Tomosvaryella melaleuca Motamedinia, Skevington & Földvari, 2023

Motamedinia, Behnam, Földvari, Mihaly, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2023, Revision of Australian Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) with description of 100 new species, Zootaxa 5599 (1), pp. 1-271 : 139-141

Tomosvaryella melaleuca Motamedinia, Skevington & Földvari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FCCB5B6E-0308-4FB1-AD8C-15A5FA655830

Figs 62A–E , 130 , 144C

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a small keel with 2–3 short dark spines ( Fig. 144C ); small surstyli with two ventromedial lobes in dorsal view; both gonopods extended towards surstyli, right one with a distinct projection on inner margin; phallic guide with some dorso-dorsolateral spines in ventral view ( Fig. 62B ); both surstyli straight in lateral view ( Fig. 62D–E ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.4 mm. Head. Scape, pedicel dark brown; flagellum tapering, light brown. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black; lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 2.1 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 2–3 long brown bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) silvery pollinose, with some short supra-alar bristles behind postpronotum lobes. Scutellum silvery brown pollinose and with 5–8 short dark bristles along distal edge. Halter, knob yellow, tip brownish, stem yellow, base dark brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 3–4 dark bristles. Trochanters brown, femora black, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/6 of tibiae yellow (tibiae otherwise brown), tarsal segments light brown. Hind trochanter with a small keel providing with 2–3 short dark spines ( Fig. 144C ); ventrobasal spines absent on femora. Hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 8–10 equally spaced short bristles posteroventrally, longest up to 2/3 the width of hind tibia at distal end. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short). Hind tarsomeres not flattened, hind metatarsus almost as long as 2–4 combined, dorsally all tarsomeres with erect bristles. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 2.5 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one brown bristles. Fourth costal section 3 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brown, tergite 1 brown pollinose. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 8–10 long brown bristles up to as long as hind femur’s width at base. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium rectangular-shaped (MLE:MWE = 1.1). Surstyli rather short, widened in the basal fourth, then constricted, broadened in the middle, both surstyli with a small lobe in dorsomedial margin, curved to each other at apex, left surstylus is longer ( Fig. 62A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: both gonopods extended towards surstyli, pointed at apex, right one with a distinct projection on inner margin, gonopods unequal in height, left slightly longer; phallic guide with 3–6 short dorso- dorsolateral spines; two left ones longer than others; subepandrial sclerite distinct ( Fig. 62B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli straight ( Fig. 62D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 62C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: This species is named after the paperbark trees ( Melaleuca spp. ) that dominate the floodplain in the otherwise treeless type locality.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Edgbaston National Reserve (EBM1), 22°44’S, 145°26’E, 237m, Melaleuca floodplain, 29.X–15.XII.2010, C. Lambkin et al., Malaise trap, CNC596961 (1♂, QM).

Distribution: Australia (Queensland) ( Fig. 130 ).

Figures

FIGURE 62. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella melaleuca sp. nov. (CNC596961, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 130. Distribution of Tomosvaryella luma sp. nov., T. mathiesoni sp. nov., T. melaleuca sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 144. Hind legs of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. danielsi sp. nov., paratype (JSS9708, QM), B) T. gaimarii sp. nov., holotype (JSS16633, QM), C) T. melaleuca sp. nov., holotype (CNC59696, QM), D) T. miltocentra sp. nov., holotype (JSS9239, ANIC), E) T. wyperfeldensis sp. nov., holotype (CNC373426, QM), F) T. bounites sp. nov., paratype (JSS2217, QM).