Tomosvaryella exigua 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 : 94-95

Tomosvaryella exigua Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:566CBD5E-A7C0-4694-A63E-06F2C327EF91

Figs 40A–E , 119

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by a distinct triangular protrusion on the hind femur ventrobasally, tiny surstyli covered by long and distinct bristles on the dorsal and central margin before the apex in dorsal view ( Fig. 40A ), straight in lateral view ( Fig. 40D–E ); gonopods small, wide hypandrium, phallic guide with some dorso-dorsolateral spines in ventral view ( Fig. 40B ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.4 mm. Head. Scape, pedicel and Flagellum dark brown, flagellum tips rather light brown, grey pollinose. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black; lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with three long light brown bristles and one short one. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) silvery pollinose, posterior part more brownish. Scutellum silvery brown pollinose without bristles along distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles short, dark, longer in frontal half, some dark bristles around postpronotum present. Legs. Mid coxa with three long and one short dark bristle. 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 grey pollinose without distinct feature; ventrobasal spines present (1) on fore and absent on mid femur. Hind femur without ventroapical spines, with a distinct triangular protuberance ventrobasally. 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: 2.4 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long brown bristle. Fourth costal section 3 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 2–3 short dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brown-black, tergite 1 brown in its middle, grey-brown pollinose. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 4–5 dark bristles up to as long as ¾ of hind femur’s width at base. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium wider at base, longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.2). Surstyli tiny, broadened at base, then strongly constricted and broadened at apex with condensed long and distinct bristles on central and outer margin before apex, some bristles as wide as surstyli; both surstyli pointed to each other at apex ( Fig. 40A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods small, equal in height; wide hypandrium; phallic guide with 3–6 short dorso- dorsolateral spines; subepandrial sclerite distinct ( Fig. 40B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli short and straight covered by some bristles apically, gonopods with two long membranous sheaths towards surstyli ( Fig. 40D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent ( Fig. 40C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: From the Latin exiguus, little, short, scanty, poor or meagre, in reference to the tiny surstyli of the male.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: n[ea]r Teddington Weir SE of Maryborough, 25°39’S, 152°42’E, rainforest margin, 9.XI.1990, G. &A. Daniels, JSS8909 (1♂, QM) ; PARATYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 8 km E Salmon Gums , 32°58’S, 121°42’E, 6.I.1987, G. & A. Daniels, JSS8915 (1♂, QM) .

Distribution: Australia (Queensland, Western Australia) ( Fig. 119 ).

Notes: This is another widespread species collected from two different habitats far from each other, from rainforest in the east to Eucalyptus forest in the west. Because of the distinctive triangular protuberance on the hind femur and the similarity of their genitalia, we treat these specimens as the same species. Fresh specimens are needed to allow for DNA sequencing and comparison.

Figures

FIGURE 40. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella exigua sp. nov. (JSS8909, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 119. Distribution of Tomosvaryella creagra sp. nov., T. danielsi sp. nov., T. exigua sp. nov. in Australia.