uzbekistanica Chvála, 1999 known from the mountains of Uzbekistan ( Chvála, 1999). However, E. uzbekistanica has almost uniformly yellow legs (only tarsi darkened), pruinose postpronotal lobe, the notopleuron with pale setulae anteriorly and largely yellow abdomen.

Etymology. The epithet refers to the type locality of the new species.

Distribution. Palaearctic: Russia (Republic of Altai).

Habitat and seasonal occurrence. The species probably inhabits open mountain biotopes, like many other species of Polyblepharis ; it was collected in late June.

Figures

Figs 4, 5. Empis (Polyblepharis) seminskiensis sp.nov., male (holotype). 4, habitus, lateral view; 5, postabdomen, lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc, cercus; epand, epandrium; hypd, hypandrium; ph, phallus.