Tomosvaryella scapania Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia, 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 : 190-191

Tomosvaryella scapania Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CA464E5A-7CAE-441A-968F-D14EE4FB53A1

Figs 86A–E , 139 , 147E , 158A

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having velvet-like bristles and some erect bristles ventrally ( Fig. 147E ); elongate surstyli in dorsal view, left surstylus pointed towards outer margin ( Fig. 86A ); phallus with three ejaculatory ducts, one covered by dense teeth at base ( Fig. 86D–E ); gonopods widened in ventral view ( Fig. 86B ); ejaculatory apodeme spade-shaped ( Fig. 86C ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.9–3.1 mm. Head. Flagellum short acuminate; yellow. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black, lower part distinctly silver pollinose with a golden tinge; eyes touching for distance equal to 1.8–2.2 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 3–4 extra short, pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum brownish pollinose and with 7–8 weak bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles indistinct, very short and pale, somewhat longer along frontal edge, a few very short pale bristles around postpronotum. Halter, knob pale with brownish tinge, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 1–5 short, dark bristles. Trochanters and femora black, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/5 of tibiae yellow, extending to basal 1/3 along posterior edge (tibia otherwise black), tarsal segments dark brown, ventrally somewhat paler, last segment same dark brown. Hind trochanter without a keel, only velvet-like bristles ventrally with some (6–7) slightly longer, erect bristles, equally spaced ( Fig. 147E ). Ventroapical row of 4–5 very weak spines on fore femur present; 5–6 small, black spines on mid femur; 5–6 short, dark spines on distal half on hind femur. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae absent. Ventrobasal spines absent on fore and mid femora. Hind tarsi slightly flattened, metatarsus almost as long as 2–5 combined; stronger, peg-like dark spines on metatarsus laterally along anterior edge. Pulvilli as long as last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.5–3.6 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with 1–3 short dark bristle. Fourth costal section 3–3.5 times as long as third costal section (section 3 appears short). Cross-vein r-m distinctly distal to middle of discal cell. 2–3 distinct brown setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites subshining black with a green tinge, tergite 1 silvery grey, sides silvery pollinose on tergite 5 (very small). Dispersed strong dark bristles on all tergites absent. Lateral bristles on first tergite absent, only 3–4 indistinct, pale bristles. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 1.6–1.8 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 medium sized and rounded, brown and with the occasional indistinct bristles, otherwise velvet-like covering of ST8; membranous area drop-shaped, directed posteroventrally; epandrium brown, cerci pale, surstyli brown, elongated, uniformly broad. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli brown. Epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.5). Surstyli rather symmetrical, elongated, covered by dense short bristles; right surstylus wider than left one in middle, gently curved to left one; left surstylus constricted before apex, pointed towards outer margin ( Fig. 86A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods widened, equal in height; hypandrium broad and sclerotized, subepandrial sclerite small ( Fig. 86B ); phallus with three distinct long sinuous ejaculatory ducts, one of ejaculatory ducts covered by dense teeth at base. Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli broadened in middle and bent towards sternite; phallic guide broad, pointed at apex ( Fig. 86D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme spade-shaped ( Fig. 86C ).

FEMALE: Body length: 2.8–2.9 mm. As male except for the following characters. Frons, eyes separated, as wide as 1.2 times the width at antennae; completely silver-grey pollinose until up to 1/3 of the lower frons, shiny black in front of ocellar triangle, gradually changing from pollinose to shiny black in the transition zone; frons depressed at the point where it is widest. Enlarged ommatidia silvery shining. Pulvilli and claws about 1.2–1.5 times as long as last tarsal segment, also on hind tarsi. Female abdomen with silver spots on sides of tergite 6 only. Ovipositor. Base of ovipositor dark brown with some gray pollinosity. Viewed laterally ( Fig. 158A ), piercer straight. LP:LB = 2.1. LDP:LPP = 2.0. ( Fig. 158A )

Etymology: The species is named scapania from the Greek skapane, for spade or hoe, in reference to the spade-shaped ejaculatory apodeme.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 3.5 km SW by S Mount Baird , 15°10’S, 145°7’E, 3.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8583 (1♂, ANIC) ; PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 10 miles South Bowen , 20°8’S, 148°15’E, 26.ix.1950, E.F. Riek, JSS 8634 (1♂, ANIC); 2 km S of Horseshoe lookout, Blackdown land, 23°50’S, 149°3’E, 23–24.iv.1981, D.H. Colless, JSS 8614 (1♂, ANIC); Carnarvon National Park, Mount Moffatt section, 25°4’S, 148°1’E, 26.xi.1997, J. Skevington & C. Lambkin, Malaise trap, JSS 2300 (1♂, QM); Double Island Point, 25°56’S, 150°11’E, 110m, 28.ix.2002, S.A. Marshall, debu210268 (1♂, DEBU); Proserpine, Thompson Creek ; XY15, 20°31’S, 148°34’E, 30m, 3–10.v.2007, J. Stanisic, 15028, CNCD 159594–5 (1♂, 1♀, CNC); Proserpine, Deadman Creek , XY17, 20°30’S, 148°34’E, 21m, 3.x–10.v.2007, J. Stanisic, 15030, CNCD 159288–93 (4♂, 2♀, QM); Tibrogargan , 26°56’S, 152°57’E, 1961, P. R . Webb, JSS 8262 (1♂, QM); Mareeba , 17°0’S, 145°26’E, 8.II.1997, [Howden], flight interception trap, JSS 14388 (1♂, DEBU); Tinaroo Falls Dam, North Queensland, 17°11’S, 145°34’E, open savannah, 27.IV.1967, D.H. Colless, JSS 138 (1♂, ANIC) ; Northern Territory: Arnhem Land, Maningrida , 12°3’S, 134°13’E, 5m, 18.III.1961; 19.III.1961, J.L.&M. Gressitt, Malaise trap, CNCD 5565–66 (2♂, BPBM) .

Distribution: Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland) ( Fig. 139 ).

Notes: This is a forest species that occurs mostly along the coast from Brisbane to Darwin. Intraspecific genetic distance ranges from 0.0% to 1.1%. It is genetically closest to T. pseudophanes and T. quadrata sp. nov. (11.3% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 86. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella scapania sp. nov. (JSS8583,ANIC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 139. Distribution of Tomosvaryella scapania sp. nov., T. seticosta sp. nov., T. tetraloba sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 147. Hind legs of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. lambkinae sp. nov., holotype (JSS15593, QM), B) T. paxilla sp. nov., holotype (JSS13932, QM), C) T. ansa sp. nov., holotype (CNC591870, QM), D) T. quadrata sp. nov., paratype (JSS374994, CNC), E) T. scapania sp. nov., paratype (JSS8614, ANIC), F) T. dissidens sp. nov., paratype (JSS16231, ANIC).

FIGURE 158. Ovipositor of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. scapania sp. nov., paratype (CNCD159595, CNC), B) T. biflocca sp. nov., paratype (CNCD159596, CNC), C) T. setaria sp. nov., paratype (CNCD3867, CNC), D) T. boomerang sp. nov., paratype (CNCD159453, CNC), E) wing of T. patula sp. nov..