Elaphropeza pluriacantha, 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 : 46-48

Elaphropeza pluriacantha sp. nov.

( Figs. 63–66 , 254 )

Diagnosis. Mesonotum almost wholly brown, scutum evenly covered with short setulae; postpedicel short, 2.5 times longer than wide; legs wholly yellow, mid and hind tibiae lacking anterodorsal bristles; wing with distinct pattern, deeper infuscate in basal half; tergites 3–5 bearing squamiform setae.

Description. Male. Body length 1.5–1.6 mm, wing length 1.4–1.5 mm. Head black, occiput subshining, with pale setation. Eye with somewhat concave hind margin. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Two pairs of inclinate verticals of subequal length. Frons shining. Antenna ( Fig. 63 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel somewhat darker. Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae. Postpedicel short, nearly 2.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, nearly 5.0 times longer than postpedicel and about 2.5 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, with scattered yellow setulae.

Thorax with yellow prosternum, whole pleura (mesopleuron and pteropleuron with some brownish tinge) and postalar callus, otherwise brown. Proepisternum with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 short bristle in upper part. Prothoracic spiracle brown. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 moderately long notopleurals of subequal length, 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones minute) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with uniform short setulae (except for 2 long prescutellar bristles) extending to base of scutellum.

Legs entirely yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles and 1 long bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, with 2 very long yellow bristles in basal part. Mid tibia with 1 row of black ventral spinules, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 2–3 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with ordinary inconspicuous setation; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brown setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing ( Fig. 254 ) normally developed; darkened in basal half (deeper in middle of cell r1 and in basal part of cell r2+3), otherwise almost hyaline; covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, yellow. Costal index: 30/18/26/11. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 not quite reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 almost entirely pale yellow, with very small brownish space on each side only. Tergites 3–5 dark brown; tergites 2 and 6–7 paler, concolorous. Tergite 2 very narrow dorsally and somewhat broader laterally; with scattered, brown, unmodified setae. Tergite 3 broad, with squamiform setae laterally and along posterior margin. Tergite 4 narrower than tergite 3, with squamiform setae laterally. Tergite 5 nearly as broad as tergite 2, bearing squamiform setae. Tergites 6–7 unmodified, tergite 7 with rather short posteromarginal bristles. Sternites 1–5 yellowish, sternites 6–8 brownish, all with scattered setulae. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 (dark, elongate oval, undivided) and 4–5 (less distinct, large, undivided but with notch anteriorly).

Terminalia ( Figs. 64–66 ) wholly yellow. Cerci divided; left cercus unbranched, rather broad in middle part, pointed, with numerous moderately long bristles; right cercus unbranched, well prominent, with moderately long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right surstylus strongly prominent, long, narrow, sinuate (viewed dorsally), with bristles of different lengths. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several short and 2 longer bristles apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 66 ) with upper lobe rather small, bearing several long spine-like bristles and possessing internal projection. Hypandrium with 1 short strong and 1 thinner bristle apically. Phallus long, coiled. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Body length 1.5 mm, wing length 1.3 mm. Mid tibia lacking black ventral spinules. Segment 8 short, brownish yellow, with sclerites fused antero-laterally; sternite 8 not folded apically. Cercus yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 4 December 2002, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 22054, leg. PG, E-03).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE: 1 ♂, Bukit Timah , 23 September 2005, rain forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25358, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 24 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25029, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 16 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25351, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The name pluriacantha refers to the row of spines on the left surstylus.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Forest species.

Singapore: This is a rare species (4 records only from 2 localities). Even the few records indicate that it can be present throughout the year and no peak activity is observed.

Remarks. In the structure of the male terminalia (the presence of long spines and an internal projection on the left surstylus) E. pluriacantha sp. nov appears closely related to E. acantha sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 63–66. Elaphropeza pluriacantha sp. nov. 63. antenna. 64. epandrium with cerci. 65. right surstylus. 66. left cercus and surstylus.

FIGURES 253-259. Wings. 253. Elaphropeza singaporensis sp. nov. 254. E. pluriacantha sp. nov. 255. E. yangi sp. nov. 256. E. spiralis sp. nov. 257. E. bicaudata. 258. E. biuncinata. 259. E. hirsutitibia. 260-261. E. palpata.