Iteaphila recurvata, 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 : 71-73

Iteaphila recurvata sp. nov.

( Figs 69 , 79 )

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Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ Summit / Mt. Greylock [42°38′13″N 73°09′57″W]/ Mass. 21.v.[19]64/ J.G. Chillcott ”; “ex. Ribes ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / recurvata/ Sinclair & Shamshev [red label]” ( CNC) . PARATYPES: CANADA. Nova Scotia: Cape Breton Highlands NP [46°44′13″N 60°39′04″W], North Mt. bog, 400 m, 29–30.v.1984, B.E. Cooper (1 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC); same data except, Pleasant Bay [46°49′20″N 60°48′01″W], 8.vi.1984 (1 ♀, CNC); same data except, Mackenzie Mtn. [46°48′57″N 60°49′02″W], 9.vi.1984 (1 ♀, CNC). Ontario : Algonquin PPk, Swan Lake [45°29′43″N 78°42′32″W], 13–15.v.1990, J.E. O’Hara (1 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC); Mer Bleue [45°24′N 75°30′W], 5 km E Ottawa, 5.vi.1966, MT, D.D. Munroe (1 ♂, CNC). USA. New York: Whiteface Mountain , 44.397260°N 73.899556°W, 23.v.2010, J. R. Skevington, 21277, 21276 (2 ♂, barcoded, CNC). North Carolina: Swain Co., Great Smoky Mtns NP, ATBI Plot: Andrews Bald, MT 12 , 35°32′20″N 83°29′39″W, 10– 24.v.2001, I. Stocks, M. McCord, G. Middleton (3 ♂, CNC); same data except, 24.iv.–10.v.2001 (1 ♂, CNC). Pennsylvania: Sullivan Co., Wyoming SF, 8 km NW Laporte [41°30′39″N 76°43′13″W], 6.v.1987, JMC (1 ♂, CNC) .

Recognition. This species is distinguished from other eastern North American species by a recurved apex of the phallus, prolonged and apically narrowed epandrium and heavily sclerotized, hooked phallic guide ( Fig. 69 ).

Description. Wing length 2.4–3.0 mm. Male. 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 longer than short postocular setae, thin; occiput covered with numerous similar setae in lower part. Antenna dark brown; scape short, slightly shorter than globular pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel broad, nearly 3 times longer than basal width, smoothly tapered; stylus short length slightly shorter than width (basal segment not visible), sensillum-tipped, sensillum longer than stylus. Proboscis elongate, projected obliquely; labium subequal to longer than head height; palpus projected parallel to labrum, slender, expanded apically, somewhat shorter than labrum.

Thorax dark brown in ground-colour with posterior part of postpronotal lobe and postalar tubercle sometimes paler, with brown to black setation; scutum viewed dorsally entirely velvety brown, without vittae; viewed anteriorly densely brown pruinose; mesopleuron uniformly greyish brown pollinose. Proepisternum with a few hair-like setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long thin and several shorter setae. Mesonotal setae distinct, thin; acr short, biserial, lacking on prescutellar depression, distance between 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), 3–4 npl (with a few additional shorter setae), several psut spal setulae, 1 pal and several short setulae, 5–6 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 hairlike setae and somewhat longer setae on posteroventral, dorsal and posterior faces. Fore tibia with row of slightly prominent thin posterodorsal setae. 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 prominent posterodorsal setae. Tarsomere 1 of mid and hindlegs with pair of rows of stiff ventral setae; tarsomere 5 somewhat flattened on all legs; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wings distinctly uniformly brownish 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) more than one-third to one-quarter length of dm-m, M branches widely separated; dm-m crossvein slightly concave. Apex of cell cua recurved, CuA+CuP ending well short of wing margin as faint line. Halter brown.

Abdomen brown, subshiny, finely brownish grey pollinose, covered with long brownish setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 69 ) concolorous with abdomen, small. Hypandrium with several long setae, rounded, upcurved apically with tapered narrow, divided apex; gonocoxal apodeme long and broad; inner apodeme expanded and flattened, shorter than ejaculatory apodeme; postgonite very broad, short and arched. Phallic guide extended well beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus and arched into hooked, heavily sclerotized apex. Epandrium not inflated laterally; dorsal bridge narrow; produced distally into slender, elongate, horizontally projecting surstylus; apex of surstylus with finger-like projection apically. Phallus slender, arched well beyond epandrium, expanded and recurved to the right side; apical section heavily sclerotized; ejaculatory apodeme plate-like, rounded, shorter than gonocoxal apodeme. Cercus elongate, subtriangular, more than one-half length of epandrium; apex narrowed and rounded, extended free from epandrium; hypoproct produced into pair of short, slender processes, slightly projecting beyond cercus.

Female. Similar to male, except as follows: Eyes dichoptic; ommatidia equally small. Frons very broad, somewhat widened toward ocellar tubercle, subshiny, finely brownish grey pollinose, with marginal setulae. Scutellum usually with 5–6 pairs of setae. Legs, including coxae, usually paler than male, with reduced chaetotaxy. Abdomen somewhat paler, especially ventrally, with shorter, less prominent setae. Cercus brownish, long, slender, covered with dark setae.

Distribution. Nearctic: Canada (Ontario, Nova Scotia), USA (Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania). This is an eastern North American species, ranging from Cape Breton to North Carolina ( Fig. 79 ).

Etymology. This species is named after the Latin curvatus (bend, bow), in reference to the apex of the phallus.

Figures

FIGURES 66–70. Male terminalia of Iteaphila with unbranched R. 66, I. oedalina (Zetterstedt), posterior view; 67, same, 4+5 lateral view; 68, I. polygyna (Melander), lateral view; 69, I. recurvata sp. nov., lateral view; 70, I. sakhalinensis sp. nov., lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: pgt—postgonite; ph—phallus; sur—surstylus.

FIGURES 79–81. Distribution of Iteaphila with unbranched R 4+5. 79, I. longiphallus sp. nov., I. recurvata sp. nov.; 80, I. falcata Sinclair, I. parastentor sp. nov., I. stentor (Melander); 81, I. atruensis sp. nov., I. gracilis sp. nov., I. kyrgyzstanensis sp. nov., I. sakhalinensis sp. nov., I. spinosa sp. nov.