Elaphropeza aristalis ( Melander, 1918 )

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 111-113

Elaphropeza aristalis ( Melander, 1918)

( Figs. 185–187 )

Ctenodrapetis aristalis Melander, 1918: 205 (male and female).

Re-description. Male. Body length 1.4–1.7 mm, wing length 1.8–1.9 mm. Occiput black, largely shining including frons, finely pollinose near neck, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones hardly prominent. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brown. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 2.0 times longer than wide. Style thick, densely long pubescent, brown, about 4.0 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus pale, small, rounded.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; scutellum, metanotum and metapleuron brown. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 2 short bristles in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichal bristles 2- serial, present only in anterior part of scutum; dorsocentrals 1-serial, extending to base of scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars long.

Legs slender, largely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation; fore tibia and tarsus brownish yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroven- tral bristles (2 bristles near base longer). Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules in apical part (1 subapical somewhat longer), lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 anterodorsal bristle in middle; apical projection prominent, small, angular, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing narrow, with axillary lobe greatly reduced, almost hyaline, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish yellow. Costal index: 35/30/42/15. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, the former slightly bowed, the latter straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter pale.

Abdomen. Sclerotised spaces of tergites 1–5 brownish, tergites 6–7 somewhat paler; tergite 4 broadest, shining, with unmodified setae; tergite 5 very narrow, with few squamiform setae.

Terminalia ( Figs. 185–187 ) elongate, brownish yellow. Cerci almost completely fused; right cercus small with several moderately long bristles; left cercus long, subrectangular, curved, divided into three small lobes at apex, bearing 4 long strong bristles apically and some number of shorter bristles, lacking spines. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 186 ) subrectangular, deeply concave at apex forming two lobes, lower lobe of complicated shape, somewhat produced inside of hypopygium, with 1 strong spine-like bristle, otherwise right epandrial lamella covered with numerous bristles of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella small, fused to hypandrium, with 2 long bristles apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 187 ) with upper lobe large, bifurcate, with numerous long bristles along upper margin. Hypandrium with 1 long and 1 short bristles. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Segment 8 brownish, cercus brownish yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Type material examined. Holotype male labelled: Manila / PH [ Philippines]; RobtBrown [Robert Brown] / collector; TYPE [hand-written on white paper]; Drapetis / aristalis / Mel. ( USNM).

Paratypes: 9 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, Manila / PH [ Philippines]; RobtBrown [Robert Brown] / collector; PARATYPE [hand-written on white paper]; Ctenodrapetis / aristalis / Mel. [red label]. 1 ♂, Manila / PH [ Philippines]; RobtBrown [Robert Brown] / collector ( USNM).

Melander (1918) described this species from numerous specimens a part of which, including the holotype, has been noted above. The type is in good condition.

Distribution. Philippines (Luzon).

Remarks. The relationships of E. aristalis are not quite clear. However, in having a cuneiform wing with a reduced anal lobe this species is probably closely related to E. strigifera and E. cuneipennis .

Figures

FIGURES 185–187. Elaphropeza aristalis (Melander), 185. epandrium with cerci. 186. right epandrial lamella. 187. left surstylus.