Homoneura (Homoneura) ensata, Li & Yang, 2012

Li, Wenliang & Yang, Ding, 2012, Eleven new species of the Homoneura (Homoneura) beckeri group from Yunnan, China (Diptera, Lauxaniidae), Zootaxa 3537, pp. 1-28 : 16-18

Homoneura (Homoneura) ensata sp. nov.

( Figs. 6, 17, 28, 38, 67–71)

Diagnosis. Face with a blackish brown median spot extending to inner margin of parafacial. Antenna blackish brown. Wing without markings. Abdominal tergites 1–4 entirely blackish brown; tergite 5 with blackish brown median spot confluent with black posterior band; tergite 6 with a brown median spot and a pair of lateral spots.

Description. MALE. Body length 4.8 mm, wing length 5.0 mm. FEMALE. Body length 4.2–4.5 mm, wing length 4.4–4.8 mm.

Head ( Fig. 6) pale yellow. Face with a blackish brown median spot extending to inner margin of parafacial. Frons about as long as wide and parallel–sided, with two narrow blackish gray stripes along or rows and a narrow brown triangular median stripe extending to ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle grayish black; oc strong, about as long as anterior or, anterior or slightly shorter than posterior or. Gena about 1/7 height of eye. Occiput with a wide grayish black stripe confluent with ocellar triangle, upper half of occiput with a large brown spot on each side, not extending to top margin of eye;. Antenna blackish brown, 1st flagellomere 1.7 times longer than high, brown around arista; arista long plumose, black except brownish basally, with longest hairs longer than height of 1st flagellomere. Proboscis yellowish brown, with yellowish and blackish hairs; palpus pale yellow with blackish hairs.

Thorax ( Fig. 17) blackish brown with grayish white pruinescence. Mesoscutum with white pruinescence on anterior margin, 0+3 dc (anterior dc clearly behind transverse scutal suture), acr in 8 somewhat irregular rows. Anepisternum blackish brown except yellow ventroapical corner, pteropleuron yellow with a grayish black spot, and katepisternum pale yellow except blackish brown dorsal margin. Scutellum brownish black except yellow apical margin, with yellowish gray pruinescence. Legs pale yellow, but all tarsi dark yellow except tarsomere 5 brown on apical half; hind tibia with an incomplete brown basal ring. Fore femur with 4 strong pv and 5 pd, ctenidium with 11 short bristles; fore tibia with 1 long preapical ad and 2 short apv. Mid femur with 5 a and 1 apv; mid tibia with 1 strong preapical ad and 3 strong apv. Hind femur with 1 preapical ad; hind tibia with 1 weak preapical ad and 1 short apv. Wing ( Fig. 28) slightly yellow, without markings; subcostal cell hyaline; costa with 2nd (between R 1 and R 2+3), 3rd (between R 2+3 and R 4+5) and 4th (between R 4+5 and M 1) sections in proportion of 2.6: 0.7: 0.4; r-m before middle of discal cell; ultimate and penultimate sections of M 1 in proportion of 1.5: 1.1; ultimate section of CuA 1 about 1/6 of penultimate. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen ( Fig. 38) yellow with sparse silvery white pruinescence; tergites 1–4 entirely blackish brown; tergite 5 with a blackish brown median spot confluent with black posterior band; tergite 6 with a brown median spot and a pair of lateral spots. Male genitalia ( Figs. 67–71): condition of protandrium not known because specimen is broken; epandrium nearly triangular in posterior view; surstylus extended from basal half of epandrium, incurved claviform; hypandrium with a Y–shaped ventral process, hypandrial apodeme long; gonopod columniform; aedeagus with a small apical incision, consisting of a pair of dorsal sclerites bearing claviform apex and connected basally, ventral sclerite with 3 pair of long sword-shaped apical processes (longest processes excurved in lateral view).

Type material Holotype ♂ ( CAU), CHINA, Yunnan Province: Baoshan, Baihualing, Wenquan (1500 m), 29. V. 2007, Xingyue Liu . Paratypes: CHINA, Yunnan Province: 1 ♀ ( CAU), Baoshan, Baihualing, Wenquan (1500 m), 23. V. 2006, Xingyue Liu ; 1 ♀ ( CAU), Baoshan, Tengchong, 31. V. 2007, Xingyue Liu ; 1 ♀ ( CAU), Lijiang, Yulong, snow mountain, 28. V. 2006, Xingyue Liu .

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Remarks. The new species is somewhat similar to Homoneura (Homoneura) immaculata (Meijere) from Oriental in the following characters: face with spots; 1st flagellomere blackish brown; acr in 8 somewhat irregular rows; abdominal tergites 1–4 entirely blackish brown; surstylus extended from basal half of epandrium, claviform; hypandrium with a Y–shaped ventral process and hypandrial apodeme long. But it can be separated from the latter by the following features: face with a blackish brown median spot; abdominal tergite 5 with a blackish brown median spot, and confluent with black posterior band; tergite 6 with a brown median spot and a pair of lateral spots; surstylus incurved; aedeagus with a small apical incision, ventral sclerite with 3 pair of long sword-shaped apical processes. In H. (H.) immaculata , the face has a pair of brown median spots; the abdominal tergites 5 is blackish brown; tergite 6 is entirely yellow; the surstylus is not incurved; the aedeagus has a distinct apical incision, its ventral sclerite has no long sword-shaped apical processes ( Sasakawa 1992).

Etymology. Latin, ensata , meaning sword-like, referring to the ventral sclerite with 3 pair of long sword-like apical processes.