Iteaphila grandis, Sinclair & Shamshev, 2021

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2021, World revision of Iteaphila with unbranched radial vein (Diptera: Empidoidea: Iteaphilidae), Zootaxa 4968 (1), pp. 1-89 : 47-48

Iteaphila grandis sp. nov.

( Figs 18 , 46 , 49 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0935B4C3-958D-4D09-89EF-17C3E1A01849

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ Fieldbrook [40°57′56″N 124°02′08″W]/ Humboldt Co. / Cal. Mar. 24, ’35/ B.P. Bliven ”; “BRUNSON P. BLIVEN/ COLLECTION/ 1981 Accession/ CALIF. ACAD. OF SCI.”; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / grandis/ Sinclair & Shamshev [red label]” ( CAS) . PARATYPE: USA. California: Same data as holotype (1 ♂, CAS) .

Recognition. This species is distinguished by its very large size (wing length 4.3 mm) and the male terminalia is similar to I. longipalpis , but the surstylus is broader, the apex of the postgonite is expanded and the proboscis is very long ( Fig. 46 ).

Description. Wing length 4.3 mm. Male ( Fig. 18 ). Head dark brown in ground-colour, with pale brown to black setation, occiput thinly to densely greyish pollinose. Eyes holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, greyish pollinose. Ocellar triangle prominent, with 2 pairs of long hair-like setae. Postvertical setae subequal to postocular setae, thin; occiput covered with numerous similar setae in lower part, pale brown posterior to mouthparts. Antenna dark brown; scape short, slightly shorter than globular pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel rather narrow, nearly 4 times longer than basal width, base somewhat expanded and smoothly tapered; stylus ca 3–4 times longer than wide, sensillum-tipped [broken]; segment 9 tubular, 2–3 times longer than wide. Proboscis very long, projected obliquely; labium nearly twice head height; palpus [broken] slender, projected parallel to labrum.

Thorax dark brown in ground-colour with posterior part of postpronotal lobe and postalar tubercle often paler, with brown to black setation; scutum viewed dorsally entirely velvety brown, slightly matt, with pair of faintly shiny vittae, between acr and dc setae; viewed anteriorly densely pruinose with pair of pruinescent vittae; mesopleuron uniformly greyish brown pollinose. Proepisternum with a few hair-like setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long thin and numerous shorter setae. Mesonotal setae distinct, thin; acr short, 4-serial, multi-serial anteriorly, arranged in closely spaced irregular rows, lacking on prescutellar depression, distance between paired rows shorter than length of acr; dc uniserial (with some additional setulae in anterior part), offset from row anteriorly, slightly longer than acr, 2–3 distinct prescutellar dc; 1 ph, 1 presut spal (sometimes with additional setulae), 3–5 npl (with a few additional shorter setae), several psut spal setulae, 1 pal and several short setulae, 8 pairs of sctl.

Legs, including coxae, almost entirely brownish; knees of fore and mid legs brownish yellow, tarsi somewhat darker. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified hair-like setae. Fore femur with row of short anteroventral hair-like setae, especially distinct apically; and somewhat longer setae on posteroventral, dorsal and posterior faces. Mid femur with moderately long posteroventral bristly setae along entire length, bearing some moderately long setae on dorsal and posterior faces. Hind femur with long anteroventral and dorsal setae along whole length. Tibiae with row of slightly prominent thin posterodorsal setae. Tarsomere 1 of hindleg with pair of rows of stiff ventral setae; tarsomere 5 not flattened on all legs; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing distinctly uniformly infuscate; basal costal seta absent; pterostigma distinct brownish, elliptical, overlapping apex of R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. Sc complete; R 2+3 often slightly bowed posterior to pterostigma; R 4+5 unbranched; cell dm broad, longer than basal cells, truncate apically; base of M 2 (crossvein) less than one-third length of dm-m, M branches widely separated; dm-m crossvein slightly concave. Apex of cell cua recurved, CuA+CuP long, pale, ending short of wing margin. Halter dark brown.

Abdomen brown, subshiny, finely brownish grey pollinose, covered with long pale brownish setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 46 ) concolorous with abdomen, large. Hypandrium with numerous short setae, rounded basally, narrowed apically with narrow, folded apex, with roughened posterior apex; gonocoxal apodeme long and narrow; inner apodeme expanded and flattened, shorter than length of gonocoxal apodeme; postgonite long, flattened plate, arched, truncate apically, fused with opposite postgonite with lateral projection. Phallic guide extended well beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus and bent nearly at right angles subapically; bent apical section paired with jagged or toothed surface apically; apex expanded. Epandrium not inflated laterally; dorsal bridge narrow; produced distally into broad dorsally projecting, slightly curved anteriorly surstylus; inner margin of surstylus with short tooth-like projection medially. Phallus slender, arched well beyond epandrium, bent more than right angles subapically; apical section sinuous and slender; ejaculatory apodeme plate-like, rounded, greatly expanded anteriorly, slightly longer than length of gonocoxal apodeme. Cercus short, triangular, one-third length of epandrium; narrowed apically with apex pointed, extended free from epandrium; hypoproct produced into pair of very long, slender processes, longer than cercus.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Nearctic: USA (California). This species is known only from its type locality in Humboldt County, California ( Fig. 49 ).

Etymology. The specific name is the Latin grandis (large, great), in reference to its large body size and lengthened mouthparts.

Remarks. This species was collected in late March, when there are few collection records of the genus at that time of year in California. This apparent early flight period may explain the rarity of the species in collections.

Figures

FIGURES 15–18. Species of Iteaphila with unbranched R, lateral view. 15, I. flavipilosa, female, lateral view; 16, I. 4+5 flavipilosa, male, lateral view; 17, I. glabricula sp. nov., male; 18, I. grandis sp. nov., male. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 45–48. Male terminalia of Iteaphila with unbranched R, lateral view. 45, I. gracilis sp. nov.; 46, I. grandis sp. 4+5 nov.; 47, I. lolo sp. nov.; 48, I. longipalpis (Melander). Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: cerc—cercus; epand brg—epandrial bridge; hyprct proc—hypoproct process; ph—phallus; ph gd—phallic guide; sur—surstylus.

FIGURES 49–52. Distribution of Iteaphila with unbranched R. 49, I. arnaudi sp. nov., I. bayarea sp. nov., I. grandis sp. 4+5 nov., I. sierrensis sp. nov.; 50, I. brooksi sp. nov., I. lolo sp. nov.; 51, I. flavipilosa (Coquillett); 52, I. glabricula sp. nov.