Paramimegralla luteoscapus, 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 : 259-260

Paramimegralla luteoscapus new species

Figs 37 ̄39

Description (female only). Length 15 mm. General colour brown, legs uniformly reddish brown, thoracic pleuron and abdominal tergites with a black metallic glint, oviscape reddish.

Head with frons broad, weakly ridged longitudinally, microsetulose except for shining brown epicephalon and shining dark brown occipital suture; frontal vitta reddish, broad and parallel-sided anteriorly, narrow and strongly constricted posteriorly. Head mostly brown, chaetotaxy complete, with 2 frontal setae (broken on unique type). Parafacial dark brown in contrast with reddish frontal vitta. Head, including palpus, clypeus, face, parafacials, antenna and gena, pale yellow–brown; clypeus indistinctly microsetulose, shorter than face plus lunule. Postsutural part of notum strongly elevated relative to presutural part. Length of first flagellomere 1.5X maximum width.

Thorax brown except for a dark and silvery microsetulose medial strip on the notum, postsutural part of notum mostly dark and microsetulose with an inverted U–shaped area of brighter silver microsetulosity. Scutellum pale brown along lateral margins. Proepisternum with very weak, short, inconspicuous golden ventral setae. Pleuron entirely but indistinctly microsetulose, with an inconspicuous silver diagonal strip extending from transverse suture to mid coxa. Legs mostly pale reddish brown; tarsomere one of foreleg and hind leg white, remaining tarsomeres black (middle tarsi missing); hind tibia dark brown. Hind femur cylindrical, hind tibia not sulcate.

Wing clear except for a strong discal band, a narrower preapical band and an infuscated anterior margin extending from preapical band to apex of wing. Anal cell entirely bare, forming an almost equilateral triangle distally; CuA2 slightly proximal to dm̄cu, sinuate, distal angle 45 °.

Abdominal syntergite 1+2 brown, lightly microsetulose, depressed at junction between T1 and T2; T1 bare except for a transverse row of long golden setae at middle. T3̄5 dark with heavy silver pruinosity except posteromedially, T6 relatively lightly microsetulose; pleural membrane with dark bands on each segment, giving the plleural membrane a brown and white–striped appearance. Oviscape light reddish brown, bare except for scattered setulae. Spermathecae and associated structures not observed (the unique type was not dissected).

Type material. Holotype (♀, CAS) Ranomafana National Park, Belle Vue at Talatakely, 1020m, 21.March ̄ 12.April.2003, secondary forest, Rinha Harin'hala, Malaise 02̄00C̄57.

Comments. Although known from only a single female, many features of this species are unique. The colours of the abdomen, thorax and head are all characteristic and different than congeners.

Etymology. The name refers to the luteous oviscape.

Figures

FIGURES 37 – 39. Paramimegralla luteOsCapus sp. nov., Female holotype. 37. Left lateral; 38. Right lateral to show pleural membrane and oviscape; 39. Head, dorsolateral.