Strongylophthalmyia palpalis L. PAPP, 2006

Papp, L., Merz, B. & Földvári, M., 2006, DIPTERA OF THAILAND A summary of the families and genera with references to the species representations, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 52 (2), No. 2, pp. 97-269 : 168-171

Strongylophthalmyia palpalis L. PAPP , sp. n.

(Figs 57–59, 131)

Holotype male ( HNHM, right mid and hind legs lost): THAILAND: Mae Fang N. P., over and along a forest brook, Nov 1, 2004, No. 14, leg. L. PAPP & M. FÖLDVÁRI.

Paratypes: 1 male (abdomen with genitalia in a plastic microvial with glycerol) 1 female: THAILAND: Khao Pu – Khao Ya N. P., along a forest brook below the (Pak Yam) waterfall, Nov 21, 2004, No. 42, leg. L. PAPP & M. FÖLDVÁRI.

Measurements in mm: body length 2.93 (holotype, with abdomen downcurved), 2.28, 3.00 (paratypes), wing length 2.23, 1.85, 2.07(paratypes), wing breadth 0.90, 0.73, 0.82.

Head mostly yellow, posterior 2/3 of frons and upper half of occiput diffuse grey (m) or frons and occiput all black, except for anterior 1/4 (f). Antennae and face yellow, female first flagellomere fumose dorsally and apically. Middle fronto-orbital pair is the longest. vte, vti and poc setae normal, latter longer than ocellar setae. Antenna similar to that of S. gibbifera (though they are not closely related): with a dorsal conical process, first flagellomere with long dense white cilia (longest 0.07 mm). Arista bare, basal segment short and thick. i.e. bulbous. Ocellar triangle at middle of frons, ocellar setae 0.20–0.21 mm long only. Ventral part of cheeks and anterior half of gena with a row of downwards and backwards curved white hairs. Clypeus high, 0.10 mm. Male palpus ( Fig. 131 ) consists of 2 black discs, apical one bears a long black seta at mid ventral edge. Female palpus very small bacilliform: 0.11 mm with a 0.10 mm long apical seta.

Thorax yellow, with a pair of diffuse, more or less broad stripe just laterally to dc lines. All but dc and sc yellow. Anepisternum with scattered long thin setae. Longest anepst seta not on posterior edge subdorsally (that is almost indiscernible), but on disc of anepisternum below middle. pprnt, 2 np and presutural ia not easily discernible, i.e. slightly longer (and same yellow), as other mesonotal non-characteristic setae. Acrostichal microchaetae in 2 rows (which are close to each other presuturally, more distant posteriorly). Apical scutellars very long, 0.41 mm, no dorsal scutellars.

Male fore femur 0.625 mm long (holotype), concave medio-dorsally in apical half, with 2 overlapping rows of black thorns: dorsal row of 5 setae from 1/10 to ½ (the most proximal seta is the longest one and it is medially directed), mediodorsal row of 6–7 setae from 2/5 to 7/10. Fore femur and cerci, lateral view, = ejaculatory apodeme, broadest extension. Scale: 0.1 mm for all ventrally at 1/5 with a button-like projection, which bears 2 almost perpendicular setae. Slightly anteriorly to that projection on mediodorsal side are 2 medially directed yellow thorn-like setae. Female fore femur with apical half and mid tibia in basal half blackish fumose. Male fore leg extremely characteristic: basitarsus 0.46 mm long (holotype) and thin (0.09 mm at thickest), fore tibia very short, only 0.40 mm and rather thick. Also female fore tibia shorter than normal: t1/mt1: 0.46 mm / 0.35 mm. Fore tibial medial (apical) comb of rather long setae.

Wing clear light greyish, veins light brown. Costa thickened at and distally to R1 . Costal sections: 44: 70. Intra-crossvein sections and distal section of M (holotype) 16.5: 40: 69. Calyptra fumose with long dark fringe (longest 0.20 mm). Haltere light grey .

Abdomen black, except basally, where tergites 1 and 2 diffuse greyish yellow.

Male cerci (Fig. 57) somewhat shorter than 0.2 mm, apically triangular, apical seta not particularly long. Cerci without any microchaetae. Surstylar lobe rather narrow, medially with short thick setae. Ejaculatory apodeme (Fig. 59) with very small apical part, stalk long, basal part elongate. Aedeagal apodeme shorter than phallus, with a definite S curve medially (Fig. 58). Basiphallus at apical 2/5 with a single, extremely thick lateral thorn, 90 µm long and 15 µm thick. Apical part of hypandrial complex narrow and not divided in lateral view (Fig. 58).

Female cerci 0.14 mm long, i.e. comparatively short, shiny brown, 0.025 mm broad (cerci together), longest hairs only 0.02 mm long.

Strongylophthalmyia palpalis sp. n. keys to S. spinosa in STEYSKAL’ s (1971) key, if we disregard the 1st paragraph. However, as stated above, the shape and armature of the fore femur in spinosa is not a specific character but rather a synapomorphy of a group of species. Since all its mesoscutum is yellow, we must follow couplet 44 and its abdomen is black (couplet 46/45). Mesoscutal faint stripes refer to S. nigriventris FREY, 1928 ( Philippines), described as a var. of lutea . However, those stripes are not convergent and the head is almost completely black.

Figures

Figs 129–132. Strongylophthalmia spp. 129–130 = S. dorsocentralis sp. n., holotype female: 129 = wing, 130 = mesonotum dorsally; 131 = S. palpalis sp. n., male palpus, lateral, 132 = S. punctata