Medetera colombensis, Naglis, Stefan & Bickel, Daniel J., 2012

Naglis, Stefan & Bickel, Daniel J., 2012, Medetera (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) of Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 3188, pp. 55-63 : 60-61

Medetera colombensis sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: SRI LANKA. 3: “ Sri Lanka Col. Dist. Colombo Museum Gardens 50 ft. 17-23.II.1977 Karl. V. Krombein” ( USNM).

Description. Male. Length (holotype): Body 2.4 mm, wing 2.3 mm. Head: Frons, face and clypeus metallic olive green with grey pruinosity; palpus metallic green; proboscis dark brown; scape and pedicel yellow, first flagellomere black; lower postoculars white. Thorax: Dorsum metallic olive-green, with dense greyish-white pruinosity; thoracic setae black, except as noted; 2 strong dc bordering mesonotal depression, anterior setae hair-like; ac small, shorter than distance between ac rows; 2 strong scutellars and 2 lateral setae one-third length of medians; pleura metallic olive-green, with grayish-white pruinosity; proepisternum with 2 white setae below. Legs: Coxae and basal 3/4 of femora dark brown, reminder of legs yellow, but tarsomeres slightly infuscated. Fore leg: without major setae; relative podomere ratios: 57/53/29/ 19/15/9 /7. Mid leg: coxa with 2 white anterolateral setae; tibia with small black ad/pd setal pair at 1/4, and 1 black apicoventral seta; relative podomere ratios: 58/62/40/ 23/17/8 /6. Hind leg: coxa with white lateral seta; femur with some white dorsal setae on basal half; tibia with 1 strong white subapical seta dorsally and small black apical tooth (MSSC); basitarsus without basal tubercle; relative podomere ratios: 65/78/16/ 39/20/7 /6. Wing: Veins brown; R4+5 and M distinctly converging towards wing margin; CuAx ratio: 0.4; RMx ratio: 2.8; lower calypter pale yellow, with fan of yellow setae; haltere yellow. Abdomen: Dark metallic olive-green; setae white; epandrium black, cercus brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 5 ): epandrium subovate; hypandrium with acute apex; epandrial seta small, positioned near epandrial lobes; epandrial lobes very close, lateral lobe bearing long, sinuous seta, median lobe with normal seta; surstylus sickle-shaped, with basoventral, short tooth-like seta and 3 long midventral setae, apex with 4-5 short setae; cercus short, with short lateral arm. Female: Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality.

Remarks. Medetera colombensis belongs to the flaviscutellum species-group which includes a single Oriental species, M. philippinensis Bickel. Using Bickel’s (1987) key, the species runs to the Australian species M. gingra Bickel and M. bunyensis Bickel which do not have a yellow colored scutellum. It can be separated from all members of this species-group by the striking sickle-shaped surstylus and small cercus.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Medetera colombensis sp. nov. male hypopygium, left lateral view; aed = aedeagus; cer = cercus; epl = epandrial lobe; eps = epandrial seta; hyp = hypandrium; sur = surstylus (scale bar: = 0.1 mm).