Platypalpus seticauda, Barták & Kubík, 2018

Barták, Miroslav & Kubík, Štěpán, 2018, Hybotidae (Diptera) from Turkey, with descriptions of seven new species, Zootaxa 4410 (3), pp. 453-482 : 464-465

Platypalpus seticauda sp. nov.

( Figs 23–26 , 33 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ Turkey: 8 km S of Çine, river bank, 68 m, sw [= sweeping vegetation], 37°32′34′′N, 28°03′46′′E, Barták , Kubík, 29.iv.–1.v.2016 ” ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: 1♂, 2♀, same data as holotype ( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Small black species of the P. minutus group with 1 pair of vertical setae; mesoscutum lustrous except narrow lateral margins, pleura microtrichose except largely lustrous katepisternum, anepisternum with small lustrous spot and meron subshiny; mid tibial spur short and blunt in both sexes; long sparse pale posteroventral setae on mid femur.

Description. Male. Head black, rather light grey microtrichose, all setae yellow. Frons about 0.06 mm broad on lower part (slightly wider than pedicel) slightly widening dorsally (0.08 mm broad at level of front ocellus). Face narrower than frons (about 0.04 mm broad at middle but distinctly widening ventrally. Gena medium wide, lustrous. Antenna ( Fig. 23 ) black including stylus; postpedicel small and rather broad basally, 1.5–1.8X longer than broad, stylus 2.6–2.7X longer than postpedicel. Clypeus lustrous. Palpus yellow, broadly ovate, half as long as proboscis, with 3–4 white setae. Ocellar setae yellow and short (about 0.08 mm), posterior setulae very short. Single inclinate pair of pale vertical setae equally small as ocellars and inserted conspicuously wide apart (0.18 mm). Occiput short yellow setose dorsally and somewhat longer setose ventrally. Proboscis blackish brown, slightly less than half as long as head height. Thorax black, mesoscutum lustrous (from antepronotum to margin of scutellum), microtrichose parts: postpronotum, notopleuron, postalar calli and scutellum; pleura microtrichose except following parts: katepisternum broadly lustrous (almost up to hind margin), anepisternum with small lustrous spot in middle and meron broadly sublustrous (similarly as in P. albifacies (Collin, 1926)) . All setae yellow. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta long and strong, accompanied with several short setulae; acrostichals biserial and short (0.04 mm) and few in numbers (4–5 pairs); dorsocentrals only slightly longer, uniserial, 5–6 in a row ending in single long seta; notopleuron with single long seta inserted in microtrichose part and several additional small setae; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae (with additional pair of small setulae laterally). Wing clear with yellow to slightly brownish yellow veins. R4+5 and M1+2 parallel in apical half. Crossveins narrowly separated. CuA2 almost perpendicular, almost straight, basal part of anal vein indistinct. Costal seta moderately long, yellow. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter whitish yellow. Legs entirely yellow including all coxae (except small dark dots on trochanters), last tarsal joints slightly darkened. Nearly all setae on femora and tibiae yellow (except ventral spines on mid femur and tibia). Fore femur thickened, sparse rows of antero- and posteroventral setae about half of femur depth, several strong but short preapicals. Fore tibia spindle-like dilated, short setose, with several short and fine dark setae dorsally. Mid femur approximately equally deep as fore femur, with several long pale posteroventral setae, anterior of two ventral rows of spines consists of very short setae, nearly as short as their warts. Mid tibia with apical spur shorter than tibia depth, yellow and flattened, appearing sharp in lateral view but broadly rounded in ventral view. Basal part of hind femur curved (bowed dorsolaterally), short setose. Hind tibia thin and short setose. Abdomen brownish black, lustrous, with only sides of first two tergites microtrichose. All abdominal setae pale (except brown large setae on right epandrial lamella) and short (except several longer setae laterally on last abdominal segments). Genitalia ( Figs 24–26 ) very distinctive: left epandrial lamella ( Fig. 26 ) shallowly excised apically, bearing very long setae on small tubercule, setae arched, but if stretched, would be up to 0.30 mm long; cerci ( Fig. 25 ) short and digitiform, right cercus apically broad with short, inner apical lobe and left cercus slightly arched medially; right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 24 ) broadly ovate, with short simple surstylus. Female. Very similar to male, basal abdominal tergites more lustrous (with only slight indication of microtrichosity) and last two segments microtrichose. Length: body 1.9–2.0 mm (female up to 2.3 mm due to somewhat stretched abdomen), wing 2.0– 2.3 mm.

Etymology. The species name reflects extremely long setae on left epandrial lamella.

Distribution. Turkey, Aydın province.

Remarks. The species described above may be easily recognized by the extremely long ventral setae on the left epandrial lamella. It is similar to P. zernyi Chvála, 1975 , described from South Spain. Besides many small differences in colour of tarsi ( P. zernyi has annulated tarsi with last two segments entirely dark), length of vertical setae (long in P. zernyi ), number of notopleural setae (two in P. zernyi ), length of stylus (2.3X longer than postpedicel in P. zernyi ), the most obvious differences are in microtrichosity pattern on pleura (lustrous in P. zernyi ) and ventral setosity of left epandrial lamella (with much shorter setae in P. zernyi ). The above described species should be also compared with P. javieri Grootaert, 1995 , however, this species has, beside other differences, pointed midtibial spur.

Platypalpus seticauda sp. nov. may be arranged in the key by Grootaert & Chvála (1992) as follows:

61 (60) Pleura densely grey microtrichose, except for polished katepisternum; large thoracic bristles black (Canary Islands)......

.......................................................................... argenteomicans ( Becker, 1908) - Anepisternum and/or meron polished at least in central part; large thoracic setae yellow to yellowish bown.......... 61b 61b (61) Meron dusted; midtibial spur pointed, black............................................. javieri Grootaert, 1995 - Meron lustrous to sublustrous; midtibial spur blunt, yellow................................................ 61c 61c (61b) Tarsi black annulated; anepisternum broadly lustrous; left epandrial lamella ventrally with setae about 0.15 mm long.....

................................................................................... zernyi Chvála, 1975 - Tarsi yellow with only last segment darkened, no anulations ( Fig. 33 ); anepisternum with small lustrous spot in middle; left

epandrial lamella ventrally with setae up to 0.30 mm long..................................... seticauda sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 23–26. Platypalpus seticauda sp. nov. 23. antenna, 24. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 25. genitalia, dorsal view.26. left epandrial lamella, lateral view.

FIGURES 31–33. Holotypes.31. Platypalpus dursuni sp. nov. 32. Platypalpus moceki sp. nov. 33. Platypalpus seticauda sp. nov.