Blepharicera kongsica, Zhang & Kang, 2022

Zhang, Xiao & Kang, Zehui, 2022, The genus Blepharicera Macquart, 1843 newly recorded from Sichuan, China with descriptions of three new species (Diptera, Blephariceridae), ZooKeys 1085, pp. 51-68 : 51

Blepharicera kongsica sp. nov.

Figs 7 , 8 , 9

Diagnosis.

Compound eye with dorsal division 1/15 as large as ventral division in male. Tibial spurs 0-0-2 in female. Rs 1.2 times as long as r-m. Cercus triangular. Dorsal branch of gonostylus short and broad, slightly swollen apically; ventral branch longer and slenderer than dorsal branch. Outer gonocoxal lobe transparent, S-shaped; inner gonocoxal lobe fusiform. Dorsal carina inapparent. Genital fork V-shaped.

Description.

Male. Body length 4.00-4.50 mm.

Head (Figs 7a , 8a, b ) pruinose, uniformly dark brown with dark brown hairs. Compound eyes dichoptic, interocular ridge absent; each compound eye divided, callis oculi absent; dorsal division contiguous with ventral division, 1/15 as large as ventral division; dorsal division with 7-8 rows of ommatidia, ommatidia red-orange, larger in diameter, with brown omatrichia; ventral division black with omatrichia. Ocelli brownish yellow. Scape and pedicel oval, brown with brownish black hairs; first flagellomere conical, basal 1/2 brownish yellow, apical 1/2 brownish black, with brownish black hairs; other flagellomeres cylindrical, dark brown with dark brown hairs; ultimate flagellomere 1.2 times length of penultimate flagellomere. Clypeus rectangular, basal 1/2 brown, apical 1/2 brownish yellow, twice as long as the width. labrum brownish yellow; labellum brownish yellow with dark brown hairs; proboscis about 0.56 times length of head width. Palpus with five segments, 1st segment almost invisible; 2nd to 4th segments cylindrical, yellow with brown hairs; 5th segment slender, yellow with dark brown hairs; relative length of distal four segments as 1.0: 1.7: 1.4: 3.2.

Thorax (Fig. 7b ) pruinose. Pronotum and propleuron dark brown without hairs. Mesonotum mostly dark brown, except middle area of posterior margin of scutum and middle area of scutellum light brown, scutellum with numerous hairs grouped at posterolateral corner; episternum dark brown; anepimeron yellow, katepimeron light brown. Relative length of femur, tibiae and 1st to 5th tarsomeres in mid leg as 10.0: 9.3: 5.3: 2.1: 1.3: 1: 1.3, in hind leg as 18: 15.8: 6.4: 2: 1.3: 1: 1.3. Fore coxa dark brown with dark brown hairs; mid and hind coxae pale with brownish black hairs; trochanters pale, anterior margin with black spot apically, with brownish black hairs; fore and mid femora brownish yellow basally and gradually darkened to dark brown apically, with dark brown hairs; hind femur yellow basally and gradually darkened to dark brown apically, with dark brown hairs; fore and mid tibiae dark brown with dark brown hairs; hind tibia brown with dark brown hairs. Tibial spurs 0-0-0. Wing (Fig. 7c ) slightly brown apically; veins brown. Sc rudimentary, not ending at base of Rs; Rs slightly curved basally, 1.2 times as long as r-m; R4 wavy, the length from end of R1 to end of R4 shorter than length from end of R4 to end of R5; r-m straight, including angle between r-m and Rs less than 90 degrees; the length from end of M1 to end of M2 longer than the length from end of M2 to end of CuA1. Base of halter pale, apex of halter brown with dark brown hairs. Base of halter pale, apex of halter brownish yellow with dark brown hairs.

Abdomen. First tergum brown with middle area pale, 2nd tergum brown, 3rd to 5th terga brown with basal 1/2 light brown, 6th to 8th terga dark brown; 1st sternum pale, 2nd to 7th sterna brown with brownish black stripes laterally; abdomen with dark brown hairs. Male genitalia (Fig. 8c-f ) brown. Epandrium trapeziform, posterior margin concaved medially, with several brown hairs. Cercus triangular, inner margin bulge, with several brown hairs; anal cone flat with two long hairs apically. Gonostylus bifurcated, dorsal branch short and broad, slightly swollen apically, with hairs; ventral branch longer and slenderer than dorsal branch, with long hairs. Gonocoxal lobe bifurcated, outer gonocoxal lobe transparent, S-shaped, pointed apically; inner gonocoxal lobe fusiform, transparent. Hypandrium nearly rectangular, 1.5 times as long as the width, slightly narrow basally, posterior margin concave, with several brown hairs laterally. Dorsal paramere with posterior margin round; dorsal carina inapparent.

