Sobarocephala paksana, Lonsdale, Owen, 2014

Lonsdale, Owen, 2014, Revision of the Old World Sobarocephala (Diptera: Clusiidae), Zootaxa 3760 (2), pp. 211-240 : 229

Sobarocephala paksana spec. nov.

Figs 39–41

Description. Male. Body length 3.0mm. Arista densely plumose, becoming sparsely haired towards apex. Setae brownish-yellow. Ocellar seta thin, half length of postvertical. Presutural intra-alar seta absent. Two dorsocentral setae. Acrostichal seta absent. One lateral scutellar seta. Head yellow with brownish spot on outer surface of disclike first flagellomere at base of arista, and ocellar tubercle brown; gena pilose. Scutum yellow with pattern difficult to discern due to poor condition of specimen, but apparently lateral third of scutum brown beside dorsocentral row behind postpronotum, with yellow anteromedial emargination. Scutellum brown. Metanotum brown with mediotergite yellow. Pleuron mostly yellow; anepisternum brown with yellow diagonal stripe from anterodorsal to posteroventral corner. Legs largely missing from specimen, remainder mostly yellow with fore tibia brownish and fore tarsi brown. Halter entirely white. Wing with small brownish cloud on anterodistal margin. M1+2 ratio 3.1. Abdomen brown.

Female. Unknown.

Male terminalia. (Figs 39–41) Surstylus rounded apically, as long as epandrium and nearly 4/5 length of epandrium at base; inner surface with few tubercle-like setae apically, and with stout spine-like setae along apical and inner-distal margins. Cerci cery small and rounded; setae few and minute. Lateral lobe of hypandrium large and triangular with stout ventromedial fold; apically with one small and two long setae. Pregonite narrow with curved, pointed apex; with several distomedial setae. Postgonite well-developed and with few minute apical setae. Basiphallus small. Epiphallus well-developed, curved medially. Paraphallus flat, tapering apically; thumb absent. Distiphallus half length of phallapodeme.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the type locality.

Holotype: LAOS. Sedone Province: Pakse , 31.v.1967, Native Collector, Bishop Museum (1♂, BPBM).

Comments. While the single type specimen is in poor condition and its colouration difficult to distinguish, the specimen differs considerably enough from other congeners to warrant description. The pattern appears to be similar to Sobarocephala megastylis , but the scutum of S. paksana is yellow in between the dorsocentral rows, the anepisternum is brown with a yellowish diagonal stripe through the centre, there is one pair of lateral scutellar setae, paler setae and legs, a yellowish mediotergite, and the body length is greater.

The terminalia and colour pattern of Sobarocephala paksana and S. apoxys are most similar, particularly in the oblique yellow stripe on the anepisternum, but the pregonite and paraphallus vary slightly, and S. apoxys has an unusually pale, patterned abdomen with lateral stripes, faded, gracile scutal stripes, a partially brown anepimeron, a complete stripe on the first flagellomere and a larger body size.