Elaphropeza equalis, 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 : 122-124

Elaphropeza equalis sp. nov.

( Figs. 196–199 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black, postpedicel 3.0 times longer than wide, style 2.5 times longer than postpedicel; mesonotum with brown pattern, acrostichals 2-serial, dorsocentrals 1-serial; tibiae and tarsi brownish, hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal bristles; abdominal tergites 4 and 5 with squamiform setae.

Description. Male. Body length 2.3– 2.2 mm, wing length 1.9–2.0 mm. Occiput entirely black, subshining, with brownish yellow to brown setation. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals rather short, outer ones hardly prominent. Frons subshining. Antenna ( Fig. 196 ) entirely brownish. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel nearly 3.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, about 2.5 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 1.5 times 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 largely reddish yellow or yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish bristles; mesonotum with brownish patch above notopleural space, postalar callus and before scutellum on line of dorsocentral bristles, sternopleuron and hypopleuron with large brownish space in lower part, metapleuron darkened in upper part, sutures brownish in varying extent. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 very short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle short. Mesonotum with 1 long and 1 short notopleural, 1 very short postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals 2-serial, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals 1- serial, extending to base of scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars longest.

Legs long, slender, largely brownish yellow (in paler specimens yellow), with yellow to brownish yellow setation; tibiae (especially fore and mid tibiae) and tarsi brownish. 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 numerous ventral spinules along whole length, 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 row of black ventral spinules and 1 spine at apex anteriorly, lacking prominent bristles. Hind femur narrower than fore and mid femora, bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal bristles in middle part; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Hind tarsomere 1 somewhat thickened, shorter than remaining tarsomeres combined.

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: 47/25/47/14. Vein Rs subequal to crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique. Crossvein r-m somewhat before middle of cell bm. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 wholly pale. Tergites 2 and 3 with subtriangular lateral dark spots. Tergite 4 broadest, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 about 1.5 times narrower than tergite 4, with squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 unmodified; tergite 7 with short posteromarginal bristles. Sternites unmodified, subrectangular, sternites 2–6 with shallow excision anteriorly. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5, vessel-like.

Terminalia ( Figs. 197–199 ) small, brown. Cerci narrowly fused, of subequal size and shape, short, digitiform; left cercus with numerous moderately long and several stronger (in apical part) bristles; right cercus with similar vestiture but bearing 2 spine-like bristles apically. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subtriangular, with numerous long bristles on apical half. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several long bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, elongate oval, with numerous long bristles apically. Hypandrium with 8 bristles. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 2.1 mm, wing length 2.0 mm. Abdominal segment 8 narrow, rather elongate, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Cercus brownish. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 14 December 2005, hand capture (reg. 25453, leg. I. Van de Velde).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Clementi woods, 25 June 2005, drains, sweeping (reg. 25183, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 4 December 2002, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 22052, leg. PG, E-22) .

Derivatio nominis. The name equalis refers to the short, equally long right and left cercus.

Distribution. Singapore. This is a very rare species recorded on only two occasions. It was collected once in a rain water drain in the park of Clementi woods and at Nee Soon.

Remarks. In having a modified ampoule-like abdominal gland, E. equalis sp. nov. is likely to be closely related to E. bulohensis sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 196–199. Elaphropeza equalis sp. nov. 196. antenna. 197. epandrium with cerci. 198. right epandrial lamella. 199. left surstylus.