Paramimegralla sulcata, Marshall, Stephen A., 2017

Marshall, Stephen A., 2017, Micropezidae (Insecta, Diptera, Acalyptratae) of Madagascar and a revision of the genus Paramimegralla Hennig, Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 244-280 : 268-270

Paramimegralla sulcata new species.

Figs 69 ̄75

Description. Length 15̄ 16 mm. Ground colour dull black, densely microsetulose.

Head with frons broad, ridged longitudinally, uniformly microsetulose except shining epicephalon, ocellar triangle and occipital suture. Frontal vitta broad, parallel-sided and sometimes with a deep central groove anteriorly (possibly an artefact of preservation), and depressed and abruptly tapered and sulcate from level of inner vertical setae to postocellar setae. Head chaetotaxy complete, with 2 large frontal setae similar in size to the orbital seta. Palpus broad, brown, slightly concave dorsally and slightly convex ventrally, ventral and distal margin golden microsetulose. Clypeus microsetulose, longer than face plus lunule. Length of first flagellomere 2X maximum width.

Thorax with scutellum silvery, scutum with faint pattern of alternating light and dark longitudinal lines and a transverse silver strip extending from lateral third of suture to a diagonal silver strip running from suture down across the posterior margin of the anepisternum and down the katepisternum just in front of the katepisternal seta row; anterior half of anepisternum and posterodorsal part of proepimeron bare and shining. Proepisternum with long ventral setae, slightly longer than proepisternum. Legs black except as follows: fore femur brown at apex, fore tarsus white but tarsomeres 1 and 5 slightly darkened. Mid and hind femora with a broad pale apical band; hind femur also with a broad orange band just beyond middle middle. Hind trochanter yellow to very pale brown. Hind femur with inner surface flattened on basal third, not sulcate.

Wing with anal cell bare, CuA2 weakly sinuate, inserted slightly distal to bm̄cu, distal angle 35 °. Wing black except base, clear basal and distal margins of the large discal band, and a lightly pigmented apex (with broad basal, discal and preapical bands with the preapical band barely distinguishable from the paler apex).

Abdominal syntergite 1+2 humped and silvery at junction between T1 and T2; T1 setose, with posteriormost row of setae longest; T2, T3 and T4 silvery anteriorly and posteriorly; pleural membrane in both sexes mostly black with an almost vertical, ventrally expanding white band on the anterior margin of P3, male P1̄2 also pale. Oviscape black with orange apex, microsetulose basally and laterally, dorsally bare on distal half. Spermathecae on two dissimilar ducts, thinner and shorter duct leading to very small spermatheca, thicker duct distally expanded and branching into two short cylindrical spermathecae on broad and densely convoluted stems. Male epandrium pale brown with posterior margin and cercus white; genital fork (S5) with long and strongly incurved arms with inner margins densely packed with short, stout setae. Distiphallus with a broad, short, heavily sclerotized basal part ending in a dense phallic bulb; distal part (beyond phallic bulb) thin and elongate. Blade of ejaculatory apodeme broad, similar in area to epandrium, much larger than sperm pump, ejaculatory apodeme including sperm pump subequal in length to epandrium.

Type material. Holotype (♀, CAS) and one paratype (♀, DEBU, sequence MYCRO 041 ̄15) Ranomafana National Park, Sahamalaotra, 21°14.44’ 47°23.67’, 16.x. 2014, 650m, S.A. Marshall. Other paratypes: Pinned specimens: Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park, radio tower at forest edge , 1130m, Malaise , 16̄ 27.Aug.2002, Malaise, M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala (♂, CAS) . Moramanga district , Tamatave, Torotorofotsy, 22 km N Andasibe. 1846.25' 48°25.93', 23̄25.2014, S.A. Marshall (1♂, sequence MYCRO 218 ̄15, 4♀, sequence MYCRO 034 ̄15, DEBU); Andasibe , 950m, Analamazaotra Forest , 31.x ̄ 4.xi. 200, A. Freidberg (1♀, TAU) ; Mantadia National Park , Analamazaotra Special Reserve, A. Ahmadi, 10.30̄ 11.06.2014, BIOUG 20393 ̄F03 (1♂, BIOUG) . Specimens in alcohol: Antsiranana, 5km W Manantenina, 26.Sept ̄ 4.Oct.2005 Malaise, 490m, M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala (1♀, CAS) ; Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park, radio tower at forest edge, 1130m, Malaise , 16̄ 27.Aug.2002, Malaise, M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala (1♀, 2♂, CAS, sequence sequence MYCRO 208 ̄15).

Comments. The characteristic frontal vitta, unbanded middle femur, white hind tarsus and long proepisternal setae render this species distinctive although it is superficially similar to P. taeniola , which has short proepisternal setae. Specimens of P. sulcata from two localities (Andasibe and Ranomafana) had identical CO1 sequences. Paramimegralla sulcata is one of the species that would have been treated as Rainieria by Barraclough (1991) on the basis of its long proepisternal setae.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the characteristically sulcate posterior frontal vitta of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 69 – 75. Paramimegralla sulCata sp. nov., 69. Holotype female, dorsolateral; 70. Spermathecae and associated structures, 71. Male terminalia, left lateral; 72. Male S 5 with genital fork; 73. Living female, left lateral, Ranomafana; 74. Basal part of phallus; 75. Basal half of abdomen to show pleural membrane.