Elaphropeza similis ( Smith, 1963 )

Freitas-Silva, Rafael A. P. & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2009, Revision of the species of Elaphropeza Macquart, 1827 (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) from Amazon Basin and some remarks about E. ciliatocosta (Bezzi, 1904), Zootaxa 2245, pp. 32-46 : 42-44

Elaphropeza similis ( Smith, 1963)

( Figs. 14–15 )

Drapetis (Elaphropeza) similis Smith, 1963: 155 , fig. 3 (male terminalia, err. typ.: number of illustration incorrectly interchanged with Drapetis (Elaphropeza) mazaruni ); 1967: 39.4 (cat.).

Elaphropeza similis: Yang et al., 2007: 379 (cat.).

Diagnosis. Reddish yellow species. Occiput lacking tomentum on narrow shining area adjacent to upper part of eye, ocellar triangle with tomentum; flagellum brown. Postpronotal bristle not prominent, dorsocentrals in 3 rows. Mid femur thickened, mid tibia with short ventral spinules. Male terminalia with cerci completely fused.

Re-description. Holotype male. Body length: 2.0 mm, wing length: 1.8 mm. Occiput subshining brown with white dense tomentum, lacking on narrow band adjacent to upper part of eye, yellow setation, verticals and ocellars dark yellow; oral margin yellow. Frons shining brown, V-shaped, width of 0.6 ocellus just above antennae; face tomentose. Two pairs of upward verticals, inner pair longer, outer one as long as postocular setae; ocellars proclinate, anterior pair long and cruciate, posterior one minute, divergent. Occipitals lacking on vertex. Antenna yellow with reddish setation, flagellum dark yellow, arista brown. Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae; postpedicel and basal aristomere short, 1.5 times longer than scape and pedicel combined; arista normally pubescent, 7.5 times longer than scape and pedicel combined. Palpus white, somewhat ovate, as long as proboscis; proboscis reddish yellow.

Thorax shining reddish yellow, scutellum with darker base and yellow margins, subscutellum black; scutum with few yellow setae; white tomentum on anterior margin of scutum, posterior half of pleura, laterally on postalar callus and wholly scutellum and subscutellum. Scutum somewhat longer than wide, 4.4 times longer than scutellum. Proepisternum bearing 1 short seta on upper part, lacking seta just above fore coxa; postpronotal seta not prominent; 2 notopleural setae (posterior one longer than anterior); 3 supra-alar setae (anterior one longest, posterior somewhat shorter than anterior); 1 long postalar seta, curved strongly inward; basal scutellar seta one-third of apical. Acrostichals in 2 rows extending over middle of scutum; dorsocentrals distinct from intra-alars, with 3 rows (inner row complete, outer row as long as acrostichals, median row restricted to presutural area), prescutellar seta as long as apical scutellar.

Legs yellow, all tarsomeres 5 brown; yellow setation, conspicuous bristles reddish. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation; yellow microtrichia covering anterior face of fore coxa and fore trochanter. Fore femur bearing 1 long posteroventral bristle near base, 1 anterior and 1 posteroventral subapical bristles. Fore tibia with bristles somewhat longer distally, group of short setulae on tibial gland and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Fore tarsus with several short ventral setulae, tarsomere 1 lacking squamiform setae. Mid femur thickened bearing 1 long posteroventral bristle and several short ventral spinule-like bristles, both near base, 1 anterior and 1 posterior long subapical bristles. Mid tibia with short ventral spinules and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Hind femur bearing some erect bristles near base and 2 anterior subapical bristle. Hind tibia bearing 2 strong anterodorsal bristles and apical projection long and slender, pointed distally, apex curved dorsally. Tarsomere 1 bearing ventral squamiform setae.

Wing hyaline, normally developed, covered uniformly with microtrichia; veins yellow, yellow setation except on C reddish yellow; C bearing 1 long seta near base, setae in three proximal sections longer and more spaced than in other sections. Costal index: 31/ 14/25/9; Rs longer than cross-vein bm-cu, R2+3 arched reaching C in apical third of wing, R4+5 and M somewhat bowed in apical half, parallels near margin; CuA1 reaching wing margin; A1 inconspicuous. Basal medial cell 1.7 times longer than basal cubital, their maximum width similar; cross-vein bm-cu perpendicular to CuA1; halter yellow.

Abdomen with tergite 4 broader, barely sclerotized, bearing 6 rows of squamiform setae; tergites 5–7 weakly sclerotized; tergite 5 lacking squamiform setae; tergites 4 and 7 completely sclerotized, other tergites just laterally sclerotized.

Terminalia ( Figs. 14–15 ) small, dark brown. Cerci fused; left cercus bearing long apical seta; right cercus long and strong, slender apically, bearing some short apical setae, subapical projection arising from back wall of right cercus, lacking bristles, curved outside. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 14 ) broad, narrowing distally, bearing several short setae; right surstylus not prominent; left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium; left surstylus small, subtriangular with rounded apex. Two rod-shaped apodemes, both slender and not reaching margin of hypandrium. Hypandrium bearing median seta. Phallus short and slender.

Female. Unknown.

Type material examined. Holotype 3: [BRITISH] GUIANA, Coll. Richards & Smart, B.M. 1937-776 [white printed label] / Tukeit [District], 10.ix.1937 [white printed label] / Holotype 3, Elaphropeza similis sp.n. K.G.V. Smith det. [white hand-written label] / Holotype [white and red round printed label] / BMNH (E) # 244912 [white printed label] / [NHM]. Holotype condition: good condition, fore tarsus lost, abdomen in microslide attached to specimen pin, right wing parched.

Geographical record. British Guiana (Tukeit District).

Discussion. In original description ( Smith 1963: 154), the male terminalia illustration of E. similis was mistakenly exchanged with the male terminalia of E. mazaruni (see discussion of E. mazaruni above). The wing of this species was not mounted between slides in order to not damage the single exemplar representing the species.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 15. 13. Elaphropeza monochaeta (Bezzi, 1909) [lectotype Ƥ]. Ovipositor, lateral view. 14 – 15. Elaphropeza similis (Smith, 1963) [holotype 3]. 14. Right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 15. Epandrium with cerci (short setae on left surstylus omitted), dorsal view. Scale = 0.1 mm.