Female. Body length 5.50-6.00 mm, wing length 6.50-7.00 mm, wing width 2.25-2.50 mm.

Head (Fig. 9a ) pruinose. Compound eyes subholoptic, interocular ridge present; each compound eye divided, callis oculi present; dorsal division separated from ventral division, as large as ventral division; dorsal division with about 14 rows of ommatidia, ommatidia red-orange, larger in diameter, with omatrichia; ventral division black with omatrichia. Scape oval, brownish black with brownish black hairs; pedicel conical, brownish black with brownish black hairs; first flagellomere constricted at base, flared at apex, basal 1/2 brown, apical 1/2 brownish black, with brownish black hairs; other flagellomeres cylindrical, tapering apically, brownish black with brownish black hairs; ultimate flagellomere 1.8 times length of penultimate flagellomere. Clypeus brownish black; labrum brown; labellum brownish yellow with brownish black hairs; mandibles brown; proboscis about 0.8 times length of head width. Palpus with five segments, 1st segment almost invisible, brownish yellow with brownish black hairs; 2nd to 5th segments cylindrical, brownish yellow with brownish black hairs; relative length of distal four segments as 1.0: 1.2: 1.2: 1.5. Fore coxa dark brown with brownish black hairs; mid and hind coxae pale with brownish black hairs; trochanters pale, anterior margin with black spot apically, with brownish black hairs; fore and mid femora brownish yellow basally and gradually darkened to dark brown apically, with dark brown hairs; hind femur yellow basally and gradually darkened to dark brown apically, with dark brown hairs; fore and mid tibiae dark brown with brownish black hairs; hind tibia brown with brownish black hairs. Tibial spurs 0-0-2. Terminalia (Fig. 9b ): 8th sternite bilobate, medial depression broadly U-shaped, with several hairs laterally; genital fork V-shaped; hypogynial plate broad basally, bilobate posteriorly, each lobe round apically, intervalvular area U-shaped; spermathecae three in number.

Type material.

Holotype: male (CAU), China: Sichuan Province, Daofu County, Kongse, 2013.VIII.5, 2976 m, Xiaoyan Liu; Paratypes: 1 male 7 females (QAU), same data as holotype.

Distribution.

Currently known only from China (Sichuan).

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality Kongse.

Remarks.

This new species is very similar to B. japonica (Kitakami, 1931) from Japan but can be separated by the compound eyes being dichoptic in male and subholoptic in female, the facet of the dorsal division of the compound eye being larger than that of the ventral division, and the dorsal branch of the gonostylus being shorter than the ventral branch. In B. japonica , the compound eyes are broadly separated in both sexes, the facet of the dorsal division of the compound eye is smaller than that of the ventral division, and the dorsal branch of the gonostylus is longer than the ventral branch ( Kitakami 1931; Zwick 1990). This new species is also similar to B. fasciata (Westwood, 1842) from Europe and Asia, but it can be separated from the latter by the dorsal division of the compound eye being contiguous with ventral division in male, the dorsal branch of the gonostylus being shorter than the ventral branch, and the concaved posterior margin of the hypandrium being flat. In B. fasciata , the compound eye has a narrow area between the dorsal and ventral divisions in male, the dorsal branch of the gonostylus is as long as the ventral branch, and the concaved posterior margin of the hypandrium is convex medially ( Mannheims 1935; Zwick 1990).

Figures

Figure 7. Blepharicera kongsica sp. nov. a habitus of male, lateral view b thorax, dorsal view c wing. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (a); 0.25 mm (b, c).

Figure 8. Blepharicera kongsica sp. nov. a male head, frontal view b male head, lateral view c male genitalia, dorsal view d male genitalia, ventral view e aedegal complex, dorsal view f tip of dorsal paramere, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a, b); 0.10 mm (c-f).

Figure 9. Blepharicera kongsica sp. nov. a female head, frontal view b female terminal, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a); 0.10 mm (b).