Poecilosomella curvipes, Papp, 2002

Papp, L., 2002, Eighteen New Oriental Species Of Poecilosomella Duda (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 48 (2), pp. 107-156 : 123-124

Poecilosomella curvipes sp. n.

Holotype male ( HNHM): TAIWAN: Ilan Hsien , Fu-Shan LTER Site, Sep 26, 2000 – over a rocky brook, leg. L. PAPP, No. 6.

Measurements in mm: body length 3.08 (as measurable on holotype but since abdomen downcurved and contracted, definitely longer when alive), wing length 3.15, wing width 1.29.

Body dark brown, mesonotum almost black with the usual silvery Poecilosomella pattern. Legs dark with the usual light rings.

Frons dark with some reddish hue, facial plate dark reddish brown. Antennae dirty red. Cephalic setae strong, 2 pairs of widely set fronto-orbitals present. Four pairs of medium long ifr. Genal seta only 0.21 mm long, gena below eye 0.28 mm broad. Aristal cilia rather short, 0.03 mm.

Scutellum 0.50 mm long, 0.74 mm broad, apical scutellar seta 0.71 mm. Katepisternals subequal, 0.29 and 0.33 mm.

Fore and hind femora strongly swollen, fore tibia also thickened, 0.19 mm at broadest. Male fore tibia ventrally and posteriorly, as well as all fore tarsomeres with extremely long hairs. Longest hairs on fore metatarsus 0.48 mm (!), ventrobasal hair of fore femur 0.36 mm long. Male mid tibia apically curved inwards and dorsoventrally flattened, ventrally with medium-long hairs. Male mid tibia apically without va seta but with a patch of short black spinules. Armature of mid tibia: anterodorsals: a short seta at 9/42, a long one at 13/42, a strong, more anterior at 25/42, the longest one at 34/42; posterodorsals: several short setae basally, long at 13/42, 2 shorter at 20 and 24/42, the longest one at 32/42.

Wings with limited patterns, pale brownish, veins yellow, brown only on the areas of brown spots. Humeral cell dark brown, costa to humeral break, humeral vein and R vein trunk to Rs dark brown, R 1 just distally to Rs and at level of R 2–5 fork also dark brown. Costa at junction with R 1, distal section of R 2+3 and R 2–5 fork dark brown. A small dark spot each connecting R 1 and R 2–5 fork and over apex of R 2+3. Apex of R 4+5 is also a little darker. Second costal section comparatively very short, only 0.745 mm, third section 0.825 mm, ratio 0.90. Vein R 2+3 without an appendage. Costa overruns R 4+5 by a distance of its width. Medial vein strongly S-shaped.

Male tergite 5 is normal, with the usual marginal bristles. Genitalia not prepared.

Etymology: I name this species by virtue of its medially curved mid tibia.

Distribution: Taiwan.

P. curvipes sp. n. is an easily recognisable species. Among the species with normal male tergite 5 it is conspicuous by its curved mid tibia and by the extremely long hairs on fore tibia and on all fore tarsomeres. Based on its wing pattern, I cannot exclude that this is a large-bodied member of the P. varians species group.