Platypalpus miroslavi Zouhair & Grootaert, 2024

Zouhair, Laila, Grootaert, Patrick & Kettani, Kawtar, 2024, Twelve new species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Morocco, with additional new records, European Journal of Taxonomy 951 (1), pp. 1-53 : 9-11

Platypalpus miroslavi Zouhair & Grootaert sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2C60BA71-7F68-4F63-B6C6-C866A28AEB0D

Figs 2–3

Diagnosis

A black to brown species (3.0 mm long) of the albiseta group with one pair of long vertical bristles. Antennae blackish brown with white stylus, postpedicel elongate conical, about 4× as long as wide at base and stylus longer than third segment (1.5–1.7 ×). Thorax with mesoscutum polished including postpronotal lobe (except for dusted margins of mesoscutum) and pleura subshining, leaving a large polished spot on katepisternum. Legs yellow with hind four coxae brownish, fore tibia, all tarsi, fore and mid femora dorsally and apical third of hind femora brownish to blackish brown. Mid tibia without spur. Hind femur slender with a row of pale posteroventral setae. Wings brown infuscate, with vein M 1+2 and vein R 4+5 convergent just before meeting wing margin.

Etymology

This species is dedicated to Dr Miroslav Barták, an expert on Hybotidae , in recognition for his assistance in providing some important literature used in this paper and useful advice on the curation of hybotid specimens.

Material examined

Holotype

MOROCCO – Rif • ♂; Etouirsa ; 12 May 2019; sweep net; K. Kettani leg.; RBINS.

Paratypes

MOROCCO – Rif • 1 ♂; Azilane ; 4 Jul.–13 Aug. 2013; Malaise trap; K. Kettani leg.; LESCB • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Adrou ; 14–15 Jul. 2015; Malaise trap; K. Kettani leg.; RBINS • 5 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; LESCB • 1 ♂; Chellal Akchour ; 25 Apr.–6 Jun. 2016; Malaise trap; K. Kettani leg.; LESCB • 1 ♂; Oued El Koub ; 23 Apr. 2018; sweep net; K. Kettani leg.; LESCB • 1 ♂; Chellal Akchour ; 25 Apr.–6 Jun. 2016; Malaise trap; K. Kettani leg.; LESCB • 1 ♂; Amghart ; 25 Jun.–20 Aug. 2019; Malaise trap; K. Kettani leg.; LESCB • 1 ♂; Tarsif ; 7 Apr.–6 May 2021; Malaise trap; K. Kettani leg.; LESCB .

Description

Male

LENGTH. Body: 3.0 mm; wing: 3.2 mm.

HEAD. Black in ground colour, occiput slightly greyish pollinose, covered with short brown setae, postocciput with long brown setae, one pair of long blackish verticals, a pair of long black anterior ocellars. Gena slightly pollinose, with long yellow setae. Frons yellowish dusted, narrower than pedicel, somewhat broadened toward ocellar tubercle. Face yellowish dusted, narrower than pedicel. Clypeus shining, longer than upper part of face. Antennae blackish brown with white stylus (slightly blackish at extreme base), pedicel as long as deep, postpedicel elongate conical, about 4× as long as wide at base, stylus densely pubescent and 1.5–1.7× as long as postpedicel. Proboscis brown, shorter than head is high. Palpus yellowish brown, narrowly ovate, rather small, with scattered pale hairs and long dark subapical seta.

THORAX. With mesoscutum blackish brown, pleura brownish. Mesoscutum including postpronotal lobe polished (except for dusted margins of mesoscutum), pleura subshining, leaving a large polished spot on katepisternum. Scutellum subshining. Thoracic hairs long and pale. Postpronotal lobe with two long yellow setae and one minute yellow seta. Mesoscutum with 1 long notopleural, 1 moderately long postalar, 2 faint yellow prescutellars, 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate, lateral pair very short), acrostichals biserial, widely separated, dorsocentrals uniserial.

LEGS. Yellow, except for hind four coxae brownish, fore and mid femora dorsally, fore tibiae, apical third of hind femora and all tarsi brownish to blackish brown. Coxae and trochanters with long yellow setae. Fore femur slender with rows of long, thin, pale anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Fore tibia rather slender, spindle-shaped, clothed with ordinary setulae. Mid femur slightly thicker than fore femur, with double row of black ventral spinules and row of long, thick, brown posteroventral setae. Mid tibia slender, without apical spur, covered with ordinary brown setulae. Hind femur slender with a row of pale posteroventral setae. Hind tibia slender, slightly shorter than femur, clothed with ordinary brown setulae.

WINGS. Mainly brownish infuscate, with brownish veins. Costal setae very short and pale. Vein M 1+2 and vein R 4+5 convergent just before meeting wing margin. Crossveins m-cu and r-m not separated, bm slightly longer and broader than br. Vein Cu 2 rather sinuate. Vein Cu reaching wing border, recurrent in basal part. Anal vein distinct in basal part and evanescent in apical part. Squama yellowish with pale setae. Haltere whitish.

ABDOMEN. With brown tergites, polished, covered with short, pale setae. Sternites brown with similar setation. Terminalia ( Fig. 2 ) with left cercus very large, with an apical point and a lateral spine-like projection ( Fig. 2C ). Smaller basal projection is connection with right cercus. Right cercus very narrow, with a conical tip.

Female

Resembling male, except for the terminalia.

Remarks

The key in Grootaert & Chvála (1992) leads to Platypalpus albocapillatus Fallén, 1815 , but in the latter the stylus is as long as the postpedicel ( Chvála 1973), while in the new species, the stylus is 1.5–1.7 × as long as the postpedicel. The legs in P. albocapillatus are mostly blackish including coxae, with knees and fore tibia towards the base brownish, or legs entirely brown in paler specimens, unlike the new species where the legs are yellow with four hind coxae, fore and mid femora dorsally, fore tibiae, apical third of hind femora and tarsi brownish, or blackish brown in dark specimens. The posteroventral setae of the fore femur in P. albocapillatus are black, while in the new species they are pale. The genitalia of both species are very different in all details (compare Chvála 1973: figs 7–8 or Chvála 1975: figs 289–291 with Fig. 2 ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Platypalpus miroslavi Zouhair & Grootaert sp. nov., male terminalia (holotype, RBINS). A. Left epandrial lamella with border of right epandrial lamella, ventral view. B. Epandrium with cerci, dorsal view. C. Left cercus. D. Detail of tip of left and right epandrial lamellae. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 3. Platypalpus miroslavi Zouhair & Grootaert sp. nov., ♂, habitus (holotype, RBINS).