Afropeza silvatica, Sinclair & Shamshev, 2012

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, Afropeza, a new South African genus (Diptera: Empidoidea: Brachystomatidae), with description of three new species, African Invertebrates 53 (1), pp. 239-239 : 245-246

Afropeza silvatica sp. n.

Figs 2, 3 , 7–9

Etymology: From Latin silvaticus, -a, -um (of woods), in reference to Gudu Forest, where the species was primarily collected.

Diagnosis: This species is characterised by the length of the postpedicel being 0.6× width of eye; pleura mostly lacking pruinescence; male terminalia symmetrical, held upright with pair of surstylar lobes and anterodorsal epandrial lobe bearing pair of setae.

Description:

Male.

Head: Antenna ( Fig. 2 ) with postpedicel ca 0.6× width of eye; stylus comprising only spine-like apical mechanoreceptor.

Thorax: Scutum mostly shiny, except thin clothing of pruinescence on postalar callus and scutellum; anterior margin of scutum shiny, lacking pruinescence; pleura mostly lacking pruinescence. Acrostichal setae on prescutellar depression biserial, erect and anteriorly directed.

Legs: Mostly pale yellow, except base of fore coxa darkened; tarsi gradually darkening towards apex.

Wing: Length 2–2.5 mm. Haltere knob and distal half of stem dark, proximal half of stem pale yellow.

Abdomen: Setae mostly dark, except for anterior sternites; tergite 8 very narrow, except slightly expanded at lateral margin, symmetrical, lacking setation; sternite symmetrical. Male terminalia ( Figs 7–9 ): Symmetrical, held erect at apex of abdomen. Cercus heavily sclerotised, cone-shaped, with numerous long setae along anterior margin. Epandrium rounded, with oblique row of stout setae; epandrial lobe on anterodorsal margin with pair of stout setae of different lengths, longer seta projecting beyond posterior surstylar lobe. 6XUVW\OXV FRPSULVLQJ SDLU RI OREHV; DQWHULRU OREH ÀDWWHQHG, VOLJKWO\ FXUYHG SRVWHULRUO\, ZLWK RU 4 ¿QH VHWDH RQ LQQHU VXUIDFH; SRVWHULRU OREH H[SDQGHG DSLFDOO\, ZLWK QDUURZ, WDSHUHG REOLTXHO\ SURMHFWLQJ ¿QJHU‒OLNH SURFHVV. +\SDQGULXP QDUURZ, DUFKHG, ZLWK apex produced into pair of divergent projections, with gonocoxal apodeme shorter than ejaculatory apodeme, parallel-sided. Postgonite closely approximated with phallus; apex terminating into pair of sickle-shaped prolongations. Phallus arched and projecting posteriorly with tube-like opening between forked apex of hypandrium; ejaculatory apodeme enlarged ventrally and prolonged in horizontal plane, approximately twice length of gonocoxal apodeme.

Female. Similar to male, except abdominal setae paler, especially toward posterior segments.

+RORW\SH: ƃ ³6.$)5:.=1:5R\DO 1DWDO / 1DW.5HV., *XGX)RUHVW / Íϭ8θ±Í7 θ P; 07 / ƻ8°4θ.9θ¶6 ƻ8°ƽƽ.78¶(/ 13.xii.2005 – 28.i.2006 / M. Mostovski leg.” (NMSA).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: ÍÍƃ ƻÍƂ VDPH GDWD DV KRORW\SH (Íθƃ ƻθƂ 106$, Íƃ ÍƂ &1&); 4ƃ VDPH DV KRORW\SH, H[FHSW Í8.[L.ƻθθ 6 ±ƻ7.LL.ƻθθ7 (106$); ƻƂ VDPH DV KRORW\SH, H[FHSW 29.i–28.v.2006 ( NMSA).

Figures

Figs 2–4.(2, 3) Afropeza silvatica sp.n.: (2) antenna, lateral view;(3) mouthparts, lateral view; (4) Afropeza pappi sp. n., wing. Abbreviations: hyphar – hypopharynx, lab – labium, lbr – labrum, lc – lacinia, M – medial vein, plp – palpus, R – radial vein. Scale bars: Figs 2, 3 = 0.1 mm; Fig. 4 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 7–9. Afropeza silvatica sp. n., terminalia: (7) male, lateral view; (8) male, anterior view; (9) female, lateral view. Abbreviations: apod – apodeme, cerc – cercus, ej apod – ejaculatory apodeme, epand lb – epandrial lobe, epand – epandrium, goncx apod – gonocoxal apodeme, hypd – hypandrium, pgt – postgonite, ph – phallus, spmth – spermatheca, st – sternite, sur – surstylus, tg – tergite. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.