Paramimegralla verticalis, 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 : 273-275

Paramimegralla verticalis new species

Figs 88 ̄96

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

Head with frons broad, faintly ridged longitudinally, uniformly black and microsetulose except for a narrow shining strip of lower epicephalon (broader in male) and upper orbital strip along eye, occipital suture and ocellar triangle; frontal vitta broad but weakly differentiated, evenly tapered to an indistinct groove posteriorly. Head chaetotaxy complete, with 2 large frontal setae similar in size to orbital seta. Palpus broad, black, ventral and distal margin golden microsetulose. Occipital suture shining brown. Clypeus microsetulose, slightly 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. Proepisternum with 2 or 3 very long, conspicuous ventral setae twice as long as proepisternum. Pleuron without shining areas except for a narrow strip along suture between proepimeron and anepisternum. Legs brown to black except as follows: fore femur brown at apex; female fore tarsus entirely white except extreme base of tarsomere 1, hind tarsomeres 1̄3 white, hind tarsomeres 4̄5 pale brown; mid and hind femora with a broad brown preapical band narrowly separated from apex, hind femur also with a pale base and a broad brown band near middle. Male fore tarsus strongly modified as follows: tarsomere 2 with a distal comb, tarsomeres 2̄5 shortened and thickened, tarsomere 2 white with a dorsal lobe with an apical comb of 4 dark setae, tarsomeres 3̄5 brown; tarsal claws enlarged, very broad and curved. Hind trochanter pale brown. Hind femur with inner surface flattened on basal third, not sulcate.

Wing with broad basal and discal bands, a narrow preapical band, and a clear to weakly infuscated apex. Anal cell entirely bare, CuA2 slightly sinuate, inserted in line with bm̄cu, distal angle 45 °.

Abdominal syntergite 1+2 humped and silvery at junction between T1 and T2; T1 setose, with posteriormost row of setae longest; T3 with a transverse silver band across anterior margin continuous with a vertical, narrow, parallel-sided white band on P3; abdomen otherwise brown to black with a bluish tinge. Female abdomen: Oviscape black, microsetulose basally and laterally, bare dorsally and distally, apex orange. Spermathecae on two dissimilar ducts, thinner duct very short and leading to very small spermatheca, thicker duct distally expanded and branching into two short cylindrical spermathecae on broad and densely convoluted stems. Male Abdomen: Pleural membrane dark brown basally to the narrow vertical white band, black distally. Epandrium white distally, genital fork (S5) with stout, distally broad, spatulate, and incurved arms with inner margins densely packed with short, stout setae. Distiphallus with a broad, short basal part ending in a broad fork surrounding a dense phallic bulb; distal part (beyond phallic bulb) long, thin, straight and uniform. Blade of ejaculatory apodeme broad, larger than epandrium, much larger than sperm pump, ejaculatory apodeme including sperm pump subequal in length to epandrium.

Type material. Holotype (♂, CAS) Ranomafana National Park, Talatakely, Malaise, 16̄ 19.x. 2014 , 610 m (sequence MYCRO 210 ̄15). Paratypes: Pinned specimens: Madagascar. Moramanga district, Tamatave, Torotorofotsy, 22km N Andasibe. 18°46.25' 48°25.93', 23̄25.2014, S.A. Marshall (1♀, DEBU); Ranomafana National Park , Sahamalaotra, 21°14.44’ 47°23.67’, 16.x. 2014, 650m, S.A. Marshall (2♀, sequence MYCRO 038 ̄15); Ranomafana National Park, Talatakely, Malaise, 16̄ 19.x . 2014, 610m, A. Kirk – Spriggs (2♀, NMB) ; Andasibe , 950m, Analamazaotra Forest, 31.x ̄ 4.xi. 200, L. Friedman (1♀, TAU) .

Specimens in alcohol, from Malaise traps: Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park, radio tower at forest edge, 1130m, Malaise , 21̄ 31.Jan.2004, Malaise, M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala (3♀, CAS) ; as previous but 18̄ 29.June and 29.June ̄ 6.July.2003; (2#, CAS); as above but 16̄ 27.April.2004 (2♀, 1♂, CAS); Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park, Belle Vue at Talatakely , 1020m, 21.March ̄ 12.April and 28.May ̄6̄ June. 2003 (2♀, CAS) ; Fianarantsoa, Mandritsara Forest , 40 km S. Ambositra, 22.Nov ̄ 1.Dec.2006 M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala (1♀, CAS) . Other specimens in alcohol: Ranomafana National Park, Sahamalaotra , 21°14.44’ 47°23.67’, 16.x. 2014, 650m, S.A. Marshall (2♀, DEBU, sequence MYCRO 220 ̄15, 222̄15).

Comments. Males of P. verticalis are known from only two specimens (one of which was photographed in the field), but they are extraordinarily distinctive because of the strongly modified fore tarsomeres.

Etymology. The specific name of P. verticalis refers to the striking vertical white band encircling the anterior margin of the third abdominal segment.

Figures

FIGURES 88 – 96. Paramimegralla vertiCalis sp. nov., 88. Head dorsal; 89. Head and anterior thorax anterolateral (arrow points to proepisternal setae); 90. Male, Andasibe; 91. Male fore tarsus and tibia; 92. Terminalia, ventral, dry specimen; 93. Male sternite 5 showing genital fork; 94, Male terminalia, left lateral, detail; 95. Spermatheca and associated structures, lateral; 96. Male terminalia, left lateral. Abbreviations: aa, phallapodeme; b, basiphallus; bd, basal distiphallus; e, epandrium; ea, ejaculatory apodeme; h, hypandrium; pb, phallic bulb; pg, postgonite.