Paramimegralla brunnea, 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 : 254-256

Paramimegralla brunnea new species

Figs 19 ̄23

Description (female only). Length 14̄ 15 mm. Ground colour blue black, brown areas as noted below.

Head with frons black to dark brown, broad, weakly ridged longitudinally, microsetulose except for shining epicephalon and occipital suture; frontal vitta sharply tapered behind ocelli, tapering to linear strip before back of head, broad, anteriorly and not clearly differentiated from lower orbital strip, which has an irregular surface and a white setulose fringe along the eye margin. Chaetotaxy complete, with 2 frontal setae. Face very short and pale; clypeus twice as high as face, microsetulose brown, upper margin with a small median proces. Parafacial with a pale central area, brown above and below. Palpus broad and parallel-sided, brown. Length of first flagellomere 1.9X width.

Thorax brown anteriorly and in patches but ground colour black, mostly silvery microsetulose but anterior anipesternum bare. Postsutural part of notum strongly elevated relative to presutural part. Scutellum pale brown medially, darker along lateral margins. Proepisternum with a strong vertical ridge at middle and with 2 strong black setae on ventral margin, each subequal to length of margin. Proepimeron microsetulose above procoxa but shining posteriorly, shining area continuous with shining anterior and dorsal parts of anepisternum, area behind procoxae shining with a few scattered pale setulae. Legs mostly pale reddish brown, mid and hind femora with indistinct pale basal and distal bands. Tarsomeres 2̄5 of foreleg white. Hind femur cylindrical, hind tibia weakly sulcate on basal quarter of outer surface.

Wing mostly dark, with a basal band, a broad, posteriorly incomplete discal band and an extensively pigmented apex; clear area between discal band and pigmented apex partially divided into 3 clear spots. Anal cell bare centrally but extensively microsetulose marginally, CuA2 sinuate and in line with dm̄cu, distal angle 35 °.

Abdominal syntergite 1+2 black to dark brown, microsetulose except for anterior third of T2, T1 with a strong hump at junction between T1 and T2; T1 anterior to hump covered with uniformly long golden setae. T3̄4 dark with heavy silver pruinosity along anterior margin of T3, T5̄6 dark and uniformly microsetulose. Pleural membrane dark with a white band covering anterior third of P3 and expanding to cover ventral margins of P3̄4. Oviscape brown, bare dorsally and microsetulose laterally. One spermathecal duct short and leading to vestigial spermatheca, one long and branching distally into 2 elongate oval spermathecae on long, distally convoluted, stems.

Type material. Holotype (♀, CAS) Analalava, 17°41'35.5"S, 49°27'37"E, 75m, M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala Malaise traps, 20̄ 27.vi.2008 (sequence MYCRO 212̄15). Paratypes: Same data as holotype but 11̄18.08 (1♀, sequence MYCRO 243̄15); 29.viii ̄ 26.ix.2008 (1♀, in alcohol); 14̄ 21.xii.2008 (1♀, in alcohol); 8̄ 16.x.2008 (1♀, in alcohol).

Comments. This species is distinctive for the combination of leg colour, abdominal pigmentation, and frontal vitta shape. Other distinguishing features include the silver strip along the margin of the eye on the lower frons, and the characteristic wing pigmentation with the distal white band partly divided into spots. All specimens of this species were taken in Malaise traps in northwestern Madagascar, along with P. madagascariensis . Unlike the other species known from northwestern Madagascar, P. brunnea does not have an obvious sister species in the eastern forest fauna. It has some similarities to P. sulcata but in the absence of male specimens it is difficult to substantiate a sister species relationship.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the brown legs and the brown patches on the notum.

Figures

FIGURES 19 – 23. Paramimegralla brunnea sp. nov.. Female. 19. Base of abdomen; 20. Apex of abdomen with spermathecae and associated structures teased out; 21. Spermathecae and associated structures; 22. Female paratype; 23. Head, female paratype.