Tomosvaryella quadrata Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia, 2023

Motamedinia, Behnam, Földvari, Mihaly, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2023, Revision of Australian Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) with description of 100 new species, Zootaxa 5599 (1), pp. 1-271 : 187-188

Tomosvaryella quadrata Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3A8752EB-801B-4A63-83CF-8C35C18ACD89

Figs 84A–E , 137 , 147D

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a distinct, square keel with tiny bristles along its edge ( Fig. 147D ); elongate surstyli in dorsal view ( Fig. 84A ); gonopods with an extended finger-like projection towards surstyli ( Fig. 84B ); phallic guide with four spines.

Description: MALE: Body length: 3.1 mm. Head. Flagellum acuminate; yellow. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black, lower part distinctly silver pollinose with a golden tinge; eyes touching for distance equal to 1.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper half. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 4–5 extra-long, pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum brownish pollinose and with 12–14 bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles well developed, somewhat longer along frontal edge, numerous long pale bristles around postpronotum. Halter, knob pale, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 long dark bristles. Trochanters brown, femora black, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees yellow, tibiae black, tarsomeres yellow-brown ventrally and brown dorsally, last segment same, brown. Hind trochanter with a distinct, square keel (like a “top hat”) and with tiny bristles along the edge, somewhat longer at the distal corner ( Fig. 147D ); ventrobasal spines (1 small, 1 large) present on fore and mid femora. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur absent; 5–6 tiny, black spines on mid femur; no spines on hind femur, only 14–16 long pale bristles equally spaced, longest at 2/3 from base (up to as long as 1–1.2 times the width of hind tibia at the distal end), somewhat pressed against the surface of the femur. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae absent. Hind tarsi slightly flattened (1–3), hind metatarsus as long as 2–4 combined. Pulvilli as long as last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.5 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long dark bristle. Fourth costal section 2.5 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m distal to middle of discal cell. 2–3 distinct brown setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Dissected. tergite 1 silvery grey. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 6–8 short pale bristles in a row up to 1–1.2 times as long as the width of hind femur at distal tip in lateral view. Postabdomen in dorsal view: Dissected. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli brown. Epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.6). Surstyli symmetrical, broadened at base, elongated, slender, pointing at apex, left is wider in middle and longer than right one ( Fig. 84A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods equal in height with a finger-like projection towards surstyli; hypandrium broad, subepandrial sclerite widened and covered with transverse streaks ( Fig. 84B ); phallus with three short ejaculatory ducts; phallic guide with four spines dorso-dorsolaterally (the longest one twice as length as others). Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli gently curved towards sternite ( Figs 84D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 84C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: From the Latin quadratus, four-cornered or square, in reference to the square keel on the hind trochanter.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Siding Springs Observatory summit, 31°16’S, 149°4’E, 17.x.1997, J. Skevington & C. Lambkin, JSS8395 (1♂, QM) ; PARATYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Mount Moffatt summit, 25°4’S, 148°3’E, 1097m, 18.XI.2014, J.H., A.M. & A.W. Skevington, CNC374994 (1♂, CNC) .

Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Queensland) ( Fig. 137 ).

Notes: Both specimens of this rare species were caught hilltopping. This species is genetically similar to T. novaezealandiae (1.7% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 84. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella quadrata sp. nov. (JSS8395, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 137. Distribution of Tomosvaryella quadrata sp. nov., T. uncinata sp. nov., T. vasta sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 147. Hind legs of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. lambkinae sp. nov., holotype (JSS15593, QM), B) T. paxilla sp. nov., holotype (JSS13932, QM), C) T. ansa sp. nov., holotype (CNC591870, QM), D) T. quadrata sp. nov., paratype (JSS374994, CNC), E) T. scapania sp. nov., paratype (JSS8614, ANIC), F) T. dissidens sp. nov., paratype (JSS16231, ANIC).