Elaphropeza nigropunctata Senior-White, 1922

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 133-134

Elaphropeza nigropunctata Senior-White, 1922

Elaphropeza nigropunctata Senior-White, 1922: 152 (male).

Re-description. Male. Body length 2.3 mm [2.5 mm in the original description], wing length 2.7 mm. Occiput wholly yellow, subshining, finely pollinose. Eye slightly concave on posterior margin. Ocellar tubercle brownish, frons subshining brownish yellow, short. Anterior ocellars moderately long, posterior ones short. Inner verticals long, outer ones short. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel dark blackish brown (except extreme base). Palpus small, yellowish.

Thorax yellow, with distinct markings; hypopleuron with large oval black spot, scutellum almost wholly black (paler on lateral corners), metanotum dark brown in middle part. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with short bristle in upper part. Acrostichal and dorsocentral bristles multiserial, the former lacking on prescutellar depression.

Legs largely yellow; fore tibia and almost wholly tarsi of all legs (except hind tarsomere 1) pale brownish. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles and 2 longer bristles near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles, 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals (subapicals longer) and about 7 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal bristles in middle part; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Hind basitarsus somewhat thickened.

Wing almost hyaline, finely yellowish infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish. Costal index: 71/34/51/19. Vein Rs longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 smoothly arched, almost straight. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, vein R4+5 slightly bowed. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present as fold. Crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique. Crossvein r-m far before middle of cell bm, cell rm very short, about 1/3 of cell bm. Halter with dark knob [not yellow as in the original description].

Abdomen with tergites 1 and 5–7 pale yellow, tergites 2–3 brownish yellow; tergite 4 broadest, black, with numerous squamiform setae; tergite 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Terminalia small, with brownish sclerites. (Missing structures taken from Senior-White (1922)).

Type material examined: Holotype male labelled: CEYLON / Maskeliya, 4000' / Suduganga / 23.ii.1919 / G.D. Austin.; Elaphropeza / nigropunctata / Senior White male / TYPE; Holotype; BMNH (E) # 244887 ( BMNH).

Senior-White (1922) described this species from a single male that is now deposited in the BMNH. Currently, the postpedicel with style on both antennae, one mid leg, hind legs and one wing are lost from the holotype; otherwise it is in fairly good condition .

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Remarks. The relationships of E. nigropunctata are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. ephippiata species group. However, this species appears to show some affinities to E. palpata , E. nigropunctata and E. lanuginosa , as we have discussed above.

Elaphropeza nigropunctata is very similar to E. ukhalo described from Nepal (Smith 1965). Both species are almost impossible to distinguish following their original descriptions. We have examined the holotype of E. ukhalo and found that E. nigropunctata differs from E. ukhalo by a yellow metapleuron and brownish fore tibiae and tarsi. Also, the terminalia of this species appear to be somewhat different but we were not able to study them in a single holotype specimen.