Tomosvaryella velutina 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 : 227-229

Tomosvaryella velutina Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D1B972CD-38EA-4124-8980-644DCD37F943

Figs 103A–F , 143 , 154D

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a few tiny dark pegs and velvet-like pile; elongated surstyli in dorsal view ( Fig. 103A ); gonopods elongated towards surstyli in ventral view ( Fig. 103B ); one of the ejaculatory ducts with 4–6 small spines in lateral view ( Fig. 103D–F ); phallic guide with 6–8 dorsolateral spines in lateral view ( Fig. 103F ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.6–2.7 mm. Head. Flagellum acuminate; yellow-brown. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black; lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 1.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper 1/5. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 3–4 pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum silvery pollinose and with 8–10 bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles distinct, dark, somewhat longer along frontal edge, numerous dark bristles around postpronotum present. Halter, knob pale, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 1–2 long dark bristles. Trochanters and femora dark brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/6 of tibiae yellow (tibiae otherwise brown), tarsal segments yellow-brown, ventrally paler, last segment darker. Hind trochanter with few dark tiny pegs (5–8, not always visible) in a line at the base ventrally, velvet-like coverage; ventrobasal spines (1) present on fore and mid femora. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur 2–3; 4–5 small, black spines on mid femur; hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 8–10 equally spaced bristles posteroventrally on distal half, longest up to 1.5 times the width of hind tibia at distal end. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae absent. Hind metatarsus slightly flattened and, almost as long as 2–3 combined. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.0– 3.1 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long brown bristle. Fourth costal section 2–2.5 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 2–3 distinct brown setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brownish pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, silvery pollinose spots on tergites 4 and 5 (larger on t5). Dispersed strong dark bristles on all tergites present, longest on tergite 5 up to the width of hind tibia at distal end. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 4–6 dark bristles up to 1.2–1.4 times as long as hind femur’s width at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 1.2–1.4 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 medium sized, square in dorsal view, brown and with distinct bristles, otherwise covered with dense short bristles; membranous area cone-shaped; epandrium brown, surstyli yellow, long. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.0). Surstyli symmetrical, elongate, right surstylus smaller than left one, left inclined to right one at apex ( Fig. 103A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods unequal in height, left longer than right one, elongated towards surstyli, subepandrial sclerite wide, covered with scattered short hair ( Fig. 103B ). Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli curved towards sternite, phallus with three short ejaculatory ducts, one with 4–6 small spines, phallic guide with 6–8 dorso-dorsolateral spines (one is longer) ( Fig. 103D–F ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 103C ).

FEMALE: Body length: 2.2–2.3 mm. As male except for the following characters. Frons, eyes separated, as wide as 1.6–1.8 times the width at antennae; completely silver-grey pollinose until up to 1/3 of the lower frons, shiny black in front of ocellar triangle, no transition zone; frons depressed along upper 2/3 with a groove in the median line. Enlarged ommatidia silvery shining. Pulvilli and claws about 2–2.5 times as long as last tarsal segment, smaller on metatarsi. Female abdomen with silver spots on sides of tergites 4–6. Ovipositor. Piercer straight in ventral view; long, curved upwards in lateral view, thin and reaching distal end of 2 nd segment; base brownish pollinose without bristles. LP:LB = 4.0. LDP:LPP = 3.0 ( Fig. 154D ).

Etymology: This species is named after the velvet-like covering of the hind trochanter (from the Latin velutinus, velvety).

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: Flinders Ranges National Park, 4 km s[outh] Wilpeena Pound, 31°33’S, 138°39’E hilltop, 8.X.1997, J.&A. Skevington, JSS8394 (1♂, QM); PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Brisbane Forest Park, 27°26’S, 152°51’E 200m, 9–14.XI.1995, M.E. Irwin, CNCD136754, (1♂, CNC); Carnarvon National Park, Mount Moffatt Summit, 25°4’S, 148°3’E, hilltop, 2.XII.1997, J. Skevington & C. Lambkin, JSS1822, (1♂, QM); Mount Moffatt National Park, 25°10’S, 147°50’E, ~ 900m, 10–13.II.2004, S. & J. Wright, Malaise trap, JSS19187, JSS19189 (2♀, QM); Aldinga Sellicks Beach Resort, 25.III–3.IV.1987, J.A. Forrest, E.G. Matthews, Malaise trap, JSS8822 (1♂, SAM); Gammon Ranges National Park, 30°25’S, 139°14’E, 12.X.1997, J. Skevington, S. Winterton & C. Lambkin, Malaise trap, JSS8323 (1♂, QM); Sandy Creek Conservation Park, 8km northeast Gawler, 34°36’S, 138°, 3.X.1997, S. Winterton, J.&A. Skevington & C. Lambkin, Malaise trap, JSS8401 (1♂, QM); Western Australia: 8 km E Salmon Gums, 32°58’S, 121°42’E, 6.I.1987, G. & A. Daniels, JSS8916 (1♂, QM); Fitzgerald River National Park, Old Ongerup Road near Hammersley River, 33°45’S, 119°40’E, 2–16.XI.2003, J. Recsei & C. Lambkin, Malaise trap, ANIC Bulk Sample 2189, JSS16211 (1♂, ANIC); Mount Magnet, Mount Waramboo, 28°2’S, 117°49’E, hilltop, 14.XII.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7463 (1♂, QM); Pine Hill, Cape Arid National Park, Balladonia Road, 33°18’S, 123°22’E, 31.X–18.XI.2003, C. Lambkin & J. Recsei, Malaise trap, ANIC Bulk Sample 2182, JSS15592 (1♂, ANIC); South Australia: Wyperfeld NP, East Lookout, 35°36’S, 142°7’E, 22.X.2014, J.H., A.W., & A.M. Skevington, A.D. Young, A. Wyatt, & S. Namek, JSM6043; CCDB-27867, CNC384991 (1♂, CNC); Victoria: Hattah-Kulkyne NP, Warepil Lookout, 34°43’S, 142°18’E, 18.X.2014, A.D. Young, A. Wyatt, & S. Namek, J.H., A.W., & A.M. Skevington, JSM6109; CCDB-27176, CNC385057 (1♂, CNC).

Distribution: Australia (Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia) ( Fig. 143 ).

Notes: This is a widespread but uncommon forest species that is sometimes found hilltopping. Intraspecific genetic distance ranges from 0.0% to 5.6%. It is genetically closest to T. trispina sp. nov. (5.8–8.6% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 103. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella velutina sp. nov. (JSS8394, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view, F) right surstylus, ejaculatory ducts and phallic guide in lateral view.

FIGURE 143. Distribution of Tomosvaryella tribula sp. nov., T. velutina sp. nov., T. wintertoni sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 154. Ovipositor of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. paxilla sp. nov., paratype (JSS16127, ANIC), B) T. nyctias (CNCD159558, CNC), C) T. angelikae sp. nov., paratype (CNCD16179, CNC), D) T. velutina sp. nov., paratype (CNCD136754, CNC), E) T. collessi sp. nov., paratype (JSS7905, QM), F) T. powerae sp. nov., paratype (JSS13934, QM).