Teuchophorus obliquus, Meuffels & Grootaert, 2004

Meuffels, Henk & Grootaert, Patrick, 2004, The genus Teuchophorus in South-East Asia and New Guinea, description of new species, species-groups and their phylogeny (Insecta, Diptera, Dolichopodidae), Journal of Natural History 38 (2), pp. 143-258 : 177-180

Species 16: Teuchophorus obliquus sp. nov. (male and female) (figures 84–92)

Etymology. Lat. obliquus , ‘oblique’, refers to the obliquely backwards-pointing hypopygium.

Diagnosis. A small species. Eyes of male touching just below middle of face. Third antennal segment short, with an acute apex. Costa not thickened. Mid femora of male posteroventrally on apical half with a row of black setae. Mid tibia of male with two ad and one d, of female with two ad, one pd and one av. Fore femur without bristles. Hind femur of male with a ventral bristle near apex. Hypopygium directed backwards.

Material examined. Type material: Brunei, Kuala Belalong, Temburong river,    male and one      male, 17 April 1993 river in primary rain forest (No. Br 93025); Belalong river, two males, river in primary rain forest (No. Br 93024); Indonesia: Sumatra, Padang prov. , Bungus Bay , Air terjun tiga tingkat lubuk hitam, five males, eight females, waterfall in primary rain forest (No. 95010). Thailand: Phang-Nga prov. , Phang-Nga, Sa Nangmangora, 13 April 1996, one male (No. 96075); 23 October 1997, 10 males, three females (No. 97103); 11 males (No. 97104); 5 May 1998, one male, pools of waterfall (No. 98002); two males (No. 98004); Lamru, 6 May 1998, two males, one female, pools near waterfall (No. 98017); Thap Put, 13 April 1996, five males (No. 96076); Thap Put, 23 October 1997, nine males, two females (No. 97106); 11 males, two females (No. 97107); Songkla prov. , Ban Khlong Kua, 29 October 1997, one male, one female (No. 97142); Trang prov., Sai Rung waterfalls, 27 October 1997, 29 males, two females (No. 7129); Palian, 1 November 1997, 13 males, river banks (No. 97153); five males in secondary rain forest (No. 97154); road Palian to La-Ngu (20 km before La-Ngu), 1 November 1997, one male, one female, secondary rain forest (No. 97155); nine males (No. 97156). Malaysia: Johor province: Endau-Rompin National Park , along streams in secondary rain forest, five males, 12 July 2001 (No. 21067). All samples leg. P. Grootaert.

Male

Body length 1.3–1.5 mm; wing length 1.1–1.25 mm.

Head. Frons broad, purplish black, feebly shining. Face narrowing downwards; eyes touching each other just below middle of face. Palpi small, black, with a short black apical bristlet. Rostrum yellow. Chaetotaxy as usual; two small postocellars. Postocular cilia short, uniseriate, black. Antenna (figure 84) short, dark brown; tip of third segment lighter coloured. Third segment about as long as deep; apex narrow, pointed. Arista 2.5 times as long as antenna; basal aristal segment a little shorter than third antennal segment.

Thorax. Mesoscutum and scutellum with brownish black ground colour, feebly shining. Pleurae dark brown, with a small black spot on metapleura; neck yellow. Chaetotaxy as usual; acr uniseriate. Scutellum with two marginals. No propleural bristle.

Legs. Fore coxae yellow; mid and hind coxae brownish yellow. Trochanters yellow. Legs yellow; mid and hind femora, hind tibia and hind tarsus slightly browned.

Fore leg (figure 90). Coxa anteriorly with brownish hairs and bristlets. Femur with two to four very small preapical pv. Tibia shorter than femur, without bristles or serration. Length of tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.25: 0.09:0.04:0.03: 0.025: 0.04.

Mid leg. Coxa with a few short brownish hairs. Femur (figures 85, 86) posteroventrally on apical half with a row of close-set black setae, regularly growing longer towards tip of femur, being there as long as diameter of femur; a small preapical av. Tibia (figure 86) with two ad and one d; anteroventrally a row of slightly lengthened hairs. Length of tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.4:0.15:0.08: 0.065: 0.05:0.06.

Hind leg. Coxa with a very small dark exterior bristlet. Femur (figure 91) with a ventral bristle near apex, about as long as diameter of femur; a row of four weak pv in front of apex. Tibia (figure 91) with three or four weak dorsal bristles, growing longer towards tip of tibia; two very weak anterior bristlets; posteroventrally a row of very slightly lengthened hairs. Length of tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.41: 0.08:0.1: 0.07:0.05:0.06.

Wing. Wing (figure 92) hyaline. Costa not thickened. Halters yellowish brown. Squamae dark, with dark cilia.

Abdomen. Abdomen dark brown. Hairs and bristles very short, black. Hypopygium (figures 87–89) dark brown, directed backwards.

Female

Body length 1.35–1.65 mm; wing length 1.15–1.45 mm.

Face black, feebly shining, a little narrower than the distance between the two ocellar bristles. Antenna as in male. Mid femur without posteroventral row of setae. Hind femur without ventral bristle. Mid tibia: two ad, one pd, one av; no row of lengthened hairs. Hind tibia: three d and a weak av; no row of lengthened hairs. Oviscapt with short black acanthae.

Discussion

By the backward direction of the hypopygium this species stands apart among all other Teuchophorus species.