Tomosvaryella unicorna Motamedinia & Skevington

Motamedinia, Behnam, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2021, Revision of Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) in the Middle East, with description of 19 new species, Zootaxa 5002 (1), pp. 1-103 : 76-78

Tomosvaryella unicorna Motamedinia & Skevington sp. nov.

Figs 43A–E , 48B , 63 , 70E –F

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by a distinct horn-like prominence in the middle of frons ( Fig. 48B ); shape of surstyli more elongated in dorsal view ( Fig. 43A ), rather curved in lateral view ( Fig. 43D–E ).

Description: MALE: Body length (excluding antennae): 3.5 mm. Head. Scape, pedicel and arista dark brown, flagellum light brown. Pedicel with a pair of short upper pale setae; flagellum tapering and gray-white pollinose (LF:WF = 2.2). Eyes converging but not meeting and separated by less than diameter of frontal facets. Frons dark silver-gray pollinose, with a distinct prominence in middle ( Fig. 48B ). Vertex black, lacking pollinosity. Occiput dark and gray pollinose. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe light yellow, gray pollinose with 6–7 yellowish setae along the upper margin (up to 0.04 mm). Prescutum, scutum, scutellum black. Scutum with two uniseriate rows of intra-alar setae and two uniseriate rows of dorsocentral setae. Scutellum with 1–2 thin short setae along lateral margin (up to 0.01 mm). Subscutellum black, gray pollinose. Pleura brown. Wing. Length: 3.2 mm. LW:MWW = 5.08. Wing almost entirely covered with microtrichia. Cross-vein r-m reaches dm at the middle. M 1 moderately undulating in middle. Halter length: 0.37 mm. Whitish, narrowly brown at base. Legs. Coxae dark brown, gray pollinose. Mid coxa with two dark anterior setae. Trochanters dark brown, smooth. Femora brown with light brown apices, gray pollinose. All femora with 1–2 wrinkled indentations at base. Tibiae brown but light brown in basal half, with two ventral rows of short setae on anterior and three rows on posterior side. Hind tibia with 1–2 wrinkled indentations in middle. Tarsi light brown with scattered brown setae at anterior margin, basitarsi lighter than other tarsomeres. Pulvilli yellow. Claws light brown with black tips. Abdomen. Ground color dark brown. Tergite 1 densely gray pollinose, with 4–5 brown lateral setae (up to 0.11 mm). Tergites 2 densely gray pollinose in anterior margin, Tergite 3–5 gray pollinose, with scattered brown setae. Sternites light brown laterally and dark brown centrally, gray pollinose. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli light brown, gray pollinose. Epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.60). Surstyli symmetrical. Both surstyli more elongated, longer than epandrium ( Fig. 43A ). Left surstylus gently bent in basal third ( Fig. 43A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods equal in height ( Fig. 43B ). Subepandrial sclerite rectangular-shaped ( Fig. 43B ). Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli long, weakly concave ( Fig. 43D–E ). Phallic guide strong, phallus with three small ejaculatory ducts ( Fig. 43D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 43C ). FEMALE: unknown.

Etymology: The specific name is derived from the mythical unicorn, in reference to the horn-like prominence on the frons.

Specimen examined: HOLOTYPE: IRAN: Kermanshah: Dagasyave , 35°01’N, 46°07’E, 810 m a.s.l., 7.vi.2016, M. Zardouei, Malaise trap, JSS51821 (1♂, CNC).

Distribution: Iran ( Fig. 63 ).

Note: Based on DNA barcodes, this species is genetically similar to T. debruyni , differing by 7.4% (pairwise divergence) (Supplementary Table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 43. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella unicorna sp. nov., holotype (JSS51821, CNC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 48. Compound eye of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. debruyni (JSS51736, TAU), B) T. unicorna sp. nov., holotype (JSS51821, CNC), C) T. teligera (JSS51938, CNC).

FIGURE 63. Distribution of Tomosvaryella pusilla, T. sedomensis, T. spinula sp. nov., T. unicorna sp. nov. in the Middle East.

FIGURE 70. Male habitus of Tomosvaryella species A–B) T. subtransvaalensis sp. nov., holotype (JSS51765, TAU) A) in dorsal view B) in lateral view, C–D) T. susa sp. nov., holotype (JSS52217, CNC) C) in dorsal view D) in lateral view, E–F) T. unicorna sp. nov., holotype (JSS51821, CNC) E) in dorsal view F) in lateral view.