Elaphropeza combinata, 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 : 23-25

Elaphropeza combinata sp. nov.

( Figs. 18–22 )

Diagnosis. A robust yellow species with occiput yellow, postpedicel about 1.5 times longer than wide, style about 5.0 times longer than postpedicel; thorax wholly yellow; legs yellow, hind tibia with 2 black curved subapical anteroventral bristles and 1 anterodorsal bristle near middle.

Description. Male. Body length 2.7–2.9 mm, wing length 2.3–2.4 mm. Occiput and frons wholly yellow, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Ocellar tubercle yellow, anterior ocellars long, procli- nate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones hardly prominent. Frons yellow, subshining. Antenna ( Fig. 18 ) yellow, basal segments with brownish tinge. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel short, nearly 1.5–1.7 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brownish yellow, about 5.0 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 3.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer and darker subapical seta.

Thorax wholly yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles. Scutellum with truncate apex. Prothoracic episterna with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 very short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 very short postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones minute) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 2 pairs of long prescutellars), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs wholly yellow, mostly with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary but strong setation, hind trochanter with several black spinules posteriorly. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles, 1 long bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Fore tibia bearing 2 long bristly hairs before gland and 1 dorsal bristle in basal part. 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 1 row of black ventral spinules in apical part, bearing 1 anterodorsal bristle in basal part. Hind femur thickened in about apical 2/3, bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base, covered with numerous ventral setulae in basal part. Hind tibia with 2 black curved subapical anteroventral bristles and 1 anterodorsal bristle near middle; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, hind tarsomere 1 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: 49/48/35/13. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present as trace. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Tergites 1–2 and 5–7 yellowish, tergites 3 and 4 dark brown. Tergite 1 very narrow. Tergites 2– 4 of subequal width viewed laterally but tergite 2 broadly concave on anterior margin; tergite 5 about 2.0 times narrower than tergite 4. Tergites 3–5 bearing squamiform setae. Tergites 6–8 unmodified; tergite 6 lacking prominent posteromarginal bristles, tergite 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites unmodified; sternites 7–8 with long posteromarginal bristles. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 and 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 19–22 ) large, brownish yellow. Cerci separated; left cercus unbranched, mainly broad, with digitiform apical part produced inward, clothed with long bristles, bearing 2 spine-like bristles apically. Right cercus short, very narrow, with several moderately long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right surstylus ( Fig. 21 ) strongly prominent, rather large, subtriangular, with scattered short bristles, lacking spines. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several short bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe moderately large, as in Fig. 22 , with few long marginal bristles. Hypandrium with 1 long and 1 short bristles. Phallus long, coiled. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Body length 3.0– 3.2 mm, wing length 2.5–2.6 mm. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules. Segment 8 short, brownish yellow, with sclerites fused antero-laterally; sternite 8 not folded apically. Cercus brownish yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 8 February 2006, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 26030, leg. PG, E-21).

Paratypes: 1 ♀, SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 14 October 2005, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25390, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 18 November 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25423, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 3 December 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25437, leg. PG, E-21) .

Derivatio nominis. The name combinata refers to the combined presence of a single anterodorsal bristle and a pair of curved subapical bristles on the hind tibia.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Swamp forest.

Singapore. This is a very rare species that was only found at Nee Soon.

Remarks. Elaphropeza combinata belongs to an apparently monophyletic lineage of Elaphropeza sharing curved subapical bristles on the hind tibia. Otherwise, the relationships of this species have not been resolved. The new species can be readily distinguished from other species of Elaphropeza by the presence of an anterodorsal bristle on the tibia of all legs and some other characters indicated in the diagnosis given above and in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 18–22. Elaphropeza combinata sp. nov. 18. antenna. 19. epandrium with cerci. 20. left cercus lateral view. 21. right surstylus dorsal view. 22. left surstylus.