Empis (Polyblepharis) turalae, 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 : 30-32

Empis (Polyblepharis) turalae sp. nov.

( Figs 6–9 )

Holotype. Male , “RUS [ Russia], Altai Rep [= Republic of Altai], Seminsky pass, / Turala R [= river], 50.99N 85.68E, 1350 m, 8– 12.07.2016, N. Vikhrev ”, “ Empis (Polyblepharis) turalae Shamshev , sp. n. [red label]” ( ZMUM).

Diagnosis. Mid-sized species with body length about 5.5 mm, dichoptic eyes and yellow palpus; scutum with four vittae, acrostichals biserial, presutural dorsocentrals biserial, laterotergite mostly with black setae; legs robust, almost entirely yellow; abdominal tergites 2–6 narrowly shiny posteriorly, tergites 6–7 without iridescent spots.

Description. Male ( Fig. 6 ). Body length 5.5 mm; wing length 5.7 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 greyish pruinose, with marginal setulae. Face wide, almost parallel-sided, largely greyish pruinose, narrowly shiny along lower margin, bare; clypeus shiny. Occiput densely grey pruinose, with numerous long strong black setae irregularly spread over upper part and some hair-like yellowish setae on lower part behind mouth-opening and closer to neck. Ocellar tubercle concolorous with occiput, with several moderately long to short setae. Antenna black; scape rather elongate, about twice as long as pedicel, both with short setulae; postpedicel moderately long, 1.9 times as long as wide, with straight margins; stylus half as long as postpedicel. Proboscis moderately long; labrum brownish yellow, 1.5 times as long as head height; palpus long, yellow, with scattered minute dark and yellowish setulae ventrally.

Thorax black, densely brownish grey pruinose (except as noted); scutum with four distinct brownish vittae (in dorsal view); setation mostly black. Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with numerous long hair-like pale setae on lower part, bare on upper part. Antepronotum with numerous setae of different length and robustness dorsally and 2–3 hair-like yellowish setae laterally. Postpronotal lobe with two long closely set setae and numerous shorter setae anteriorly. Mesonotal setation well-differentiated: one long presutural supra-alar, three notopleurals, one postsutural supra-alar, one long and one very short postalars, six scutellars (apical pair and one of lateral pairs subequally long); acrostichals arranged in two close irregular rows, short, rather strong, numerous, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals arranged in two irregular rows before suture, becoming uniserial toward scutellum, mostly as long as acrostichals, prescutellars longer. Laterotergite with numerous mostly black setae and with several yellowish setae posteriorly. Anterior and posterior spiracles brownish yellow.

Legs robust, almost entirely yellow, with black setation (except as noted); coxae black, densely greyish pruinose, tarsomeres 1–4 brownish apically, tarsomere 5 almost entirely brownish (except extreme base). Coxae and trochanters with simple mostly black setae, fore coxa covered with hair-like pale setae anteriorly. Fore femur bare ventrally, covered with short setulae being somewhat longer on subapical part anteriorly and posteriorly. Fore tibia with 5–6 short anterodorsal setae (besides circlet of short subapicals). Mid femur whitish pubescent ventrally, covered with dense spinules anteroventrally and ventrally, with several short anterodorsal setae in subapical part. Mid tibia with 5–6 short anterodorsals, five similar posterodorsals and circlet of similar subapical setae. Hind femur somewhat broader than mid femur, whitish pubescent ventrally, with 5–6 short strong anterodorsal setae in subapical part, entire ventral surface covered with dense spinules and spine-like setae being longer posteroventrally. Hind tibia slender, covered with dense erect setulae ventrally, with several moderately long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae, without a seta in posteroapical comb. Tarsi of all legs similar in structure and vestiture; tarsomeres covered with short setulae (except circlet of strong subapical setae on tarsomeres 1–4); basitarsus slender, with anteroventral and posteroventral spine-like setae; claws long.

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

Abdomen almost entirely black, only sternite 8 broadly brownish yellow posteriorly. Tergite 1 entirely densely grey pruinose; tergites 2–7 narrowly shiny posteriorly, otherwise densely grey pruinose; tergites 6 and 7 without spots of iridescent pruinosity. All tergites covered with mostly black short setae being longer laterally and also with scattered yellowish setae laterally; posteromarginal setae present, short, thin. Sternites almost entirely densely greyish pruinose, only sternite 8 faintly pruinose; sternites 1–6 with scattered intermixed dark and pale setae, sternites 7 and 8 with denser black setae being longer posteriorly. Tergite 6 unmodified ( Fig. 7 ), normally setose; tergite 7 mostly hidden, with straight posterior margin; sternite 7 unmodified. Sclerites of segment 8 medially divided; tergite 8 represented by two lateral strongly sclerotised subtriangular areas, broadly almost membranous medially, with minute to short setae dorsally; sternite 8 partly hidden by sternite 7, scoop-shaped, with three small lateral tubercles anteriorly (two closely set tubercles on lower part and one tubercle on upper part), with numerous moderately long posteromarginal setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 8 ) moderately large. Cercus mostly brownish yellow, narrowly brownish along margin, covered with black setulae; cercus elongate oval with slightly concave dorsal margin (in lateral view), with smoothed inner margin and without lateral lobe (in dorsal view). Epandrial lamella brownish yellow, rather subrectangular (in lateral view), rounded apically, covered with black setulae being somewhat longer along lower margin. Hypandrium yellowish, subtriangular in ventral view, bare. Phallus ( Fig. 9 ) yellowish, divided, with apical part of distiphallus very slender, somewhat curved forward.

Female. Unknown.

Comparison. In the key to the Palaearctic species of Polyblepharis , the new species runs to the E. albicans group ( Chvála, 1999). However, the males of all species in this group have holoptic eyes and abdominal tergites 6–7 with spots of iridescent pruinosity. The new species is close to E. kvakensis Shamshev, 2003 known from Tajikistan ( Shamshev, 2003). Males of both species have dichoptic eyes and uniformly greyish abdominal tergites 6–7. However, E. kvakensis differs from the new species primarily in the largely dark brown legs and black thoracic spiracles.

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

Distribution. Palaearctic: Russia (Republic of Altai).

Habitat and seasonal occurrence. According to the label data, the new species occurs at middle altitudes of mountains (1350 m); it was collected in the first half of June.

Figures

Figs 6–9. Empis (Polyblepharis) turalae sp.nov., male (holotype). 6, habitus, lateral view; 7, postabdomen, lateral view; 8, terminalia, lateral view; 9, phallus, lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc, cercus; ej apod, ejaculatory apodeme; epand, epandrium; hypd, hypandrium; ph, phallus. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.