Elaphropeza cuneipennis ( 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 : 135

Elaphropeza cuneipennis ( Melander, 1918)

Ctenodrapetis cuneipennis Melander, 1918: 206 (female).

Re-description. Female. Body length 1.5 mm, wing length 1.5 mm. Occiput black, largely shining, finely pollinose in lower part. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals moderately long. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 2.3 times longer than wide. Style very thick, densely long pubescent, brown, 3.0 times longer than postpedicel and 1.8 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus pale, small, rounded.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, shining, with brownish yellow bristles; scutum with subtriangular brownish spot above wing base. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle short. 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 lacking; dorsocentrals 1-serial, extending to base of scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars long.

Legs wholly yellow, slender. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral 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, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 2 anterodorsal bristles in middle part; apical projection prominent, narrow, somewhat elongate, pointed. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing narrow, with greatly reduced axillary lobe, hyaline, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 24/19/39/15. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, the former somewhat sinuate, the latter straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Halter pale.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 almost entirely pale yellow, with very narrow brownish space. Tergites 2 and 3 largely pale yellow, with narrow brownish dorsal space subtriangularly broadened laterally; both with unmodified setation. Tergite 4 broadest, brownish, shining, with scattered unmodified setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, with few squamiform setae. Tergites 6–7 and segment 8 brownish, cercus brownish yellow. [In the original description Melander misinterpreted abdominal tergites.]

Male. Unknown.

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

Melander (1918) described this species from a single female. The holotype is in good condition.

Distribution. Philippines (Luzon).

Remarks. The relationships of E. cuneipennis are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. ephippiata species group. However, this species is probably closely related to E. aristalis and E. strigifera in having a cuneiform wing with a greatly reduced anal lobe.