Paramimegralla taeniola, 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 : 270-272

Paramimegralla taeniola new species.

Figs 76 ̄82

Description. Length 13̄ 15 mm. Ground colour dull black, densely microsetulose.

Head with frons broad, faintly ridged longitudinally, microsetulose except for shining epicephalon, ocellar triangle and occipital suture; lower frons more densely setulose than upper part of head. Frontal vitta broad but weakly differentiated anterior to ocelli, abruptly tapered to an almost parallel-sided thin channel posteriorly, channel as wide as an ocellus and slightly enlarged posteriorly. Head chaetotaxy complete, with 2 large frontal setae similar in size to orbital seta. Palpus broad, brown, parallel-sided; ventral and distal margin golden microsetulose. Antenna black, first flagellomere twice as long as wide. Clypeus black, microsetulose, twice as long as face.

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. Proepisternum with 2 or 3 ventral setae, longest 0.6X length of proepisternum. Pleuron microsetulose except for posterodorsal part of proepimeron and extensive anterodorsal part of anepisternum. Legs black except as follows: fore femur brown at apex, fore tarsus entirely white except extreme base of tarsomere 1. Mid and hind femora with a broad yellow apical band narrowly separated from apex, hind femur also with a broad yellow band near middle and a yellow base. Hind trochanter pale brown. Hind femur flattened on basal 2/3, not sulcate.

Wing with broad basal and discal bands and a narrow preapical band, apex indistinctly infuscated; discal band with proximal margin strongly convex and distal margin almost straight. Anal cell bare, CuA2 sinuate and almost in line with dm̄cu, distal angle 35 °.

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 with the silver band on T3 most distinct and continuous with white pleural band; pleural membrane in both sexes black with an almost vertical, mostly narrow but ventrally expanding white band on the anterior margin of P3. Oviscape brown, apex pale. Spermathecae on two dissimilar ducts, a short duct leading to a very small spermatheca, and a much longer and thicker duct distally expanded and branching into two short cylindrical spermathecae on broad and densely convoluted stems. Male with genital fork (S5) with long incurved arms with inner margins densely packed with short, stout setae, base of fork without a narrow cleft. Distiphallus with a broad, extraordinarily short basal part ending in a large phallic bulb continuous with a very long, whip-like distal part approximately 5 times as long as basal part. Blade of ejaculatory apodeme broad, slightly smaller than epandrium, larger than sperm pump, ejaculatory apodeme including sperm pump subequal in length to epandrium.

Type material. Holotype (♂, CAS) and one paratype (♀, DEBU) Ranomafana National Park, Sahamalaotra, 21°14.44’, 47°23.67’, 16.x. 2014, 650m, S.A. Marshall. Other paratypes: Pinned specimens: Moramanga district , Tamatave, Torotorofotsy, 22 km N Andasibe. 18°46.25', 48°25.93', 23̄25.2014, S.A. Marshall (♀, sequence MYCRO 213 ̄15, ♂, sequence MYCRO 040 ̄15, DEBU) . Specimens in alcohol: Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park , radio tower at forest edge, 1130m, Malaise, 18̄ 27.Feb.2003, Malaise, R. Harin'Hala (1♂, CAS) .

Comments. The unbanded mid tibia and narrow posterior frontal vitta give this species a superficial similarity to P. sulcata , however the short proepisternal setae of P. taeniola render it distinctive, and these species differ widely in male genitalia and are widely separated on the basis of sequence data. The phallus of P. taeniola , with its extraordinarily short and thick basal part and long thin distal part, is a unique feature of this species.

Etymology. The name taeniola is from the Latin diminutive for ribbon, and refers to the narrow, ribbon-like posterior frontal vitta.

Figures

FIGURES 76 – 82. Paramimegralla taeniOla sp. nov., 76. Male, dorsal; 77. Head lateral; 78. Male terminalia, left lateal; 79. Basal part of distiphallus and phallic bulb; 80. Spermathecae and associated structures, dorsal; 81. Male abdomen without terminalia, left lateral; 82. Male S 5 with genital fork.