Pneumia isabellae (Wagner)

Omelková, Markéta & Ježek, Jan, 2012, Two new species of Pneumia Enderlein (Diptera, Psychodidae, Psychodinae) from the Palaearctic region, Zootaxa 3180, pp. 1-18 : 5-7

Pneumia isabellae (Wagner)

Pericoma isabellae Wagner, 2005 , 59, in Wagner & Schrankel (2005).

Material examined. Slovenia, Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, 0.0 m a.s.l., drainage canals near a rural road, vegetation: Arundo, Salicornetum , Arthrocnemum , Halimione , Limonium , Artemisia , Suaeda and Inula . 27 males, 24.ix.1999, SW, J. Ježek leg., Slides Cat. No. 34514–34540, Inv. No. 19678–19704. All material was deposited in the NMPC.

Redescription. Male. Head flattened antero-posteriorly, vertex elevated (Fig. 1); 6–9 long supraocular bristles above dorsal margins of eyes (see conspicuous setae alveoli); eyes separated, interocular suture slightly arcuate with faint dorsal extension at the mid-line; ratio of distances of apices of eyes (tangential points) to minimum width of the frons approximately 5:1; frons equal to little more than two facet diameters ( Fig. 12 ); eye bridge consisting of four facet rows (the number may be lower closer to the frontal eye margin). The horizontal border of insertions of hairs above the upper apices of the eyes is slightly convex on both sides, without a medial cleft. The frontoclypeus has a large trilobed central patch of insertions of setae, a narrow medial lobe, prolonged almost to the interocular suture, the lateral lobes are inconspicuous, rounded, basis of central patch near tentorial pits gradually enlarged and cutting edge. The antennae (Figs. 2, 3, 13) are 16–partite and haired. The scape is very short, cylindrical, somewhat widened distally, and the pedicel is almost ball-shaped. The flagellomeres are mostly spindle shaped. The last three antennomeres are anomalous, of which two are barrel-shaped, progressively decreasing in size, and the terminator has a stout apiculus (digit) as long and half as wide as the basal, almost ovoid, part of the antennomere. The sensory filaments (ascoids) are needle shaped (Fig. 3), bent, paired, rather short, more than half as long again as the flagellomeres bearing them (1:1.6). The mouthparts conspicuously extend beyond the basal palpomere. The length ratios of the maxillary palpomeres are 1.0:1.6:1.8:2.8, and the last palpomere is annulate ( Fig. 15 ). For the terminal lobes of the labium, as shown in Fig. 14 , the lines of the spines between both lobes are not developed. The ratio of the maximum length of the cibarium (Fig. 4) to the length of the epipharynx is 2.2:1. Thorax: the anepisternum has numerous hairs, an anterior margin of insertions of hairs is triangle shaped, the meropleural suture (rib) is missing (Fig. 5), and Fig. 6 shows the thoracal spiracle in detail. The wing ( Fig. 16 ) is ovate, almost two and a half times as long as its wide, with a convex posterior margin that is 2.4 mm long (paratypes 2.1– 2.5 mm). The membrane of the wing is generally clear, only inconspicuously infuscated between the origins of R2+3, and R5, in a field among C and Sc, with a long linear streak running parallel to R1. A small amount of infuscation decorates the ends of all veins. Strengthened veins: Sc, R1 distally, R2+3 basally, R2, R4 basally, R5, M 1+2 basally, CuA1 and CuA2 (except for part of the middle). The medial fork arises basal to the radial one and the apex of Cu A2, and the radial fork arises basal to the apex of CuA2. The medial fork is incomplete (in contrast to the radial one), as is the end of Cu A2. R5 ends beyond the apex. The bases of M3, CuA1 and CuA2 are not connected. The halteres (Fig. 7) are stick shaped and haired; the ratio of the maximum length of the halteres to their maximum width is 2.9:1. The length ratios of the femora, tibiae and first tarsomeres are: P1 1.7:2.0:1.0, P2 1.8:2.3:1.2, and P3 1.9:2.5:1.2. The paired tarsal claws of P1 are haired in the basal part (Fig. 8). The basal apodeme of the male aedeagus is narrow ( Figs. 18, 19 ) and straight, inconspicuously bent from the lateral view, abruptly tapering to a pointless proximal end from the dorsal and lateral views. The aperture of the distal part of the basal apodeme is elongate. The central chamber of the aedeagal complex is proximally narrow, with a sclerotized lining, inside with a turn rook-shaped structure. The cleft of the spatula is rather deep. The distiphalus is racket shaped and double skirted, and the paired inner lamellae are clasped, and widened distally. The gonocoxites are long (Figs. 9–10, 18), almost cylindrical, expanded basally from the lateral view, with a length ratio of the gonocoxite and the aedeagal complex of 1:1.3. The bristles on the inner sides of the gonocoxites are conspicuous and very long. The gonostyli (Figs. 9– 10, 18) are bizzare, with an irregular puffball shape, bearing a slender spine-like subapical protuberance, which is a little bent, 1.1 times as long as the width of the swollen bulbose basal part, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aedeagal complex, with an abruptly acuminate ending bearing one short seta beneath. The epandrium (Figs. 11, 17) is almost bare, with some caudal hair insertions on both sides of a shallow epandrial notch. The middle aperture is transversely prolonged and approximately kidney-shaped. The remainders of ventral epandrial sclerite are stout, almost spindle shaped, with many transverse and longitudinal wrinkles. The entire hypandrium is narrow (Figs. 10, 18). The epiproct is tongue shaped, relatively small, with an almost circular caudal ending, with short setae, and the hypoproct is large, almost lozenge shaped (with rounded tops), with a small caudal triangle of long hairs (Figs. 11, 17). The surstyli (Figs. 11, 17) are about twice as long as the epandrium, sagging a little in the middle, and the retinaculi (numbers 5–8 are stable) are restricted to clusters near the rounded apex and are gradually become shorter towards the top of surstylus. The endings of the retinaculi are not frazzled, but bevelled with rounding edges.

