Austrophasiopsis caliginosa, Shima & Tachi, 2022

Shima, Hiroshi & Tachi, Takuji, 2022, A new species of Austrophasiopsis Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Nepal with systematic notes on the genus, Zootaxa 5190 (4), pp. 555-564 : 557-559

Austrophasiopsis caliginosa sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–5 , 11–12 )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Nepal: / Solukhumbu Dist. / Surke to Chumoa / 2339–2715 m / 31.vii.1992 / Col. H. Kurahashi ( BLKU).

Paratypes. Nepal: 13 ♂♂, same data as holotype ( BLKU, KUM) .

Etymology. The specific name is taken from the dark color of this species, the Latin noun caliginis (darkness) plus suffix osus (full of).

Diagnosis. Small dark brown species; vertex rather wide; fronto-orbital plate and parafacial with grayish pruinosity, anterior portions of fronto-orbital plate and parafacial shining black, without pruinosity; parafacial with short fine black hairs; vertex 0.12–0.13 of head width in male; 1–2 presutural dorsocentral setae; legs brown-black, mid and hind trochanters and narrow basal portion of femora paler; abdomen black in ground color, with very thin grayish pruinosity, abdominal hairs sparse.

Description. Body length. 3.9–4.0 mm.

Male. Head black in ground color, with grayish pruinosity, shining brown-black from vertex to inner 1/2–1/3 of fronto-orbital plate along frontal vitta, anterior 1/3 of parafacial along facial ridge, inner 1/3 along eye margin and gena except genal dilation; frontal vitta dark brown; occiput subshining dark brown; antenna with scape and pedicel pale brown, postpedicel brown and arista dark brown except basal thickened part pale brown; short palpus grayish pale brown. Vertex 0.12–0.13 of head width; frontal vitta narrow between anterior 1/2 to 2/3, then strongly widened anteriorly toward base of lunula, and weakly widened posteriorly to vertex, almost as wide as fronto-orbital plate at middle; parafacial nearly parallel-sided, almost as wide as postpedicel at mid height; face with median longitudinal portion weakly convex, lower margin weakly warped forward; gena 0.3–0.32 of head height. Hairs black and fine; inner vertical setae fine hair-like and parallel-sided, about 1/4 of eye height; outer vertical seta indistinct; ocellar seta fine hair-like, as long as postocellar seta; orbital setae absent; 8–10 frontal setae, lowest seta nearly level with middle of scape; fronto-orbital plate with sparse fine short hairs; parafacial with fine and short hairs usually on lower 2/3; vibrissa well developed, almost level of lower margin of face, longer than postpedicel; subvibrissa with 3 setae; genal dilation with fine black hairs; occiput with rather fine black hairs, median ventral portion with dark yellowish pile. Antenna with postpedicel about 1.5 times as long as pedicel; arista thickened on basal 1/4, 2nd aristomere longer than wide. Prementum at most 3 times as long as wide; palpus very short and flat, about 1/6 as long as prementum and at most 1.5 times as long as wide, with several short fine hairs. Eye almost bare, very sparsely haired, distance between two hairs corresponding to at most 5 ommatidia.

Thoracic scutum black, postpronotal lobe and pleura brown, with rather thin grayish pruinosity; three obscure longitudinal vittae somewhat visible on scutum. Thoracic hairs fine, sparse and black; 2 postpronotal setae; 1–2 presutural and 2 postsutural acrostichal setae; 2 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 1 presutural and 2 intra-alar setae; 2 supra-alar setae; 2 katepisternal setae mixed with several rather long hairs; anepimeral seta extending at most to posterior end of upper calypter; scutellum with 3 marginal setae, lateral scutellar seta absent; subapical scutellar setae about 1.5 times as long as scutellum, crossed apically; apical scutellar setae very fine, about 1/2 as long as scutellum, converging apically; distance between bases of subapical scutellar setae about 2/3 that between subapical and basal setae of corresponding side. Wing. Hyaline, evenly and slightly tinged with pale brown; tegula black, basicosta pale brown; veins pale brown; lower calypter translucent pale brown; relative lengths of costal sectors 2nd, 3rd and 4th approximately as 1:6.5:2.5; cell r 4+5 petiolate, petiole of vein R 4+5 about as long as dm-cu crossvein; vein M from dm-cu crossvein to bend about 2 times distance between bend and wing margin; last section of vein CuA 1 about as long as dm-cu crossvein. Legs. Brown, mid and hind trochanters and narrow base of femora paler; pulvilli pale yellowish; fore tibia with 1 fine and short posterior seta; mid tibia with 1 fine anterodorsal and 1 fine posterodorsal setae, without distinct ventral seta; hind tibia with 2 preapical dorsal and 2 apical ventral setae. Fore tarsi weakly dilated and flattened; claws and pulvilli shorter than 5th tarsomere.

Abdomen dark brown, with very thin grayish pruinosity throughout. Mid dorsal length of 5th tergite slightly longer than 4th tergite; hairs sparse fine short and suberect, longer and stronger on lateral portion and venter; syntergite 1+2 to 4th tergite with a pair of fine and short median marginal setae, 5th tergite with a row of fine and rather short marginal setae; 5th sternite with inverted wide V-formed posteromedian cleft occupying posterior 3/5, submedian membranous area rather small, inner margin of posterior lobe without serration.

Male terminalia. Cerci in dorsal view without median suture, rather weakly narrowed to truncated posterior apex, in lateral view flat along dorsal margin, with distinct ventral keel; surstylus in lateral view nearly parallelsided, without distinct hair; hypandrial arms rather long, fused mid-dorsally; pregonite long, curved ventrally, without hair; postgonite short, rounded apically; basiphallus long and occupying entire 2/3 of phallus; distiphallus sclerotized on dorsal portion, broadly membranous on posterior 1/2 and ventral portion; ejaculatory apodeme rather long, almost 3/4 as long as phallapodeme.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Nepal.

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Male 5th abdominal sternite, 6 tergite, syntergosternite 7+8 and male terminalia of Austrophasiopsis caliginosa sp. nov. 1. Male 5th sternite, in ventral view (hairs on left side omitted). 2. Male 6th tergite and sternite, syntergosternite 7+8, in lateral view (hairs omitted). 3. Epandrium, surstylus and cerci, in lateral view (hairs on epandrium omitted). 4. Same as preceding, in dorsal view (hairs on epandrium and cerci omitted). 5. Hypandrium, pre- and postgonite and phallus, in lateral view. Scales: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 11–18.Adult habitus and 1st instar larva. 11. Male of Austrophasiopsis caliginosa sp. nov., in lateral view (paratype, Nepal). 12. Male head of A. caliginosa sp. nov., in lateral view (paratype, Nepal). 13. Holotype female of A. formosensis Townsend, in lateral view (DEI). 14. Male of A. formosensis, in lateral view (Taiwan). 15. Male head of A. formosensis, in lateral view (Taiwan). 16. Female head of A. formosensis, in lateral view (Taiwan). 17. Holotype male of Austrophasiopsis luteipennis Mesnil, in lateral view (ZMH) 18. First instar larva of A. formosensis (Taiwan).