Meoneura gnomi, Stuke & Barták, 2019

Stuke, Jens-Hermann & Barták, Miroslav, 2019, Records of Carnidae from the collection of Miroslav Barták (Diptera: Carnidae), with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4567 (2), pp. 326-346 : 335-338

Meoneura gnomi spec. nov.

( Figs. 11–14 )

Holotype ♂: (1) „ SU: Amankutan / pasture / 39.19N / 66.55E 1300 m / Barták, 23.v.1989 “; (2) „ Holotypus / Meoneura gnomi / spec. nov. ♂ / det. Stuke 2018“.

The holotype is deposited in the collection of the Czech University of Life Sciences, Czech Republic, Prague (CULSP). The specimen is glued on a card point and therefore only the left side of the thorax could be examined. Otherwise the specimen is in good condition. The posterior part of abdomen is dissected, macerated and stored in a glycerine microvial pinned underneath the specimen.

Description of holotype (male). Length about 1.8 mm. Wing length 1.7 mm. Head height 0.4 mm.

Head black, immediately above the lunula a small yellow brown margin. Antenna black to dark brown. Arista without pubescence. Maximum eye length: maximum eye height = 0.9. Posteroventral margin of gena closest to eye margin: maximum eye height = 0.4. Frons slightly microtomentose, frontal triangle shining to subshining. Frontal triangle distinct, reaching about 1/2 distance from anterior ocellus to frontal margin. Face microtomentose. Carina narrow. Postcranium microtomentose. Prementum longer and wider than labellum. Palpus brown, about 1/2 as long as the haustellum. 1 distinct ocellar seta; supralunular setae convergent; 4 fronto-orbital setae (2 anterior mesoclinate, 2 posterior lateroclinate); 2 vertical setae; 2 mesoclinate postorbital setae; postocellar setae parallel; 1 strong vibrissal seta; 2 supravibrissal setae, both of about the same size; 1 strong and 2 slightly smaller genal setae.

Scutum microtomentose, covered with short, semiadpressed black setulae. Scutellum microtomentose. Pleurae subshining to microtomentose. Scutum with 1 long posterior and 1 small anterior dorsocentral seta. 1 postpronotal seta; 1 praesutural seta; 2 notopleural setae; 1 supraalar seta; 2 postalar setae; 1 praescutellar seta; 1 apical and 1 lateral scutellar seta. 1 seta at posterior margin of anepisternum. 1 dorsal seta and 1 ventral seta on katepisternum. Costa with no obvious setae beyond radial vein R 1. Wing hyaline, veins light yellow to yellow brown. R 4+5 slightly curved to apex of wing. Knob of haltere whitish yellow, base of haltere brown. Legs black to brown. Fore femur basally with 3 strong posteroventral setae. Hind femur apically with 1 strong anteroventral seta. All coxae with single inconspicuous black setae. Hind metatarsus ventrally with dense yellow golden setae. Length metatarsus 2: length tibia 2 = 0.6.

Tergites with no obvious depressions or tufts of setulae. Abdominal pleura with scattered setae on abdominal segments 4–5. Abdominal segments 1–5 narrow, width of tergite 3: length of tergite 3 = 2.8. Tergites 2–5 each with 1 distinct lateral seta at the posterior margin, and tergite 5 with 4 setae at the posterior margin. Sternite 5 almost semicircular ( Fig. 14 ). Sternite 5 with 1 large and some smaller lateral setae. Midventral tergite 7 not recognized. Protandrium small, about as long as epandrium and about 0.5 of length of tergite 5. In the holotype the protandrium is almost completely hidden by tergite 5. Epandrium with 1 outstanding lateral seta and several smaller setae ( Fig. 11 ). Maximum length dorsally in the middle of epandrium: maximum width of epandrium = 0.7. Cerci distinctly projecting, and with a few setulae only. Subepandrial plate hardly sclerotised with the exception of a x-shaped brown structure. No setula recognized on subepandrial plate. No proceeding of hypoproct. No tooth on subepandrial plate. Surstylus as Figs. 11–12 : elongated and slightly longer than epandrium, almost parallel sided, sclerotized basally and almost hyaline apically, tip rounded. Surstylus apically with several strong setae mixed with smaller setulae, basally with small setulae only. No lamella. Postgonite as in Fig. 13 : distinctly sclerotised, with a slightly broadened base, slightly elongated, pointed, apically bent like a hook. Distiphallus longer than epandrium and surstylus, covered with short, broad setulae that form a dark surface over almost the complete distiphallus. Basiphallus not recognized.

