Empis (Coptophlebia) tortuosa, Daugeron & Grootaert, 2005

Daugeron, Christophe & Grootaert, Patrick, 2005, Empidine Dance Flies From Singapore And Southern Malaysia (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (2), pp. 211-220 : 214-215

Empis (Coptophlebia) tortuosa , new species

( Figs. 1C , 6A, B )

Material examined. – Holotype - male, Singapore, Nee Soon, sample 20030, coll. P. Grootaert, 5 Oct.2000 ( ZRC).

Paratypes – 8 males, Singapore, Nee Soon, sample 25070, coll. P. Grootaert, 19 Apr.2005 ( ZRC, KBIN-IRScNB, MNHN) .

Etymology. – From the Latin word tortuosus in reference to the shape of bristles of the epandrium and male sternite 8.

Diagnosis. – Medium-sized brownish species, fore tibia strongly deformed at base, legs brownish with mid tarsus distinctly paler, hind tibia with a characteristic cluster of 4 very long ventral bristles basally, sternite 8 with numerous long, tortuous ventral bristles directed anteriorly, ventral margin of epandrium with a characteristic indentation subapically.

Description. – Male – Head. Occiput dark brown, antenna brownish, second and third flagellomeres aristiform. Face blackish. Palpus clear yellowish, labrum length 2.3 x head height. Thorax. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals broken but apparently uniserial. Proepisternum with 1 fine, short bristle, prosternum with 1 long lateral bristle. Legs ( Fig. 1C ) brown, mid tarsus almost yellowish. Fore tibia strongly deformed at base with 2 distinct anterodorsal bristle (at middle, at apical third), 2 rather strong, long posterolateral bristles; first fore tarsomere with 1 strong long antero- and posterolateral bristles, 1 strong, long posteroventral bristle. Mid femur with 2 long ventral bristles at middle; mid tibia with 2 and 3 strong, long ventral and dorsal bristles respectively; first mid tarsomere with 2 strong, long anterodorsal bristles. Hind tibia with a cluster of 4 very long ventral bristles basally, rather strong at base, finer at tip, 4 strong, long dorsal bristles (1 basally, 1 at apical third, 2 apically); hind tarsus somewhat swollen, first hind tarsomere almost as long as the following four tarsomeres together, with 3 strong, long dorsal bristles, following tarsomeres with 2 long dorsal bristles. Wing (length = 2 mm) feebly tinged with brown, discal veins almost not visible, A1 abbreviated. Abdomen brownish. Sternites with distinct pair of bristles posteriorly. Sternite 8 ( Fig. 6A ) with numerous strong, long, tortuous ventral bristles directed anteriorly. Hypopygium ( Fig. 6B ). Epandrium subtriangular, long, with a ventral indentation subapically, strong, long, more or less tortuous ventral bristles, 1 very strong bristle at tip, several strong, long dorsal bristles. Hypandrium somewhat elongated, fine at tip. Phallus somewhat recurved at tip

Female unknown.

Remarks. – This species belongs to the E. hyalea clade. Within this clade it probably forms a small monophyletic group with E. vitisalutatoris ( Singapore) and E. thiasotes ( Indonesia: Java) on the basis of the presence of a characteristic ventral indentation of the epandrium.

Figures

Fig. 1. Male fore leg in frontal view: A, tibia and first tarsomere of E. (C.) neesoonensis; B, tibia and tarsus of E. (C.) producta; C, tibia and first tarsomere of E. (C.) tortuosa; D, tibia and first tarsomere of E. (C.) verruca.

Fig. 6. Male postabdomen of E. (C.) tortuosa, lateral view: A, sternite 8; B, hypopygium. Scale = 4.2 mm.