Female unknown.

Differential diagnosis. The position of the wing forks is similar to Pneumia pilularia , which has a frontoclypeus with two quite separate patches hair insertions (the ventral, horizontal patch is long, rectangular and bent; the dorsal, vertical patch is elongated and narrow near the frontal suture); the medial wing fork is complete, the CuA2 reaches the wing margin; the aedeagal complex tapers distally; the protuberances of the gonostyli are long, S shaped, with three sensory digits widely spaced in the apical part. The retinaculi are long and striated. Pneumia isabellae has a frontoclypeus (Fig. 1) with one large spatula-shaped patch of setae hairs (the field has a broad, ventral margin, gradually tapering to the middle part with two small lateral lobuli and a long, narrow medial strip of the same width between the apices of the eyes; the medial wing fork is incomplete ( Fig. 16 ), CuA2 does not reach the wing margin; the aedeagal complex is rounded distally ( Figs. 18–19 ); the protuberances of the gonostyli are short and straight (Figs. 9–10, 18) with no sensory digits in the apical part (only very short seta subapically). The retinaculi are not striated (Figs. 11, 17).

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Luxemburg. New for the fauna of Slovenia (compare with the paper by Ježek 2002).

Comments. Withers (2004) identified specimens from Great Britain and France similar to Saraiella consigliana ( Sarà, 1953) . However, unfortunately, Sarà’s illustrations (1953) of this species in the original paper are superficial (of historical value only), the antennae of a single known specimen (holotype) are missing, and the historical collections of Sarà and Salamanna are unobtainable (far out). The locality of Pericoma consigliana represents an altitude 1150 m a.s.l. ( Italy), in contrast to Pneumia isabellae at 0–325 m a.s.l.

FIGURES 1–11. Pneumia isabellae (Wagner) male. 1. Head, frontal view. 2. Apical flagellomeres. 3. Middle flagellomere with ascoids. 4. Cibarium, epipharynx and labrum, frontal view. 5. Thoracic sclerites, lateral view. 6. Thoracic spiracle in detail. 7. Haltere, lateral view. 8. Tarsal claws of P1, dorsal and lateral views. 9. Right gonopod, lateral view. 10. Right gonopod, dorsal view. 11. Epandrium and surstyli, dorsal view. [Scale: 2, 3, 8 = 0.05 mm; 1, 5–7, 9–11 = 0.2 mm; 4 = 0.1 mm]

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 19. Pneumia isabellae (Wagner) male. 12. Frons and facets in detail, frontal view. 13. Basal flagellomeres. 14. Terminal lobes of labium. 15. Maxilla and palpus maxillaris. 16. Wing. 17. Epandrium and surstyli, lateral view. 18. Aedeagal complex and gonopods, dorsal view. 19. Aedeagal complex, lateral view. [Scale: 12, 13 = 0.05 mm; 14, 17 = 0.1 mm; 15, 18, 19 = 0.2 mm; 16 = 1 mm]