Rhynchomicropteron kuslitzkyi, Lengyel, Gábor Dániel, 2011

Lengyel, Gábor Dániel, 2011, The first Rhynchomicropteron Annandale, 1912 (Diptera, Phoridae) species from the Palearctic region, with taxonomic and faunistic notes on the fauna of Israel, Zootaxa 2885, pp. 23-32 : 25-28

Rhynchomicropteron kuslitzkyi sp. n.

( Figs 2–8 )

Diagnosis. A medium sized phorid fly (body length: male 1.5– 2 mm (mean = 1.8 mm), female 1.4 mm). Males can be recognized by the form of the left epandrial lobes, while the females by the presence of one weak hair palisade on the hind tibia, the relatively large tergum, and the missing comb on posterior face of the hind tibia.

Description. Male: Head: frons ( Fig. 6 ) brown, covered by many small setulae. Four supraantennal reclinate setae present. Antials as far from each other than any of them from postocellars. Antero-, medio- and posterolaterals present, situated close to eye margin. Preocellars emerging a little bit lower on frons than mediolaterals. Median furrow absent. Third antennal segment small, globose, with a preapical arista. Palps yellowish, long, apically with strong setae. Thorax: brownish. Scutellum with an anterior pair of hair-like setulae and a posterior pair of setae. Anepisternum with ca. 25 setulae in upper part, furrow absent. Legs: pale yellowish. Fifths tarsal segments elongated. Fore femur with an excavation ventrally. Mid tibia with two setae in basal third. Hind tibia apically thickened, without a hair palisade but with one seta at is basal third. Wings ( Fig. 7 ): costa short, strong, with dark setulae and two distinct setae basally (one broken in Fig. 7 ). Vein Rs bare dorsally. Rs and R2+3 forming apparently one curve, but R2+3 distinctly weaker. R4+5 strong, apically bulbous, scarcely meeting with costa. Costal index: 0.38. Halteres entirely pale yellow. Abdomen: tergites brown, fading to yellow caudally. Anal tube ( Figs 8 a–b) yellowish, epandrium and hypandrium brown. Surstylus (upper epandrial lobe) with a narrow base and a widened, rounded distal part, covered by microtrichia and several setae distally. Middle lobe of the left side of the epandrium relatively large, rounded-rectangle like. Right side of epandrium with two processes, each pointed and covered by microtrichia and setae. Hypandrium enlarged, rounded and covered by microtrichia.

Female ( Figs 3–5 ): Head: Brown, surface covered by microtrichia. Vertex with one pair of setulae present. Eyes with 12 ommatidia. Basiproboscis two times longer than distiproboscis ( Fig. 4 ). Palps with 2 strong setae at their tips. Thorax ( Fig. 5 ): colour as head, short and narrow. Scutum divided with a median furrow dorsally.

Anepisternum bare. Wings: rudimentary, as long as the head and thorax together. Costa swollen, membrane weak, ribbon-like. Legs: yellowish. Hind tibia with a weak posterodorsal palisade of fine setulae. Hind tibia without posterior comb in the distal portion. Hind metatarsus with eight combs of setulae. Abdomen: only tergite 1 visible as a pigmented sclerit, tergum as wide as thorax, covered by fine microtrichia ( Fig. 5 ). Rest of abdomen membranous and bare.

Etymology. The species is named in honour to Dr. Wolf Kuslitzky ( Israel, Tel Aviv University), who collected the specimens with a Malaise trap.

Affinities. In the most recent key for females of Rhynchomicropteron ( Disney & Kistner 1998, complemented with Disney 1999) R. kuslitzkyi sp. n. will run to couplet 4 together with four other species ( R. bifidispinarum Disney, 1998 , R. ellwoodi Disney, 1999 , R. necbeaveri Disney, 1999 , R. nepalense Disney, 1991 ). R. kuslitzkyi sp. n. differs from all of them by the following characters: hind femur is normally haired, pre-apical comb of posterior face of hind tibia absent. R. kuslitzkyi sp. n. is with relatively wide pigmented tergum if compared to the thorax, the rudimentary wings long and 12 ommatidia present.

No key for Rhynchomicropteron males has been construed. R. kuslitzkyi sp. n. differs from the other known males in the shape and proportions of the epandrial lobes ( Fig 8 a–b).

Host(s). Not known. Neither the known ant hosts of other Rhynchomicropteron species ( Brown 1992, Disney 1999) nor any congeners are not known form Israel. Members of Leptogenys Roger, 1861 and Prenolepis Mayr, 1861 may occur in the country (Sándor Csősz, HNHM, pers. comm.)

Type material. Holotype (Ƥ) Israel: Ma’agan Mikha’el, 27. XI. 2008, Malaise trap, W. Kuslitzky (deposited in TAU); paratypes, 13 3, 2 Ƥ with the same data as holotype; 3 Herzliyya, Malaise trap, 20.I.1982, A. Freidberg; 3, Nizzanim, D4, Malaise trap, 22.XII.2004, C. Grach.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Collecting sites in Israel (1); Distribution of the known Rhynchomicropteron species (2). Numbers in squares refer to males, circles to females. (Numbers refer to: 1. R. aphidiforme; 2. R. beaveri; 3. R. bifidspinarum; 4. R. brevipes; 5. R. caecutiens; 6. R. curvescens; 7. R. dudichi; 8. R. ellwoodi; 9. R. kuslitzkyi sp. n.; 10. R. laticosta; 11. R. micraphidiforme; 12. R. muluense; 13. R. necaphidiforme; 14. R. necbeaveri; 15. R. nepalensis; 16. R. nudicosta; 17. R. nudiventer; 18. R. puliciforme; 19. R. silvestrii; 20. R. vallacki.).

FIGURES 3 – 5. Rhynchomicropteron kuslitzkyi sp. n. 3, habitus of male and female; 4, female lateral view; 5, female dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 6 – 8. Rhynchomicropteron kuslitzkyi sp. n. male. 6, frons, dorsal view; 7, right wing; 8, genitalia from the left (a) and the right (b) side. Scale bars: 0.1 mm for (6) & (8); 1 mm for (7).