Elaphropeza sime, 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 : 26-27

Elaphropeza sime sp. nov.

( Figs. 23–26 )

Diagnosis. Species with thorax entirely black; antenna with scape and postpedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish; legs wholly yellow, hind tibia bearing 2 straight anterior subapical bristles of different lengths; wing with brownish band on middle part, halter yellow.

Description. Male. Body length 2.8 mm, wing length 2.2 mm. Occiput black, subshining, with pale setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones shorter. Antenna ( Fig. 23 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish (except base). Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel nearly 3.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, 4.0 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 2.5 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, oval.

Thorax entirely black, shining, with pale setation. Prothoracic episterna with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 very short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars) setulae.

Legs rather long, entirely yellow (hind femur appearing paler in basal part), with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur and tibia and hind tibia somewhat thickened, hind femur rather slender. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles (1 bristle near base longer). Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals) but with row of ventral spinules. Mid femur slender, with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (4–5 posteroventrals in basal part longer and stronger), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules (1 subapical longer), lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with 1 row of very short anteroventrals and 2–3 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 2 subapical straight bristles (1 very short) anteriorly, otherwise with ordinary setation; apical projection prominent, small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, largely finely infuscate, with somewhat darker brownish band on middle part, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle short, yellow. Costal index: 52/48/39/11. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 almost straight. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, vein M1+2 somewhat bowed. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present as fold. Crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique. Crossvein r-m beyond middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Tergites (except tergite 1) well sclerotised, brown. Tergite 2 concave anteriorly, with unmodified setae. Tergites 3–5 becoming gradually narrower (from 3rd to 5th), bearing squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 of subequal width, both with rather short posteromarginal bristles. Sternites (except sternites 6–8) pale yellow, with scattered setulae. Gland-like strictures present between tergites 3–4 and 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 24–26 ) small, brown. Cerci broadly separated; left cercus subrectangular, covered with numerous bristles of different lengths, with short spine-like bristle at apex; right cercus short, narrow, with several moderately long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subrectangular, covered with numerous bristles of different lengths. Right surstylus prominent, large, almost as long as right epandrial lamella, rather elongate oval, with short bristles. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several setulae apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, subrectangular, with numerous short bristles. Hypandrium with 2 equally strong and long bristles apically. Phallus long, curved. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, 1 ♂, Sime forest , 4 January 2006, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26003, leg. PG, E-30).

Derivatio nominis. The name sime refers to the type locality, the Sime forest and is used as a noun.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Forest.

Singapore. With a single record, little can be said of this very rare species.

Remarks. The relationships of E. sime are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. biuncinata species group. In the new species, the hind tibia bears two straight anterior subapical bristles of different lengths. So, E. sime appears to show an intermediate state of this character and is provisionally included in this species complex of the E. biuncinata group.

Figures

FIGURES 23–26. Elaphropeza sime sp. nov. 23. antenna. 24. epandrium with cerci. 25. right surstylus. 26. left surstylus.