Austrolimnophila (Austrolimnophila) pallidior, Starý, 2014

Starý, Jaroslav, 2014, Two new species of Austrolimnophila from the Mediterranean (Diptera: Limoniidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1), pp. 355-360 : 358-359

Austrolimnophila (Austrolimnophila) pallidior sp. nov.

( Figs 3–4 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( ZMAN): ALGERIA: 14 km SE of La Calle , 300 m, deciduous forest & carr, 26.iv.1980 (E. v. Nieukerken, G. Bryan & P.Oosterbroek leg.), labelled ‘ALGERIA / E. v. Nieukerken, / G. Bryan & / P. Oosterbroek’ // ‘ 14 km SE of / LA CALLE 300 m / 26-IV-1980 / Decid. for. & carr’ [both printed, white labels] // ‘ HOLOTYPE / Austrolimnophila (s. str.) / pallidior sp. n. J / J. Starý 2013’ [printed, red label]. The specimen is pinned; apex of abdomen cut off; terminalia dissected and placed in a sealed plastic tube with glycerine, pinned with the specimen. PARATYPE: 1 ♀, same data as for holotype ( ZMAN). A pinned specimen.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized species. Body paler than in other species, pale ochreous, darker dorsally, suffused with pale grey pruinosity. Wing moderately narrow, with origin of Rs shortly beyond tip of A 2 and discal cell moderately large. Male terminalia with outer gonostylus generally slender, gradually tapered into slightly curved, blackened spine; aedeagus long, rather broad, extending to distal end of gonocoxite. Wing length 7.6–8.9 mm.

Description. Male. Head with heavy silvery dark grey pruinosity on frons and vertex. Rostrum and palpus ochreous. Antenna 16-segmented, reaching to about wing base, generally brown, except for yellowed base of flagellomere 1. Flagellomeres elongate, gradually narrowed towards apex of antenna. Longest verticils on flagellomeres slightly exceeding length of their respective segments, pubescence sparse.

Thorax generally pale ochreous, darker dorsally. Pronotum pale ochreous. Prescutum and scutum greyish brown, with darker median area indistinctly divided into two stripes. Prescutal disc paler laterally, especially around prescutal pit. Paratergite pale ochreous. Scutellum greyish brown. Postscutellum broadly yellowed laterally. Pleuron pale ochreous, without distinct longitudinal stripe anteriorly. Wing tinged pale brownish, moderately narrow, width-length ratio about 1: 3.5. Pterostigma moderately indicated. Venation: Sc 2 slightly beyond tip of Sc 1. Rs about one third longer than R 3+4, angulated near its base and with short spur. Origin of Rs shortly beyond tip of A 2. Distal section of M 1+2 (beyond discal cell) very short, about one ninth length of M

1

. Discal cell moderate in size, M

3+4

(posterior/lower margin of discal cell) about two thirds length of M 4. Halter obscure yellow, knob darkened. Legs pale ochreous throughout.

Abdomen ochreous, with lateral margins of segments 1–7 broadly dark brown; segments 8 and 9 shiny dark brown throughout. Male terminalia ( Figs 3–4 ): Tergite 9 posteriorly with deep, wide, rectangular, median emargination with slightly protruding postero-lateral corners; broad, conspicuously protruding lobe with undulating edges on each side of emargination. Gonocoxite generally cylindrical, slightly narrowed distally, without distinguishing characters. Both gonostyli setose. Outer gonostylus generally slender, gradually tapered distally into slightly curved, blackened terminal spine. Inner gonostylus very slender, moderately sinuous, obtuse at apex. Paramere darkly pigmented, its posterior arm straight, very slender, rod-shaped, obtuse at tip; tips close together over aedeagus. Aedeagus long, rather broad, generally straight in lateral aspect, largely membranous distally, reaching distal end of gonocoxite. Dorsal apodeme of vesica of moderate length, strongly arched ventrally. For other details in structure of aedeagal complex, see Fig. 4 .

Female resembling male in general appearance. Female terminalia not essentially different externally from those of other species.

Differential diagnosis. Austrolimnophila (A.) pallidior sp. nov. is the palest Western Palaearctic species, with the prescutum and scutum becoming ochreous laterally, especially around the prescutal pits. In the wing venation, the new species resembles most of the other species in having the distal section of M 1+2 (beyond the discal cell) very short, about one ninth length of M 1, and the discal cell comparatively large, with its posterior/lower margin (M 3+4) about two thirds length of M 4. In the shape of the outer gonostylus, A. (A.) pallidior sp. nov. is similar to A. (A.) brevicellula , but it considerably differs from it in other genital structures, especially the broad, truncate lobe on each side of the wide, median, posterior emargination of tergite 9, and the shape of the aedeagus, which is rather long and broad.

Etymology. The name of the new species (Latin pallidior = paler) refers to its body colouration, which is in general paler than that of the other Western Palaearctic species. An adjective in nominative singular.

Distribution. Algeria.

Figures

Figs 1–4. 1–2 – Austrolimnophila (A.) cretica sp. nov., male terminalia (paratype).1 – general view, dorsally. 2 – aedeagal complex, dorsal view. 3–4 – A. (A.) pallidior sp. nov., male terminalia (holotype). 3 – general view, dorsally. 4 – aedeagal complex, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.