Diagnosis. At first glance Meoneura gnomi is recognised by the unique elongated surstylus ( Figs. 11, 12 ) which is longer than epandrium, basally sclerotised and apically almost hyaline, and covered with dense setulae apically. Meoneura krivosheinae Ozerov, 1991 has a similar long surstylus that is sclerotised basally and hyaline apically. But the surstylus of M. krivosheinae species is constricted medially, about twice as long as epandrium, and has a sclerotised base with some obvious setae (cf. Ozerov 1991: 8, Fig. 5 ). The Nearctic Meoneura forcipata Sabrosky, 1959 has an elongated surstylus and no lamella, too, and resembles M. gnomi in this regard. But M. forcipata has a different shaped surstylus and is densely covered with short setulae apically (Sabrosky 1 959: 21, Fig. 8 ).

Etymology. This term „gnomi“ is derived from the noun „gnom“. Gnoms are dwarf-like humanoids living underground. Gnoms are first introduced in the literature in the 16th century by Paracelsus (Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim). As Carnidae belongs to the smallest Acalyptratae, gnoms are the smallest humanoids.

Distribution. Meoneura gnomi is hitherto only known from the locus typicus Aman-Kutan (near Samarkand, Uzbekistan).

Meoneura helvetica PAPP, 1997

Material: AUSTRIA: 2♂♂, 31.vii.1988, Heiligenblut [47.00°N 12.46°E], 1700 m, on Compositae, leg. M. Barták, coll. CULSP, PJHS ; FRANCE: 1♂, 12.vii.1990, Montgenevre, spruce wood [44.56°N 6.43°E], 1800 m, leg. M. Barták, coll. CULSP ; ITALY: 2♂♂, 1.viii.1988, Lago di S. Croce, deciduous wood near lake [46.07°N 12.20°E], leg. M. Barták, coll. CULSP ; 5♂♂, 8.viii.1988, Passo Sella, forest boundary [46.26°N 11.46°E], 1900 m, leg. M. Barták, coll. CULSP, PJHS ; SPAIN: 6♂♂, 15.viii.2006, Sierra Nevada, Puerto Ragua, near brook [37°07’01’’N 03°01’48’’W], 2000 m, leg. M. Barták, coll. CULSP, PJHS .

Diagnosis: Stuke & Freidberg (2017).

M. helvetica is here reported from Austria and France for the first time.

Meoneura hungarica PAPP, 1977

Material: TURKEY: 2♂♂, 23.v.2011, 12 km sw of Muğla [37°7’40’’N 28°16’28’’E], 660 m, on Ferula communis , leg. M. Barták & Š. Kubik, coll. PJHS ; 1♂, 23.v.2011, Muğla, University campus, 710 m [37°09’39’’N

28°22’20’’E], 710 m, leg. M. Barták & Š. Kubik, coll. CULSP. Diagnosis : Stuke & Freidberg (2017). These are the first records of M. hungarica from Turkey .

Figures

FIGURES 11–14. Meoneura gnomi spec. nov. (drawn from holotype). 11. Lateral view of epandrium and surstylus. 12. Lateral view of surstylus. 13. Lateral view of postgonite. 14. Ventral view of sternite 3 (left)—sternite 5 (right).

FIGURES 2–5. Meoneura artoodetoo spec. nov. (drawn from holotype). 2. Lateral view of epandrium and surstylus. 3. Lateral view of surstylus. 4. Lateral view of postgonite. 5. Ventral view of sternite 3 (left)—sternite 5 (right). ep—epandrium; ph—process of hypoproct; S3, S5—sternite 3, 5; su—surstylus; ves—ventrally expanded base of surstylus.

FIGURES 7–10. Meoneura baechli spec. nov. (drawn from holotype). 7. Lateral view of epandrium and surstylus. 8. Lateral view of surstylus. 9. Lateral view of postgonite. 10. Ventral view of sternite 3 (left)—sternite 5 (right).