Howickia regalis Marshall

Marshall, S. A., Luk, S. P. L. & Dong, H., 2014, A revision of the New Zealand species of Howickia Richards, Zootaxa 3887 (1), pp. 1-36 : 22-24

Howickia regalis Marshall sp. nov.

( Figs. 49–52 )

Description. Colour: Thorax and abdomen reddish brown except for dark posterior margins of tergites. Face and antenna pale. Tarsi pale yellow to white, fore and hind tarsi paler than mid tarsi.

Head: Face entirely microtrichose. Interfrontal bristles in 3 strong equal pairs. One large orbital bristle (lower orbital absent). Ocelli small, anterior ocellus sometimes indistinct. Eye 2.5–3.0X genal height. Anterior genal bristle strong. Arista with short hairs basally and longer hairs distally, hairs on distal half twice width of first aristomere.

Thorax: Scutellum uniformly microtrichose, 3.0X as wide as long; basal and apical marginal bristles subequal in length or basal slightly longer than apical. Anterior dorsal katepisternal bristle minute, posterior dorsal bristle large, reaching more than halfway to wing base. Wing and halter absent.

Male abdomen: Sternite 5 with sclerotized part about half as long as sternite 4 medially, posteromedial area desclerotized and divided into 2 broad lobes each with a cluster of about 20 short, broad, flattened, bristles; those on posterior margin largest. Subanal plate incomplete, with halves broadly separated to expose a well-developed subepandrial sclerite; lower/outer part of cercus broadly rounded and inner part of cercus forming a distinct quadrate ventral lobe. Surstylus highly characteristic, trilobed with a long narrow posterior lobe terminating in a short spur, a broadly triangular ventral lobe, and a spatulate anterior lobe. Hypandrium broadly but asymmetrically fused with anteroventral corners of epandrium, fused area of right side shorter and twice as wide as fused area on left. Ventral lobe of hypandrium prominent, anterior surface of ventral part conspicuously denticulate. Posterodorsal apodeme of hypandrium strongly developed, reaching anterior surface of distiphallus near base. Distiphallus tubular and sclerotized over basal 2/3, distal third bulbous and membranous, anterior surface finely denticulate near middle. Postgonites broad on basal part, gradually tapering distally with anterior surface serrate on distal half. Basiphallus frame-like, projecting posteriorly at right angle to distiphallus base for a distance half as long as distiphallus base.

Female abdomen: Tergite 8 divided into 3 parts, lateral parts setose and setulose along posterior margin. Epiproct and cercus greatly reduced, pale, essentially indistinguishable from surrounding membrane. Sternite 8 pale, small, setulose, with 2 small bristles along posterior margin.

Type material. Holotype (male, NZAC, debu00370490) and 8 paratypes (3 males, 5 females, NZAC): Three Kings Island, 275 m, ex. litter, 23.Nov.1970, G. Kuschel.

Etymology. The species name is from the Latin for "kingly", and refers the type locality, Three Kings Island. Comments. This species is externally similar to H. nigriventer , which also has a strikingly long and narrow posterior surstylar lobe. These species otherwise differ markedly in surstylar shape and armature of male sternite 5.

Figures

FIGURES 49 – 52. Howickia regalis Marshall, sp. n.: 49, epandrium, posterior; 50, epandrium, left lateral; 51, male sternite 5; 52, aedeagus and associated structures.