Ablabesmyia (Ablabesmyia) praegracilis, 2019

Niitsuma, Hiromi & Tang, Hongqu, 2019, Taxonomic review of Ablabesmyia Johannsen (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) from Oriental China, with descriptions of six new species, Zootaxa 4564 (1), pp. 248-270 : 263

Ablabesmyia (Ablabesmyia) praegracilis sp. n.

( Figure 8 )

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Guangdong Province, Shantou City, Nan’ao County, Tsing’ao Reservoir , 19.ix.2015.

Etymology. From the Latin prae-, very, and gracilis, slender, referring to the thin dorsal lobe in the aedeagal complex.

Description. Male (n=1). Total length 2.5 mm.

Coloration. Thorax dark brown with yellowish pleural membrane; scutal vittae indistinct. Abdomen mostly white; T I, VI and VII entirely brown; T II–V, VIII and IX anteriorly brownish; gonocoxite of hypopygium anteriorly brown. Wing ( Fig. 8A ) with 2 dark spots at apices of R 1 and R 4+5. Legs white with dark bands; foretibia with sub-basal and median bands located 0.78 and 0.39, respectively, from apex.

Head. Temporals 23. AR 1.3. Clypeus with 27 setae. Lengths of palpomeres 1–5 (µm): 30, 80, 100, 90, 185.

Thorax. Anterior portion broken off. Dorsocentrals 21; humerals 5; prealars 12; supraalars 1; scutellars 27.

Wing. Length from arculus to tip 1.2 mm. Squama torn off basally, with at least 16 setae. Costa ending at M 3+4. VR 0.88.

Legs. All tibiae each with single spur. Ti I spur 33 µm long, with 5 lateral teeth; Ti II spur 40 µm long, with 4 lateral teeth; Ti III spur 45 µm long, with 3 lateral teeth. Ti III comb indistinct. Lengths and proportions of legs as in Table 7.

Hypopygium ( Fig. 8B ). T IX without lateral setae. Gonocoxite 125 µm long, with weak basolateral bulge. Aedeagal complex ( Fig. 8C ) with dorsal lobe 43 µm long, 0.83 times as long as blade, thin, bearing apical spiculae; blade 52 µm long, slender, curved dorsally, tapering toward pointed apex; lateral lobe 42 µm long, paddle-shaped, membranous with outer ridge; lateral filaments not evident. Gonostylus 110 µm long, 0.88 times as long as gonocoxite.

Female, pupa and larva. Unknown.

Remarks. The male of A. (A.) praegracilis sp. n. is similar to that of above-described A. (A.) huananensis sp. n. in the wing with two dark spots at the ends of R 1 and R 4+5 and the costal vein ending above the tip of M 3+4, the mid- and hind legs each with a single tibial spur, the slender aedeagal blade with a pointed apex, and the membranous aedeagal lateral lobe, but can be separated by the thin dorsal lobe with apical spiculae. There are also similarities with the males of A. (A.) hilli Freeman and A. (A.) rimae Harrison as discussed under A. (A.) huananensis sp. n. In the former two species, however, the dorsal lobe is shorter than half of the aedeagal blade and lacks apical spiculae (see Roback 1982b for A. (A.) hilli, Harrison 1991 for A. (A.) rimae ).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Ablabesmyia (Ablabesmyia) praegracilis sp. n., male. A, Wing; B, hypopygium, dorsal view; C, aedeagal complex.