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

Naglis, Stefan & Bickel, Daniel J., 2012, Medetera (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) of Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 3188, pp. 55-63 : 58

Medetera kandyensis sp. nov.

( Fig. 3 )

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: SRI LANKA. 3: “ Ceylon Kan. Dist. Kandy (Roseneath) 25 March 1971 P. & P. Spangler”; “Collected in Malaise Trap” ( USNM).

Description. Male. Length (holotype): Body 2.7 mm, wing 2.9 mm. Head: Frons face and clypeus metallic blue green with violet reflections and weak grey pruinosity; palpus and proboscis dark brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, first flagellomere dark brown; lower postoculars black. Thorax: Dorsum metallic shiny blue-green, with little dusting of grey pruinosity; all thoracic setae black; 4 strong dc, sometimes with additional small anterior seta; ac strong, length more than distance between rows; scutellum concolorous with mesonotum; 2 strong scutellars, and 2 lateral setae two-thirds length of medians; pleura dark metallic blue-green, proepisternum with strong black seta below. Legs: Coxae and basal 2/3 of femora dark brown, reminder of legs yellow; all setae black, except as noted. Fore leg: coxa with strong apical setae; femur with av row of 5–6 pale setae, nearly as long as diameter of femur; tibia without setae; tarsomeres 2 and 3 broadened and flattened (MSSC) ( Fig. 1 B); relative podomere ratios: 52/51/ 27/13/8 /8/6. Mid leg: coxa with strong anterolateral and apical setae; femur with ventral row of 5-7 pale setae, half as long as diameter of femur; tibia with 1 ad seta at 1/4, and 1 apicoventral seta; relative podomere ratios: 64/64/34/ 13/10/5 /5. Hind leg: coxa with a strong lateral seta; femur with anterior row of setae; tibia with 1 strong ad seta at 1/3, with 3–5 pale dorsal subapical setae, 1 ad apical seta, and with black pv apical tooth-like projection (MSSC); relative podomere ratios: 65/87/23/ 34/24/11 /8. Wing: Veins yellowish; R4+5 and M converging, not subparallel before wing margin; CuAx ratio: 0.6; RMx ratio: 6.9; lower calypter pale yellow with fan of black setae; halter yellow. Abdomen: Metallic shiny green, tergites 6–8 dark brown; setae black; epandrium and cercus dark brown; surstylus yellow, apical half brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 3 ): epandrium subrectangular; hypandrium stout; epandrial seta not present; epandrial lobes short, each with strong apical seta; surstylus elongate, narrow, rounded apically, with strong recurved seta on ventral margin and strong, plumose seta subapically; cercus with narrow projection bearing 3 strong subapical setae. Female: Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality.

Remarks. Medetera kandyensis belongs to the aberrans species-group. It is similar to M. platychira de Meijere, 1916, a species which is widely distributed in the Oriental Region. They can be separated by the characters given in the key and the two species are sympatric in Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Male right fore tarsomeres, anterodorsal view: (A) Medetera peradeniya sp. nov.; (B) Medetera kandyensis sp. nov. (scale bars = 0.1 mm).

FIGURE 3. Medetera kandyensis sp. nov. male hypopygium, left lateral view (scale bar = 0.1 mm).