Elaphropeza sivasothii, Published, 2007

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 : 66-68

Elaphropeza sivasothii sp. nov.

( Figs. 99–102 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black, postpedicel nearly 3.0 times longer than wide, style about 1.5 times longer than postpedicel; thorax yellow, acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial; tarsomere 5 of all legs brown, hind tibia lacking prominent bristles.

Description. Male. Body length 2.3–2.5 mm, wing length 1.7–1.8 mm. Occiput wholly black, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars short. Inner verticals long, outer ones short. Frons subshining. Antenna ( Fig. 99 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel nearly 3.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, about 2.5 times longer than postpedicel and nearly as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer subapical seta.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; metanotum brown in middle part. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with very short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs almost entirely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation; tarsomere 5 of all legs brown. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. 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 (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 2 rows of hardly prominent ventral spinules in apical part, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent bristles; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly 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: 39/22/28/16. Vein Rs longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present as trace. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 almost entirely pale yellow. Tergites 2 and 3 with rather small, subtriangular, lateral, brownish spaces narrowly connected along midline; with unmodified setation. Tergite 4 broadest, dark brown, with numerous squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, with few squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 brown- ish yellow, tergite 6 with minute, tergite 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Gland-like structures present between tergites 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 100–102 ) large, brownish yellow. Cerci fused forming single, elongate, narrow lobe bearing long spines apically. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subtriangular, with several long bristles, bearing 3 spines at apex. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 4 long bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe elongate oval, with several moderately long bristles, lacking spines. Hypandrium with 1 long spine-like and 1 very short bristle. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 2.1 mm, wing length 1.7 mm. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules. Segment 8 rather short, broad, brownish yellow, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Cercus brownish yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE: Chek Jawa , 12 September 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25343, leg. PG, E-29).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE: 1 ♂, Chek Jawa , 19 November 2003, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 23080, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Kranji , 27 July 2005, beach forest, sweeping (reg. 25254, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sungei Buloh , 28 March 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25037, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The species is dedicated to Dr. Sivasothi from The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, one of the “lords” of the mangrove at Singapore, which means that he has a high interest in the study of mangroves and their protection.

Distribution. Singapore. Mangrove.

Singapore. This is a very rare species that was recorded four times by net sweeping only at Sungei Buloh, Kranji beach forest and at the mangrove of Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin.

Remarks. Elaphropeza sivasothii sp. nov. is a representative of the monophyletic lineage of the E. ephippiata species group sharing completely fused cerci (see “Discussion” for details). Within this lineage the new species is closely related to four species having apical spines on the right epandrial lamella of the male terminalia. Otherwise, the relationships of E. sivasothii sp. nov. have not been resolved.

Figures

FIGURES 99–102. Elaphropeza sivasothii sp. nov. 99. antenna. 100. epandrium with cerci. 101. right epandrial lamella. 102. left surstylus.