Platypalpus moceki, Barták & Kubík, 2018

Barták, Miroslav & Kubík, Štěpán, 2018, Hybotidae (Diptera) from Turkey, with descriptions of seven new species, Zootaxa 4410 (3), pp. 453-482 : 462-464

Platypalpus moceki sp. nov.

( Figs 19–22 , 32 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “TURCIA MER. , 10 km E Mut, Bogcagiz 800 m, pine f. [= forest] + pasture, B. Mocek 1.5.1996 ” ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: 6♂, 7♀, same data as holotype ( CULSP and MHK) ; 1♀, Turcia mer, 10 km N Silifke, Yenibahce 600 m, mixed forest B. Mocek, 1.v.1996 ( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Yellow species of the P. pallidiventris—cursitans group with 2 pairs of vertical setae; thorax microtrichose except lustrous spot on katepisternum in male, central part of mesoscutum lustrous in female; mid tibial spur blunt in both sexes (in male with saddle-like apex armed with spine-like seta); long sparse pale posteroventral setae on mid femur.

Description. Male. Head black with lower part of frons, face, gena and clypeus more or less (variable) yellowish to yellow, very light (almost silvery) grey microtrichose, all setae whitish yellow. Frons about 0.07 mm broad on lower part (about as broad as pedicel but slightly collapsed in all specimens), slightly widening dorsally. Face broader than frons (about 0.10 mm broad at middle), distinctly keel-like protruding. Gena broad, microtrichose. Antenna ( Fig. 19 ) with both basal segments yellow, postpedicel yellow basally and darkened in apical half to fifth (variable), stylus brown; postpedicel 2.8–3.3X longer than broad, stylus about as long as postpedicel. Clypeus microtrichose. Palpus broadly ovate and distinctly tipped, pale yellow, about 3/4 as long as proboscis, with 1–2 subterminal white seta(e). Ocellar setae whitish yellow and long (about 0.18 mm), posterior pair half as long. Two pairs of pale vertical setae, outer pair lateroclinate and about as long as ocellars, inner pair inclinate and slightly longer, inserted 0.15 mm apart. Occiput whitish yellow setose, setae shorter on dorsal half and longer on ventral part. Proboscis blackish brown, half as long as head height or slightly less. Thorax entirely yellow, microtrichose (only narrow stripe below acrostichals devoid of microtrichia), katepisternum narrowly lustrous, leaving microtrichose stripes on both anterior and posterior parts. All setae whitish yellow. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta long and strong accompanied with several short setulae; acrostichals nearly regularly narrowly biserial and slightly diverging, about 0.07 mm long, about 10 setae in one row; dorsocentrals equally long and irregularly 2–3 serial, last pair long, prescutellar depression with setae; notopleuron usually with two setae on posterior part (lower one sometimes reduced) and several additional short setae; 1 long postalar and 1 pair of long scutellar setae (mostly with additional pair of small hairs laterally). Wing clear with pale veins. R4+5 and M1+2 slightly converging apically. Crossveins broadly separated. CuA2 slightly recurrent to almost perpendicular, almost straight and shortened. Costal seta moderately long, yellow. Squama pale yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs entirely yellow including coxae and last tarsomeres (only with small dark dots on trochanters and apically darkened midtibial spur). Most setae whitish yellow except ventral spines on mid femur and tibia, some larger setae darkened. Fore femur thickened; rows of antero- and posteroventral setae slightly shorter than half of femur depth. Fore tibia slightly spindle-like dilated, short setose, setae mixed yellow and brown. Mid femur about as deep as fore femur (but longer), with several long, pale posteroventral setae. Mid tibia with apical spur as long as tibia depth, rather saddle-like excavated apically, ending with spine-like seta. Hind legs thin, femur short setose ventrally. Abdomen yellow including genitalia (with exception of brown hypandrium). Tergite 2 nearly completely microtrichose on lateral parts, tergite 3 with basal half microtrichose laterally and tergite 4 with basal third microtrichose, remaining parts including venter and epandrial lamellae lustrous. All abdominal setae pale and moderately long. Genitalia ( Figs 20–22 ): left epandial lamella ( Fig. 22 ) elongate, short setose dorsally and apically, with very long ventral outgrowth only narrowly connected with lamella bearing more than 30 long setae (about 0.20 mm long but appearing shorter on figure illustrated from standardized plane); cerci digitiform and short ( Fig. 21 ), right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 20 ) broadly ovate, with ovate surstylus bearing small setae ventrally. Female. Similar to male except as follows: central disc of mesoscutum lustrous leaving postpronotum, narrow stripe along postpronotum, notopleuron, scutellum and narrow stripe on lateral parts microtrichose; midtibial spur of different shape: rounded, in lateral view with flat ventral part and more convex dorsal side (without sadle-like excavation); abdominal tergites more lustrous (only tergites 1–2 and last three tergites and last sternite microtrichose and darkened); postpedicel in most specimens darker, yellow only on basal part. Length: body 2.4–3.0 mm, wing 2.4– 3.4 mm.

Etymology. The species epithet, moceki , is a Latin genitive patronym to honor Dr. Bohuslav Mocek (Hradec Králové), the collector of type series.

Distribution. Turkey, Mersin province.

Remarks. The species described above is most allied to the recently described species, P. amankutanensis Barták & Shamshev, 2015 . The latter species has a sharp midtibial spur in both sexes and quite different male genitalia (lateral lamella without setose outgrowth). Moreover, sexual dimorphism in microtrichosity of mesoscutum is rare feature in the genus Platypalpus .

The species described above may be only with difficulties arranged into the key by Grootaert & Chvála (1992) due to controversies in couplet 18 (the species does not run to couplet 19 nor to 21). Deeper changes are necessary to re-arrange species under couplet 18.

Figures

FIGURES 19–22. Platypalpus moceki sp. nov. 19. antenna. 20. right epandrial lamella, lateral view.21. genitalia, dorsal view. 22. left epandrial lamella, lateral view.

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