Herina sicula Morgulis, Freidberg and Kameneva

Morgulis, E., Freidberg, A. & Kameneva, E. P., 2013, Two new species of Herina (Diptera: Ulidiidae) from the Mediterranean region, with key to species groups, Zootaxa 3686 (4), pp. 461-470 : 469-470

Herina sicula Morgulis, Freidberg and Kameneva , n. sp.

( Figs. 3, 5 , 10 , 12 )

Material examined. Holotype 3: Italy: Sicily: Pioppo, 28.viii.1982, A. Freidberg ( TAUI). Paratypes: Same collecting data as holotype (13, 4Ƥ) ( TAUI). The holotype is in excellent condition, double-mounted, minutien pin on plastic block.

Diagnosis. This species differs from all congeners by the combination of small size, densely microtrichose thorax and syntergite 1+2, and almost entirely brown wing except posterior half of cell cu2 and anal lobe grayish to hyaline. H. sicula n. sp. is most similar to H. dimorphica n. sp., differing from it in veins R4+5 and M being parallel (in H. dimorphica veins R4+5 and M are slightly divergent); abdominal tergites 3 and 4 of male with bare black spots widely confluent, leaving only two lateroapical and one mediobasal triangles of gray microtrichia ( Fig. 12 ) (in H. dimorphica tergites 3 and 4 medially and apically gray microtrichose, with two isolated bare spots ( Fig. 11 )); and in the lateral surstylus gently bent medially (bent in a nearly right angle in H. dimorphica ).

Description (only characters in which H. sicula differs from H. dimorphica are mentioned in the description).

Head ( Fig. 1 ): 1.13–1.53 times as high as long. Eye 1.4–1.9 times as high as long. First flagellomere 1.1–2.0 times as long as high. Gena 0.17–0.23 times as high as eye. Color and vestiture: Occiput, orbit and postgena brown. Orbit silvery-white microtrichose. Scape and pedicel brown. Gena brown, slightly gray microtrichose. Chaetotaxy: lateral vertical seta 1.15–1.50 times as long as medial vertical seta, posterior orbital seta 0.66–0.86 times as long as medial vertical seta; ocellar and postocellar setae short (0.33–0.43 as long as medial vertical seta).

Thorax. Ground color brown. 2 dorsocentral (anterior 4 times as long and as thick as posterior) and 1–2 postalar setae present.

Legs. Yellowish-brown, gray microtrichose.

Wing ( Fig. 10 ). Wing venation and pattern not sexually dimorphic, and crossvein DM-Cu present in both sexes. Wing almost entirely brown; base of wing, alula, posterior half of cell cu2 and anal lobe slightly paler than rest of wing. Veins brown. Cell r4+5 as wide at apex as in middle.

Abdomen. Ground color brown; syntergite 1+2 entirely and tergites 3 and 4 latero-apically and medio-basally microtrichose in male ( Fig. 12 ). Male terminalia: Epandrium ( Fig. 3 ) 1.3 times as high as wide. Lateral surstylus gently curved medially. Phallus ( Fig. 5 ) laterally spinulose at basal 0.8; both laterally and medially spinulose at apical 0.3. Spines at basal 0.25 of phallus about 1.5 times as long as phallus width; spines on next 0.25 about 2.0– 2.5 times as long as phallus width; spines at next 0.2 (both laterally and medially) about as long as phallus width and half as thick as basal spines; lateral spines at subapical 0.2 about half as long as phallus width; medial spines at subapical 0.2 about 1.5 times as long and about 0.7 times as thick as phallus width; spines at apical 0.1 as long as phallus width, gradually decrease in size. Glans membranous and micro-spinulose.

Measurments (mm). Body length 3.13–4.00, wing length 2.7–3.2.

Etymology. The specific epithet sicula is a Latin adjective meaning “Sicilian” and referring to Sicily, the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Characters of Herina spp. 1. Herina dimorphica, head, lateral view. 2. H. dimorphica, epandrium, posterior view. 3. H. sicula, epandrium, posterior view. 4. H. dimorphica, phallus. 5. H. sicula, phallus. 6. H. dimorphica, spermatheca. 7. H. dimorphica, cercal unit.

FIGURES 8 – 10. Wings. 8. H. dimorphica, male. 9. H. dimorphica, female. 10. H. sicula.

FIGURES 11 – 12. Abdomen, male, dorsal view. 11. H. dimorphica. 12. H. sicula.