Paramimegralla longicephala, 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 : 256-259

Paramimegralla longicephala new species

Figs 31 ̄36

Description (male only). Length 15mm. Ground colour dull black, mostly silvery microsetulose.

Head with frons broad, raised and conspicuously rugose, frontal vitta densely setulose but frons otherwise sparsely setulose (most) to bare (epicephalon), frontal vitta broad anterior to ocelli, abruptly tapered to a thin groove immediately behind ocelli and ending far before back of head. Head greatly elongated behind ocelli, inner vertical setae at mid point between ocelli and back of head, postocellar and outer vertical setae in line along back of head; head behind eyes about one third of eye width. Two frontal setae. Palpus parallel-sided, black, golden microsetulose. Occipital suture shining black. Clypeus shining black, sparsely microsetulose, twice as long as face. Length of first flagellomere 2X maximum width.

Thorax with scutellum silvery microsetulose; scutum black, finely microsetulose with two narrow and narrowly separated longitudinal silver submedian strips. Proepisternum with short, inconspicuous ventral setae. Pleuron entirely microsetulose, mesopleuron with indistinct silvery pruinose diagonal strip extending from corner of transverse suture to mid coxa. Legs black to dark brown except as follows: fore femur brown at apex, fore tarsus white, first tarsomere with dense golden setulae ventrally. Mid and hind femora with a yellow–brown apex, hind femur also with a broad yellow–brown band near middle. Hind tarsus mostly white, apical two tarsomeres black. Hind femur flattened and distinctly sulcate on type specimen, hind tibia cylindrical. Hind trochanter dark brown.

Wing with broad basal, discal and preapical bands as well as an infuscated apex widely separated from the preapical band by a clear area apparently made of 3 coalesced circular spots; discal band concave on distal margin and convex on basal margin. Anal cell bare except for a very narrow microsetulose fringe, CuA2 straight, in line with dm̄cu, distal angle 35 °.

Abdominal syntergite 1+2 humped and silvery at junction between T1 and T2; T1 evenly setose anterior to hump; pleural membrane black with a broad, almost vertical, parallel-sided white band on anterior margin of P3. Oviscape black with orange apex. Female unknown. Male with genital fork (S5) with long distally tapered and incurved arms with inner margins densely packed with short, stout setae, base between arms with two long, parallel-sided processes (unique in the genus, Fig. 35 ). Distiphallus with an exceptionally broad and short basal part ending in a dense phallic bulb; distal part (beyond phallic bulb) thin and very long, about 4 times as long as basal part, loosely coiled distally and apically thin. Blade of ejaculatory apodeme broad, much larger than sperm pump, width subequal to epandrial height, total area of ejaculatory apodeme including sperm pump subequal in length to epandrium.

Type material. Holotype (♂, CAS) Madagascar. Moramanga district, Tamatave, Torotorofotsy, 22 km N Andasibe. 18°46.25', 48°25.93', 23̄25.2014, S.A. Marshall, sequence MYCRO 192 ̄15.

Comments. Although this species is known only from the holotype male, the unusually extended postocular part of the head, the long parallel-sided process of the base of the genital fork, and the combination of a very long distal distiphallus and a very short basal basiphallus make P. longicephala an easily recognized and well– characterized species.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the exceptionally elongated head of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 36. Paramimegralla lOngiCephala sp. nov., Male holotype. 31. Head and anterior thorax, dorsal; 32. Holotype prior to capture, Andasibe; 33. Base of abdomen; 34. Abdominal segments 3 ‾ 6, lateral; 35. Sternite 5 with genital fork; 36. Male terminalia, left lateral.