Elaphropeza pauper, 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 : 83-85

Elaphropeza pauper sp. nov.

( Figs. 131–134 )

Diagnosis. A large species with black thorax; postpedicel short, style considerably longer than postpedicel; acrostichals lacking, dorsocentrals few in number; mid tibia bearing somewhat flattened posteroventral subapical bristle, hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle; only tergite 4 with squamiform setae.

Description. Male. Body length 2.9 mm, wing length 2.5 mm. Head black, occiput subshining, with yellow to yellowish brown (large bristles) setation. Eye with hind margin slightly concave. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars very short. Two pairs of inclinate verticals (inner ones longer). Frons shining. Antenna ( Fig. 131 ) brownish (postpedicel somewhat paler). Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae. Postpedicel short, about 2.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, 5.0 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 2.5 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Gena somewhat produced below eye. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered yellow setulae.

Thorax entirely black, largely shining, with brownish bristles; scutellum and metanotum distinctly tomentose. Proepisternum lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 2 short bristly hairs in upper part. Postpronotal bristle short. Mesonotum with 1 presutural supra-alar, 3 notopleural, 2 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar bristles. Acrostichals lacking. Dorsocentrals represented by 4 pairs, convergent (except for prescutellars), mostly subequal in length, 1 pair of prescutellars longest.

Legs rather slender, largely brownish yellow, with brown setation; all femora somewhat paler in basal part; tibiae becoming darker from fore to hind tibia, fore tibia yellowish brown, hind tibia dark brown (except for base and apex). Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles and 1 long bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of minute (longer near base of femur), spinule-like, ventral setulae and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules, bearing 1 short ordinary anteroventral and 1 very long, somewhat flattened, posteroventral bristle in subapical part. Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia somewhat narrowed on apical 1/3, bearing 1 anterodorsal bristle vertically sitting on tubercle in apical 1/3, with several appressed setae in apical part; apical projection short, rounded. Hind tarsomere 1 somewhat thickened.

Wing normally developed, uniformly brownish infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins brownish. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, brown. Costal index: 56/37/51/17. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 not quite reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Halter black.

Abdomen with tergite 1 entirely pale yellow. Tergites 2 and 3 represented by 2 subtriangular brownish spaces separated broadly along midline (tergite 3 somewhat broader); both with rather numerous, brown, unmodified setae, tergite 3 also with few somewhat flattened setae. Tergite 4 broadest, subrectangular, dark brown, with numerous squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, covered with intermixed ordinary and somewhat flattened setae. Tergites 6 and 7 unmodified, concolorous with tergites 2 and 3; tergite 7 with rather short posteromarginal bristles. Tergite 8 with projection bearing 3 long bristles at tip. Pleural space of segment 6 with spot of sclerotisation. Sternites 1–2 wholly brownish, narrow. Sternites 3–6 represented by ovate, small, brownish spots on each side. Sternite 7 unmodified, broad, with scattered setulae. Gland-like structures present between tergites 4 and 5, represented by 2 large ovate spaces of sclerotisation, posterior one covered with numerous short microtrichia.

Terminalia (132–134) dark brown, rather small, elongate. Cerci narrowly fused; left cercus unbranched, digitiform, narrow, covered with numerous bristles of different length; right cercus well prominent, narrow, with several moderately long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subtriangular, covered with numerous long bristles. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several long bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe subtriangular, covered with numerous long bristles. Hypandrium with 2 subapical bristles. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 8 July 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25206, leg. PG, E-11).

Derivatio nominis. The name pauper (Latin for poor) alludes to the fact that it has only a single tergite with squamiform setae.

Distribution. Singapore. Forest.

Singapore. At the moment there is only a single observation of this species in the swamp forest of Nee Soon, where it was caught in a Malaise trap set in a wet place of the forest.

Remarks. The relationships of E. pauper sp. nov. are unclear beyond inclusion within the monophyletic lineage of the E. ephippiata species group sharing fused cerci (see “Discussion” for details).

Figures

FIGURES 131–134. Elaphropeza pauper sp. nov. 131. antenna. 132. epandrium with cerci. 133. right epandrial lamella. 134. left surstylus.