Griphophanes furcatus, Grootaert, Patrick & Meuffels, Henk, 2012

Grootaert, Patrick & Meuffels, Henk, 2012, New Griphophanes Grootaert & Meuffels (Diptera, Dolichopodidae, Peloropeodinae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 3478, pp. 570-580 : 572-574

Griphophanes furcatus sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 , 14 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE 3: MALAYSIA, Endau-Rompin N.P. (2°32'N, 103°24'E; alt. 34 m), river banks, tributary Endau river, 11.VII.2001 (reg. 21061, M97, leg. P. Grootaert). PARATYPES: Endau-Rompin N.P., 3 3, river banks of Sungei 1 (research station), tributary Endau river, 13.VII.2001 (reg. 21070, leg. P. Grootaert).

Diagnosis: Large species with darkened legs, except for coxae and base of femora. Acrostichals uniseriate. Halters almost white. Mid tibia and basal tarsomere with a row of hair-like bristles with a bent tip. Cerci large, bifurcate, yellow; outer branch with a black tip.

Etymology. The name furcatus refers to the huge bifurcate cercus of the male.

Description. Male. Body length 2.15 mm; wing length 1.85 mm. Head. Frons and face with blackish ground colour. Eyes below middle of face well separated for about width of second antennal segment. Palpus black, with black apical bristle. Rostrum dark brown. Occiput black. Postoculars uniseriate, all black. Antenna dark brown. No dorsal bristle on second antennal segment. Third segment wider than long. Ventral projection short, almost not developed in some specimens. Arista dorsal, more than 3X as long as antenna, bare; basal aristal segment half as long as third segment. Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum greenish black, feebly shining. Acr uniseriate (4 quite long bristles). 6 dc twice as long as ac. Pleurae brownish black to dark brown, partly with green metallic gloss. 1 long black propleural. Legs. Fore and hind coxae yellow (mid coxa brownish); all trochanters and base of all femora largely yellow. Apical half of femora, all tibiae and tarsi brown. Base of mid and hind tibiae even more darkened. Claws on all legs long and asymmetrical; i.e., inner claw generally longer than outer claw. Fore leg. Coxa anteriorly with short, dark hairs; at apex a few short and weak bristles. Trochanter bare. Femur with row of anteroventral and posteroventral bristles, half as long as width of femur. Tibia without bristles. Tibia shorter than femur. Tarsus longer than tibia. Apical half of tarsomere 1, tarsomeres 2 and 3 with long rather posteroventral bristles (twice as long as tarsomeres are wide). Mid leg. Coxa anteriorly with few, long hairs; no exterior bristle. Femur ventrally with row of equally long, pale bristles, with bent tip (bristles as long as depth of femur); 1 long distinct anterior preapical. Tibia and first tarsomere also with ventral row of long pale bristles with bent tips. 2 ad, 2 pd and crown of pre-apicals. Hind leg. Coxa with distinct black exterior bristle. Trochanter with equally long black bristle. Femur slightly widened at apical third; with single row of ventral bristles, almost as long as depth of femur. Distinct anterior pre-apical bristle present. Tibia slightly longer than femur; 1 tiny ad at basal fourth and 1 at apical third; 1 long, broad dorsal pre-apical bristle. Small black denticle present under posteroventral comb. Wing. Brownish tinged. Tp at least as long as apical part of Cu. Halters pale (almost white). Squamae brown, with black border, and 8 long black cilia. Abdomen. Blackish brown above, feebly shining; sterna brownish. Hairs on terga short, black; hindmarginal bristles on first tergum very long (longer than width of sternite); those on following segments shorter, hardly longer than rest of pubescence. Hypopygium ( Fig.4 ) brownish black; cerci long, brownish, bifurcate with short dark brown inner branch and very wide and long, yellow outer branch set with long black bristles. Tip of outer branch darkened. Epandrial lobe more slender than in G. furcatulus sp. nov. also bearing pair of apical epandrial bristles and basal bristle on tubercle. Surstyli both digitiform, ventral surstylus with broadened bristle at apex. Female. Unknown.

Discussion. This is the only species with almost white halters (black in the others) and it is larger than the other species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Griphophanes furcatus sp. nov. male postabdomen. Scale 0 1. mm.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Griphophanes males: 11. gravicaudatus (Grootaert & Meuffels) habitus (scale 0.5 mm); 12. obscurus sp. nov. abdomen (scale 0.1 mm); 13. furcatulus sp. nov. habitus (scale 0.5 mm); 14. furcatus sp. nov. postabdomen (scale 0.1 mm).