Chelipoda ultraferox, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, The Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae) of New Zealand II. Chelipoda Macquart, Zootaxa 1537 (1), pp. 1-88 : 54-55

36. Chelipoda ultraferox sp. n.

[Fig. 77]

Type material. Holotype ♂: New Zealand, South Is. , NC, Arthurs Pass NP, Kellys Ck., 29/xi/1977, ES [ NZAC] . Paratypes: 1♂ 1♀, same data as holotype .

Etymology: from Latin ferox = warlike and ultra = exceeding by degree.

Description. Male: length 2.0mm (dry specimen).

Head: black, dusted grey; distinctly dorsoventrally flattened, 1.7X as long as wide; eyes very narrowly

separated on face; ocl rather small, black, a pair of setae on front of frons equally strong; upo short, black; lpo yellowish; lower occiput with distinct curving yellow setae behind, lacking fine pile. Antennae brownish, black on arista and postpedicel apically; postpedicel hardly longer than wide, arista 5X as long. Proboscis shining brown, slightly anteriorly directed, as long as head is deep. Palpi small, brown with short hairs.

Thorax: yellowish orange, thinly covered with pale dust; scutum long oblong viewed from above, distinctly flattened with anterior margin forming a right angle with disc in lateral view (Fig. 77). Anterior 2 pairs of dorsocentrals very strong, long, yellow; dc1 forwardly directed, articulated at extreme front angle of scutum; dc2 close behind dc1, inclined anteriorly at 45°. Other bristles black; dc3 and dc4 absent, dc5 minute; pprn fine, upcurved; ph very strong, outwardly directed; sa rather weaker, unp weaker still.

Legs: same colour as thorax, tarsi darkened on apical segments. C 1 0.9X as long as thorax, 4.0–4.3X as long as wide, minute bristly hairs anteriorly becoming slightly longer apically and at extreme base. F 1 moderately inflated, widest 0.3–0.4 from base; 2 rows of black spines beneath and a strong yellow basal bristle; av row shorter and blunter; pv row longer and pointed becoming very strong and distinctly bent basally. T 1 0.9X as long as F 1, abruptly narrowed in distal 0.1–0.2, a linear series of minute adpressed denticles below on basal 0.9 and longer dark bristles on distal 0.1. F 2 with distinct ad bristles in distal 0.3. T 2 with 5 strong dark dorsal bristles medially; at1 bearing linear series of minute denticles ventrally; at2 0.6X as long as at3.

Wing: with veins brown and membrane tinged yellowish; R 1 short, strongly curved apically, joining C almost at right angle; vein C strongly inwardly reflexed in subcostal and costal cells causing abrupt narrowing of wing basally and bearing 3–4 very strong wavy hairs and numerous shorter setae; basal cells short, narrow; cell cup open, vein A 1 absent, CuA 2 present only as a short stump; costal bristle strong. Halteres yellowish.

Abdomen: blackish, dusted grey; terminalia pale yellow, more heavily dusted, upwardly reflexed; epandrial lobes narrow with 2–3 long bristles posteroapically.

Description. Female: differing from male mainly as follows.

Head: ocl long and strong, much stronger than frontal setae; an inner pair of verticals and a stronger outer pair contiguous with upo.

Thorax: yellowish orange, scutum slightly darker with a broad brownish median ground colour stripe. All setae black; dc2 erect, strong but smaller than in male, slightly reclinate; dc1 0.3X length of dc2, erect; ph strong (equal to pprn) but much weaker than in male; unp as long as dc2, sa rather longer.

Legs: C 1 ciliated linearly in front with short pale bristles. F 1 with 2 rows of black spines beneath, longer basally, straight, not distinctly bent. T 1 not apically narrowed, at1 with rather dense row of short dark hairs (not denticles). Mid and hind legs with a few longer hairs about tip of femora and tibiae and a noticeable dorsal ciliation of fine hairs on T 3; otherwise without distinctive chaetotaxy.

Wing: slightly narrowed basally; R 1 short but not strongly curved towards margin apically. Vein C without extraordinarily long setae. Vein A 1 represented by a faint fold in membrane, CuA 2 rather longer.

Abdomen: with terminal papillae black bearing dark hairs.

Comments. C. ultraferox is in the C. trepida -group with A 1 completely absent, postpedicel short and dc3 absent. Males have wings narrowed basally and venation distorted; F 1 bearing strong sharply curved ventral setae. This is another species demonstrating remarkable sexual dimorphism and is known only from a single South Island locality in November.