Limnophora longiantennata, Couri & Pont & Daugeron, 2010

Couri, Marcia S., Pont, Adrian C. & Daugeron, Christophe, 2010, The Muscidae (Diptera) of New Caledonia 2503, Zootaxa 2503 (1), pp. 1-61 : 40

25. Limnophora longiantennata , sp. nov.

( Fig. 34 )

Holotype. Female holotype, deposited in MNHN, labelled: New Caledonia: In Mts up Boulari R., 3–4.xi.1958, C.R.Joyce.

Diagnosis. Very small species, less than 3.5 mm. Scutum without a white band or dusted area in front of transverse suture and with longitudinal vittae; antenna inserted just below level of upper eye-margin; postpedicel very long, almost reaching oral margin. Frons very wide, eyes separated by a little more than onethird of head-width; ocellar triangle large and reaching lunule.

Description. General colour. Brown with grey pollinosity. Frontal triangle and fronto-orbital plate with silver pollinosity from certain angles. Antenna, arista and palpus brown. Scutum brown with grey pollinosity, with two broad brown vittae along the dorsocentral rows of setae and two more lateral vittae. Calypters white and wing clear. Legs all brown. Abdomen with lateral triangular brown marks on tergites 3–5.

Female. Length. Body: 3.4 mm

Head. Frontal row with 4 setae. Ocellar triangle very large and reaching lunule. Antenna inserted just below level of upper eye-margin; postpedicel long, about 3.5 times as long as length of pedicel. Arista with very short pubescence. Vibrissa long.

Thorax. Acrostichals in two more or less regular rows to the level of first postsutural dorsocentral and thereafter in four rows; dorsocentrals 1+3; 2 postpronotals; 1 presutural; 2 intraalars; 2 supraalars; 2 postsupraalars. Prosternum setulose. Notopleuron with the posterior seta a little shorter than anterior seta. Scutellum with one long subbasal and one long apical pair of setae, similar in size. Anepisternum with a series of 4 setae. Katepisternals 1+2. Anepimeron bare. Lower calypter about 1.8 times as long as upper one. Wing with one setula at base of R 4+5 on ventral surface. Fore femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae, the latter well-spaced and fine. Fore tibia without a median seta; one strong preapical dorsal, and an apical seta on ventral surface. Mid femur with 1 median anterior setae; posterior surface with one preapical seta. Mid tibia with 1 median posterior seta; a preapical posterodorsal, and an apical seta on anterodorsal and anteroventral surfaces. Hind legs missing.

Abdomen. Tergites 4 and 5 with a marginal row of setae; tergite 5 with a discal row of setae.

Terminalia. Ovipositor and spermathecae as in Fig. 34 . Two large spermathecae.

Male. Unknown.

Discussion. The combination of characters does not fit any known described species of Limnophora . In Shinonaga’s (2005) key it approaches couplet 32, but the shape of the antenna is very different from the next option in the key. The specimen is rather damaged, with left wing, right mid tibia and both hind legs missing, but is sufficiently distinct to warrant description as it is certainly an endemic species. Further collecting around streams may lead to the collection of more specimens.

Etymology. The name comes from the Latin word longus, meaning “long”, and refers to the long postpedicel that almost reaches oral margin.

Distribution. New Caledonia ( New Caledonia).

Figures

FIGURES 27–34. 27–33. Helina flavoextrema, sp. nov. 27–30. Male terminalia. 27. Sternite 5. 28. Cercal plate and surstylus, dorsal view. 29. Cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view. 30. Aedeagus, lateral view. 31–33. Female. 31. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 32. Ovipositor, ventral view and spermathecae. 33. Egg, lateral view. 34. Limnophora longiantennata, sp. nov., ovipositor, lateral view and spermatheca.