Elaphropeza neesoonensis, Published, 2007

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 : 61-64

Elaphropeza neesoonensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 89–92 , 93–94 )

Diagnosis. Species with entirely black thorax; postpedicel about 5.0 times longer than wide; acrostichal and dorsocentral bristles few in number; legs with tarsomeres 3–5 brownish yellow, mid and hind tibiae lacking anterodorsal bristles.

Description. Male. Body length 1.3–1.5 mm, wing length 1.2–1.3 mm. Head black, occiput subshining, finely pollinose, with pale setation. Eye with hind margin slightly concave. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Two pairs of inclinate proclinate verticals (inner ones longer). Frons shining. Antenna ( Fig. 89 ) wholly brownish. Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae. Postpedicel nearly 5.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, nearly as long as postpedicel and about 1.5 times shorter than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered yellow setulae.

Thorax entirely black, largely shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; scutellum and metanotum tomentose. Proepisternum lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 short upturned bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 1 very short presutural supra-alar, 2 moderately long notopleural, 1 similar postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals prominent in anterior part of scutum only, 4 (sometimes 3) pairs, rather short. Dorsocentrals prominent in posterior part of scutum only, 3 pairs, rather long (prescutellars longest).

Legs almost entirely yellow (sometimes fore tibia and fore tarsus dusky yellow or with brownish tinge), tarsomeres 3–5 pale brownish yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur somewhat thickened, with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles and 1 long bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, with 2 rows of brownish yellow, spinule-like, short, ventral bristles in basal 2/3, 2 long yellow thin bristles near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 row of black ventral spinules, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur slender, bearing 1 row of short (half as long as femur is deep) anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia somewhat thickened at apex, with ordinary inconspicuous setation; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, uniformly finely infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, yellow. Costal index: 24/21/26/15. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 not quite reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen with all tergites brown. Tergites 1–3 narrow, rectangular, normally sclerotised, with inconspicuous setation. Tergite 4 broad (nearly 3.0 times as broad as tergite 3), bearing unmodified setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, bearing squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 unmodified, tergite 6 with short while tergite 7 with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites normally sclerotised, with scattered inconspicuous setation. Gland-like structures present between tergites 4 and 5, represented by 2 elongate subtriangular anterior and 2 large ovate posterior sclerites, the latter covered with numerous microtrichia.

Terminalia ( Figs. 90–92 ) dark brown, elongate. Cerci fused forming single tapered lobe, with several moderately long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella with deep excision at apex ( Fig. 91 ), covered with long bristles. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 2 very short bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe digitiform, long, with very short bristles. Hypandrium with 1 long and 1 short bristle apically. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 1.4–1.6 mm, wing length 1.4–1.5 mm. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules. Segment 8 ( Figs. 93–94 ) elongate, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Cercus brownish yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 9 March 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25004, leg. PG, E-06).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE: 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀, Chek Jawa , 26 October 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25399, leg. PG) ; 12 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, Lim Chu Kang , 26 November 2003, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 23089, leg. PG) ; 3 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 5 October 2000, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 20030, leg. PG & N. Evenhuis) ; 6 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 4 December 2002, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 22054, leg. PG) ; 3 ♂♂, Nee Soon , 4 December 2002, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 22052, leg. PG) ; 12 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 25 November 2003, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 23086, leg. PG) ; 5 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 3 December 2003, marshland, sweeping (reg. 23100, leg. PG) ; 15 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 9 March 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25005, leg. PG) ; 40 ♂♂, Nee Soon , 9 March 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25004, leg. PG) ; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 19 April 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25070, leg. PG) ; 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 1 July 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25195, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 5 August 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25286, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 16 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25349, leg. PG) ; 2 ♂♂, Nee Soon , 14 December 2005, swamp forest, hand (reg. 25453, leg. VDV) .

Derivatio nominis. The name neesoonensis refers to the forest at the entry of upper Peirce Reservoir that is commonly called Nee Soon.

Distribution. Singapore. Open marshy land in forest. Occasionally in mangrove.

Singapore: This is a rare species with 14 records from three sites. However it is locally very abundant. It is observed in open, sunny exposed marshy areas in the swamp forest of Nee Soon where it was collected by sweep netting the short grasses. Only a single male was recorded in the Malaise traps at Nee Soon. It was also recorded twice from mangroves (once at Chek Jawa and once at Lim Chu Kang). A sex ratio of 0.5/ 1 females to males indicate again a different activity pattern for females and males. Two peaks of activity were observed: in March and at the end of November. During the rest of the year it was not observed or only in very low numbers at the same site although the sample effort was identical (at least one sweep netting session of 30 minutes at exactly the same spot at least every month).

Remarks. The relationships of E. neesoonensis sp. nov. are unclear beyond inclusion within the monophyletic lineage of Elaphropeza sharing completely fused cerci (see “Discussion” for details).

Figures

FIGURES 89–92. Elaphropeza neesoonensis sp. nov. 89. antenna. 90. epandrium with cerci. 91. apical part of right epandrial lamella. 92. left surstylus.

FIGURES 93–94. Elaphropeza neesoonensis sp. nov. 93. female abdomen, lateral. 94. ovipositor lateral.