Iteaphila nepalensis Shamshev, 2012

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, 3561, Zootaxa 3561, pp. 1-61 : 27-29

Iteaphila nepalensis Shamshev sp. nov.

( Figs. 8A, 9)

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “ 27°58'N, 85°00'E./ Mal. tr. 1, 11,100'/ 16 May 1967 / Can. Nepal Exped.”; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / nepalensis/ Shamshev [red label]” ( CNC) . PARATYPES. NEPAL. same coordinates as holotype, MT 2 , 11,200 ', 17.v.1967 , Can. Nepal Exped. (1 ♀, CNC); same co-ordinates as holotype, MT 2 , 11,200 ', 21.v.1967 , Can. Nepal Exped. (3 ♀, CNC); same co-ordinates as holotype, MT 3 , 11,400 ', 31.v.1967 , Can. Nepal Exped. (2 ♀, CNC); 28°00'N, 85°00'E, MT 6 , 10,500 ', 20.v.1967 , Can. Nepal Exped. (1 ♀, CNC); same coordinates as previous, MT 7 , 9900 ', 20.v.1967 , Can. Nepal Exped. (1 ♀, CNC); same coordinates as previous, MT 7 , 9900 ', 26.v.1967 , Can. Nepal Exped. (1 ♀, CNC) .

Recognition. The species is distinguished by the long setae on the pedicel, especially in males and pale halteres in females.

Description. Wing length 3.0– 3.4 mm. Male. Head black, with brown to black setation, occiput finely greyish pollinose. Holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, brownish pollinose. Ocellar triangle very prominent, with two pairs of setae; anterior ocellars long, thin, posterior ocellars short. Postvertical and postocular setae thin, very long; occiput covered with numerous similar shorter setae in lower part. Antenna brown; scape short, subequal to globular pedicel, both with long setae; postpedicel nearly 4.0 times longer than wide, rather narrow at base, smoothly tapered; stylus very short, bristletipped; segment 9 distinct, about as long as wide, apical bristle nearly as long as segment 9. Proboscis long, projected oblique; labium somewhat more than half height of head; palpus projected parallel to labrum, slightly shorter than labrum, with numerous long bristly hairs.

Thorax black in ground-colour, with black setation; scutum viewed dorsally matt brown, with indistinct darker vittae down acr and dc setae, viewed anteriorly velvety brown; pleura uniformly finely brownish grey pollinose. Proepisternum with several short, brownish hair-like setae in lower and upper parts. Postpronotal lobe with 1 very long, thin and several similar, short setae. Mesonotal bristles hair-like; acr long, arranged in 2 irregular rows, lacking on prescutellar depression; dc mostly multiserial and subequal in length to acr, some setae anteriorly and 2–3 prescutellar pairs longer; several long presut and similar psut spal, 4–5 very long npl (with several additional shorter setae), 1 long pal, about 8 pairs of sctl.

Legs wholly brownish. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary bristly hairs. Fore femur with long, hair-like setae (longer than femur is deep) on posteroventral, dorsal and posterior faces. Mid femur with similar pattern of setation but posteroventral setae slightly longer and stronger. Hind femur with long, thin anteroventral and dorsal setae. All tibiae with some longer posterodorsal setulae on basal part; additionally, hind tibia with similar anterodorsal setulae. Tarsomere 5 on all legs flattened; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing finely brownish infuscate, with brownish veins; no bristle at wing base; stigma distinct brownish, elliptical, overlapping apex of vein R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. R 2+3 slightly deflected below stigma; radial fork V-shaped, with base opposite apex of R 2+3; R 5 and M 1 somewhat divergent before wing-apex; cell d broad, longer than basal cells, not produced apically (truncate); m-m crossvein long, M branches widely separated; dm-cu crossvein straight; M 4 subequal to dm-cu crossvein. Apex of cell cua slightly round, CuP+CuA long, ending short of wing margin. Halter brown.

Abdomen brownish, brown pollinose; covered with numerous long brownish bristly hairs. Terminalia concolorous with abdomen, small. Hypandrium slightly rounded, upcurved apically with broad truncate apex; gonocoxal apodeme broad and elongate. Postgonite posterior to phallus, extended slightly beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus and strongly arched subapically; bent apical section shorter than apex of phallus, paired with apex membranous, bearing roughened surface and teeth-like projections, apex broadly rounded. Epandrium quadrate, not greatly inflated laterally; dorsal bridge very narrow; apex of surstylus very slender, projecting posterodorsally. Phallus long and slender, arched beyond epandrium, strongly recurved subapically ( Fig. 8A); apical section long; apex rounded and membranous; ejaculatory apodeme plate-like, rounded, longer than gonocoxal apodeme; base of phallus produced posteriorly into recurved lobe with pair of slender lateral prolongations. Cercus tapered and slender, longer than half length of epandrium, finger-like and broad basally, apex narrow rounded, extended free from epandrium; hypoproct produced into pair of long, divergent lobes, projecting free from cercus.

Female. Head with shorter setation; occiput, ocellar triangle and frons finely brownish grey pollinose (degree of pollinosity varying and in some specimens frons more or less shining). Dichoptic, ommatidia equally small. Frons very broad, with marginal setulae. Palpus with short setae. Scutum viewed dorsally subshining, finely brownish grey pollinose; main mesonotal bristles stronger; scutellum with 4–5 pairs of setae. Legs, including coxae, almost wholly yellow, only hind femur in apical part dorsally, hind tibia near apex and tarsi brownish; with short, mostly inconspicuous setation (fore and mid femora with short, thin posteroventral subapical setae and hind femur with moderately long, thin anteroventral and dorsal setae). Halter pale. Abdomen brownish yellow, viewed dorsally subshining, finely greyish pollinose, with very short brownish setation. Cercus brownish, elongate.

Etymology. The specific name is named after the country of origin.

Distribution. This species is presently confined to Nepal ( Fig. 9).

Remarks. All specimens of this species were collected during the Canadian Nepal Expedition.