Sympycnus leleji, Negrobov & Grichanov & Selivanova, 2017

Negrobov, Oleg P., Grichanov, Igor Ya. & Selivanova, Olga V., 2017, Review of East Palaearctic species of Sympycnus Loew, 1857, with a key to species, Zootaxa 4277 (4), pp. 531-548 : 536-538

Sympycnus leleji sp. nov.

( Figs 13–19 )

Diagnosis (male). Mid femur with posteroventral row of strong bristles in distal half, about as long as femur diameter. Hind tarsus with long spine on apex of segment 3 and erect setae on segment 4. Fore tibia slightly, but distinctly thickened, with rows of long hairs, about as long as tibia diameter, without anterodorsal row of setae; fore tarsus without claws, with enlarged pulvilli.

Description. Male. Body length: 2.5–3.0 mm; wing length: 2.5–3.2 mm, wing width: 1.0 mm. Head: Frons mat, dark green, dusted whitish-grey. Face silvery white, narrowing below antennae, almost obliterated at clypeus, in middle nearly as wide as height of postpedicel (0.3/0.4). Palpus and proboscis dark brown. Antenna ( Fig. 13 ) black; postpedicel short, triangular with rounded to right-angular apex, slightly longer than high; arista-like stylus middorsal. Ratio of postpedicel length to postpedicel height to stylus length, 1.7/1.6/10.3. Lower postocular bristles white. Thorax dark green. Mesonotum metallic, slightly dusted greyish, with pleura densely dusted greyish. Thoracic bristles black; 6 pairs of strong dorsocentrals; acrostichals uniserial, weak, reaching 5th dorsocentrals, in irregular row between 4th and 5th dorsocentrals; upper proepisternum with group of small white setae, lower proepisternum with few white setae. Scutellum with 2 very strong median bristles, 2 minute laterals, with some marginal hairs. Legs: Overall largely pale yellow, with mid coxa and all tarsi mainly dark; with black major bristles. Fore coxa pale yellow; with very dense white pubescence and equal-sized white apical bristles. Mid coxa dark brown, yellow at apex and on anterior face; with pubescence of inclined white setae on anterior face, and one strong white bristle and a few setae on outer margin of anterior face. Hind coxa yellow, slightly darkened at base, with one straight, yellow external bristle, as long as coxa, inserted at about basal 2/5. Trochanters yellow. Fore femur with 3–5 preapical posteroventral bristles, without ventral bristles. Mid femur with 1 strong anterodorsal preapical bristle, ventral and posteroventral rows of bristles in distal half, at apex about as long as width of femur, with posteroventral bristles stronger. Hind femur with 1 strong anterodorsal, few small anteroventral and posteroventral preapical bristles; with minute ventral setulae. Fore tibia ( Fig. 14 ) inconspicuously thickened in basal half, without anterodorsal row of setae; with 2 dorsal and 2 ventral rows of setae, at most as long as width of tibia. Mid tibia with 3 strong, inclined anterodorsal bristles, inserted at about basal 1/5, 1/3 and 2/3; with 1 slightly weaker posterodorsal bristle; with 4 strong apical bristles; with row of short posteroventral setae, at most as long as width of tibia. Hind tibia with 3 strong anterodorsal bristles, 5–6 small posterodorsal bristles, 5 apical bristles. Fore tarsus ( Fig. 15 ) black from apex of basitarsus onwards; tarsomeres 2–5 very short; tarsomeres 2–4 thickened; tarsomere 5 flattened and broadened; without claws, with long black setae at apex, with enlarged pulvilli, nearly as long as tarsomere 5. Mid tarsus brown at apex of tarsomere 1, from apical 1/2 of tarsomere 2 onwards; mid basitarsus with short ventral setae. Hind tarsus ( Fig. 16 ) black from apex of basitarsus onwards, with tarsomeres 3–4 slightly enlarged; tarsomere 3 with short ventral bristle at middle and long thick curved ventral bristle at apex, practically as long as tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4 with short erect ventral bristles along entire length. Tibia and tarsomere (from first to fifth) length ratio: fore leg: 6.5/1.7/0.6/0.5/0.5/0.8, mid leg: 6.2/2.6/1.0/0.9/0.7/0.8, hind leg: 9.5/2.8/2.0/1.2/1.4/1.1. Wing: Hyaline, slightly darkened, without anal lobe; anal vein only weakly indicated. R4+5 convex anteriorly, M1+2 with smooth bend, both parallel near wing apex. Proximal section of M1+2 (from crossvein rm to crossvein dm-cu) half as long as apical section. Proximal section of vein CuA1 1.4 times as long as apical section of CuA1. Apical section of CuA1 3.6 times longer than dm-cu. Halter yellow, lower calypter with white fringe. Abdomen: Six abdominal segments pubescent, with segment 6 as long as segment 5. Tergites and sternites entirely dark metallic green, with short black inclined setae on disc of tergites, with white inclined setae on sides; tergite 1 with strong bristles on posterior margin (brown-black on disc, and pale on sides; tergites 1 and 2 with erect white setae laterally. Sternites with white pubescence. Hypopygium ( Figs 17-19 ) with epandrium dark brown, with slight bronze reflection; hypandrium dark brown, straight, split at apex (ventral view), without serration; phallus narrow, with lateral dens apically; apicoventral epandrial lobe long, projected, with strong seta at base and at middle of medial surface, with several apical setae as figured; surstylus apparently lacking; cercus short, triangular, tapering towards apex, brown, covered with white hairs and setae; postgonites narrow, concealed, with bifurcate ventral structure arising at base, and forming two long and thin appendages, running alongside the phallus, hooked at apex; each appendage swollen at base, bearing lateroventral row of about 12 thick teeth. Female. Unknown.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: Kazakhstan: northern Tien Shan, Almaty Nature Reserve, Pravyi Talgar river bank, sweeping on grass, 1700 m, 2.VIII.1978, Grichanov ( ZIN) . PARATYPES: 4♂, same labels with collecting dates 12.VII and 2.VIII.1978, Grichanov ; 1♂, [ Kazakhstan:] Almaty Nature Reserve, Pravyi Talgar river , 2000 m, 3.VII.1990, Zlobin ; 4♂, [ Kazakhstan:] Almaty Nature Reserve, Pravyi Talgar river , 1700 m, 7.VII.1990, Zlobin ; 6♂, Kyrgyzstan, Jeti-Oguz , 2200 m, 18.VII.1979, Grichanov ( ZIN, VSU) .

Identification. Males of Sympycnus leleji sp. nov. are very close to those of S. gorodkovi Negrobov et al., 2016 , both species having the fore tibia slightly, but distinctly thickened, with rows of long setae, about as long as tibia diameter, without anterodorsal row of setae; fore tarsus without claws and with enlarged pulvilli. Sympycnus leleji sp. nov. differs in the mid femur bearing a posteroventral row of strong bristles on the distal half, about as long as femur diameter, hind tibia bearing 3 strong anterodorsal bristles, and fine structures of hypopygium. Sympycnus gorodkovi males have only short posteroventral hairs on the mid femur and full anterodorsal row of setae on the hind tibia, about as long as width of tibia.

Etymology. The species is named after the Russian entomologist, Dr. A.S. Lelej (Vladivostok).

Distribution. Palaearctic: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 19. Sympycnus leleji sp. nov., male holotype. 13, antenna, lateral view; 14, fore leg, lateral view; 15, fore tarsus, dorsal view; 16, hind tarsus, lateroventral view; 17, hypopygium, left lateral view; 18, hypopygium, ventral view; 19, apicoventral epandrial lobe and basoventral appendage of postgonite, dorsal view.