Platypalpus abagoensis, Kustov, Semen, Shamshev, Igor & Grootaert, Patrick, 2014

Kustov, Semen, Shamshev, Igor & Grootaert, Patrick, 2014, Six new species of the Platypalpus pallidiventris-cursitans group (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Caucasus, Zootaxa 3779 (5), pp. 529-539 : 530-531

Platypalpus abagoensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled [printed in Cyrillic], [ RUSSIA], “Maykopsky rayon [= district]/ KGPBZ [= Caucasian State Biosphere Nature Reserve, khr. [= ridge] Abago/ 1775 m / 30.vii.2008 / Kustov ( ZIN). PARATYPES: RUSSIA: same data as holotype (1 ♂, ZIN); same data as holotype, 31.vii.2008, coll. Kustov S.Yu. (2 ♂, ZIN); same data as holotype, 1950 m, 1.viii.2008, coll. Kustov S.Yu. (2 ♂, KSU; 1 ♂, RBINS).

Recognition. Large species of the P. pallidiventris-cursitans group; occiput with 1 pair of yellowish inclinate verticals; antenna yellow, but postpedicel darkened apically, about twice longer than wide; palpus yellowish, large, elongate oval; mesonotum with yellowish bristles, usually 3 notopleurals; legs almost entirely yellow, only tarsomere 5 of all legs largely brown, mid tibia with long, pointed apical spur; abdomen with tergites greyish pollinose anteriorly.

Description. Male. Body length 3.5–4.8; wing length 3.7–5.0 mm. Head black. Occiput densely grey pollinose; with 1 pair of long yellowish inclinate verticals; upper part of occiput with numerous moderately long yellowish bristly hairs becoming longer and whitish on lower part. Ocellar tubercle greyish pollinose, with long (as long as verticals) anterior and minute posterior setae. Frons moderately broad, on middle distinctly broader than anterior ocellus, almost parallel-sided, silvery grey pollinose, on upper part with some yellowish tinge. Face as wide as frons, densely silvery pollinose, slightly widening below; clypeus silvery pollinose. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel yellow on basal part and darkened apically, conical, short, about twice longer than wide; stylus black, very short pubescent, about 2.5X longer than postpedicel. Proboscis dark brown, nearly half as long as head is high. Palpus yellowish, large, elongate oval, silvery pubescent, with several short thin setae and 1 longer yellowish subapical bristle.

Thorax with mesonotum densely golden-grey pollinose, pleuron densely greyish pollinose, katepisternum (= sternopleuron) with wide polished black patch; with yellowish bristles. Postpronotal lobe with 1 moderately long and several minute setae. Mesonotum with 3 long notopleurals (sometimes anterior notopleural absent or short and weak), 1–2 postalars and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair short); acrostichals moderately long, arranged in 2 close rows, rather sparse; dorsocentrals irregularly biserial, somewhat longer than acrostichals, 2 prescutellar pairs long; some setulae present behind postpronotal lobe and on notopleuron.

Legs almost entirely yellow, only tarsomere 5 of all legs brown (except extreme base). Fore femur very thickened; with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of long bristles. Fore tibia slightly thickened; with some dark bristly hairs dorsally. Mid femur slightly stouter than fore femur; with row of dark bristles on apical half anteriorly, double row of short black spines ventrally and row of moderately long yellowish posteroventral bristles. Mid tibia slender; with row of black ventral spinules; apical spur long, pointed, black at tip. Hind leg long, slender; hind femur with short anteroventral bristles; hind tibia with several dark bristles dorsally in apical half. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing slightly yellowish tinged, with yellowish veins. One moderately long yellowish costal seta. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 convergent near wing apex, M1+2 evenly bowed; CuA2 slightly recurrent. Crossveins m-cu and r-m contiguous. Calypter yellow, with yellow setae. Halter yellow.

Abdomen black, covered with fine pale hairs of different lengths; all tergites with dense grey pollinosity anteriorly wider laterally; sternites shining. Terminalia ( Figs 1–3 ) moderately large, subglobular, shining black. Right cercus ( Fig. 2 ) rather digitiform, somewhat broader on apical half, slightly extended beyond apex of left epandrial lamella, covered with short ordinary setae; left cercus nearly as long as right cercus, broader than right cercus on about basal 2/3, strongly attenuated on apical third, with pointed apex, covered with short ordinary setae. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 1 ) elongate oval viewed ventrally, with short setae along lower margin, bearing several short subapical setae; right surstylus short, rounded apically, with some short setae. Left epandrial lamella ( Fig. 3 ) subtriangular, with broadly ovate apex and uniformly smoothed lower margin, bearing numerous long, pale yellow setae occupying about 2/3 length of lower margin.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the area of its origin, the mountain ridge Abago (43°54'2"N, 40°8'52"E).

Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Russia (Republic of Adygea). Known only from high mountain landscape, altitude from 1600 m.

Remarks. The new species is closely related to P. longiseta (Zetterstedt, 1842) widely distributed in Europe. Platypalpus abagoensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. longiseta primarily by yellow mid and hind tarsomeres 1–4. In the male of P. longiseta only fore tarsomeres 1–4 are yellow while mid and hind tarsomeres 1–4 have faint brown to dark brown annulations. Also, P. abagoensis sp. nov. differs from P. longiseta by broadly pollinose abdominal tergites, contiguous crossveins m-cu and r-m of the wing and some other characters.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Platypalpus abagoensis sp. nov., male. 1. right epandrial lamella and surstylus, ventral view. 2. epandrium and cerci, dorsal view. 3. left cercus and left epandrial lamella, lateral view. Scale bar is 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: cerc—cercus, lft epand—left epandrial lamella, rt epand—right epandrial lamella, rt sur—right surstylus.