Seoda cavernicola, Wagner & Rada, 2020

Wagner, Rüdiger & Rada, Tonći, 2020, Moth flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) living in the dark of caves in the Dinaric Karst, Zootaxa 4845 (2), pp. 275-282 : 276-277

Seoda cavernicola sp. nov.

( Figs 1–9 )

Etymology. The name refers to the species’ preference for caves (caverna Latin).

Diagnosis. Seoda cavernicola sp. nov. is distinguished from congeners by the pale body, the eye bridge of only 2–3 irregularly ordered facet rows, scape short, pedicel globular, and 1 st flagellomere elongate, ventral surface of the subepandrial plate with 2 large setose excrescences; genitalia with robust outgrowths of gonocoxites, distiphallus lobes bowed out.

Material. Holotype, 1♂, Croatia, Seget Gornji, Jama I. u. Gospinu Gaju, 17 February 2019; paratypes, 2♂, collected at the type locality with the holotype; (one paratype with wings destroyed) . Further material (all paratypes): 2♂, 3♀, Croatia, Zelovo , Jama na Vranjinoj Glavici, 19 May 2019 ; 2♂, Croatia, Radošić, Baračeva jama, 31 March 2019 ; 1♂, Croatia, Zelovo, Elezova jama 19 May 2019 ; all leg. T. Rada .

Holotype and 1 paratype (slide mounted) and remaining material in ethanol deposited in the Natural History Museum & Zoo, Split, Croatia. 1 paratype from Seget Gornji, and 1 paratype from Radošić (slide mounted) in the collection of the senior author.

Description. Male: Specimens pale, whitish. Eyes reniform, eyebridge reduced with only 2 or 3 irregular facet rows, interocular suture wide U-shaped, distance between the eyes 2 to 2.5 facet diameter (figs 1–3). Antennae (fig. 4) of all specimens incomplete; scape pipe-shaped 2x longer than wide, pedicel globular 0.5x as long as the pedicel. First flagellomere almost symmetric elongate widest at middle, subsequent flagellomeres asymmetric bottle-shaped with basal bulb and long neck. Ascoids probably lost, 2 circular holes at about middle of segments may indicate the presence of ascoids. Antennal flagellum broken, length of remaining antennal articles: 40-26-73-64-58-62-; absolute length: 0.105-0.0685-0.1921-0.1684-0.1526-0.1631- mm. Basal palpus segment (fig. 5) slightly longer than the scape. Four palpus segments, terminal segment flexible; relative length: 30-58-55-95; absolute length: 0.08-0.15- 0.14-0.25 mm.

Wing (fig. 6) pale translucent, length 2.30 mm, width 0.74 mm; length/width 3.11. Sc short terminates in wing; radial fork distal of medial fork, at level of Cu tip; no crossveins r 4 -r 5 or r-m. Thorax without specific features.

Abdomen with 8 segments and inverted genitalia; hypandrium equally thin, in the middle with slighter sclerotization, with fine setae in that area. Gonocoxite tubular, about 2x longer than wide, gonostylus bent dorsal about as long as the gonocoxite, basally wider. From the basal inner edges of the gonocoxites outgrowths (gonocoxal apodemes/parameres?) arise that are half as long as the gonocoxites and enclose the dorsal lobes of the basiphallus and the basal part of the distiphallus sclerites. The dorsal parameral bridge consists of two median prolongations of the gonocoxites, converging in the middle forming a fissure or keel. Basiphallus dorsoventrally flattened, bilobed from the middle on. On dorsal side of the bifurcation thin lobes arise directed dorsally converging towards the fissure where they are jointed to the dorsal parameral bridge. The ventral lobes of the basiphallus sclerite are apically jointed to claw-shaped laterally bent distiphallus sclerites. At the positions of the joints between basiphallus and distiphallus lobes the aedeagus is jointed to (enclosed by) the large outgrowth of the gonocoxites.

Epandrium basally wider with two sharp corners, lateral and hind edges almost straight; basally with 2 small foramina. On the ventral surface of the epandrium is a pair of large setose excrescences, a well-defined subepandrial plate is not discernable. Epandrial processes almost straight in the distal part on inner side with few stronger setae in line, distally with 8 apically serrate retinacula. The hypoproct is large, rhomboid, apically setose; epiproct small setose triangular.

Remarks: Small size compared with species of the genera mentioned below and pale appearance of the type specimens are interpreted as adaptation to life in caves. The species shares large apodemes of the gonocoxites and a bilobed basiphallus sclerite with Jungiella Vaillant , Vaillantodes Wagner , Seoda Enderlein , and Panimerus Eaton ; size and shape of the distiphallus sclerites are similar to Seoda . The mode of connection of the dorsal parameral bridge and the aedeagus is unique. Usually this is by a separated Y- or U-shaped sclerite, the furca, that appears as an individual sclerite jointed with the basiphallus sclerite and dorsally coadunate in the middle with the parameral bridge. The presence of large outgrowth of the gonocoxites is similar to Jungiella Vaillant. In contrast to Jungiella , Vaillantodes , Seoda , and Panimerus which possess a separate furca the dorsal lobes in S. cavernicola sp. nov. arise from the basiphallus sclerite, they are not separated from or jointed to it. However, the task in the mode of operation is the same as for the other species: to support the back and forth movement of the aedeagus and its components.

Another striking feature is the pair of setose outgrowth on the ventral surface of the epandrium; a subepandrial plate is not recognizable; however, the setose outgrowths are in the position of the subepandrial plate and therefore are interpreted as part of this. They are positioned exactly dorsal of the outgrowth of the gonocoxites.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Seoda cavernicola. 1. Eyebridge of holotype. 2–3. Eyebridges of 2♂ paratypes. 4. Scape, pedicel, 1st and 2nd flagellomeres. 5. Basal palpus segment. 6. Wing. 7. Hypandrium, styles and aedeagus ventral view. 8. Epandrium, epandrial processes and proctiger, ventral view. 9. Basiphallus sclerite and dorsal parameral bridge with ‘furca’, ventral view. Scale: 1.0 mm (6), 0.1 mm (1–4, 7–9), 0.05 mm (5).