Sobarocephala geniculata, Sasakawa, Mitsuhiro, 2011

Sasakawa, Mitsuhiro, 2011, Oriental species of clusiid flies (Diptera: Clusiidae: Clusiinae), Zootaxa 3038, pp. 1-28 : 11

Sobarocephala geniculata sp. nov.

( Figs 15–18 )

Type material. Holotype male ( BPBM 17245), Thailand, Chiangmai Prov., Doi Suthep, 28–31. III. 1958, T. C. Maa. Paratype: 3, Thailand, Chiangdao, 5–11. IV. 1958, T. C. Maa.

Diagnosis. This species is unique in having a black occiput, a black semicircular marking before the transverse suture and dark brown lateral stripes on the mesoscutum, and an angulate surstylus.

Description. MALE. Head yellow; frons shining, faintly brown-tinged; ocellar triangle black; occiput and dorsal half of postgena black, but black area not extending to vertical angles; parafacialia, face, and gena silvery white tomentose. Antenna and palpus yellow. Thorax brownish yellow; mesoscutum weakly shining, with black semicircular marking before transverse suture, extending along anterolateral margins of scutum between postpronotal lobes, and pair of narrow, dark brown stripes between dc- and sa-lines, these stripes not reaching to transverse and scutoscutellar sutures; pleura shining, anepisternum with black dorsal marking 1/2–2/3 as high as pleuron but narrowly separated from anterior and posterior margins, anatergite black, katatergite and mediotergite brownish yellow; scutellum yellow. Bristles brownish yellow. Wing hyaline, very faintly brown-tinged anteroapically; calypter yellow, with fringe yellow; halter yellow. Legs yellow. Abdomen shining, T1, T2 and anterior half of T3 yellowish brown, posterior half of T3, T4–6, and S8 black; epandrium shining black, surstylus pale brown.

Frons as wide as or slightly narrower than eye, diverging ventrally; or three (detectable by pits); face flat; gena 1/4–1/5 as high as eye (antenna missing).

Mesoscutum with two dc (detectable by pits), eight rows of acr anteriorly but four to six rows behind level of anterior dc; scutellum with lsc and asc. Wing 2.8–3.0 (3.0) mm long; costa with three sections in proportion of 47: 15: 7, r-m beyond middle level of cell dm (12–18: 10), ultimate section of CuA1 2/3–4/5 as long as penultimate section. Legs missing.

Epandrium with surstylus ( Fig. 15 ) somewhat L-shaped in lateral view, bearing about 30 spinules and some setae along inner ventral margin; cercus small, membranous. Hypandrial ventral lobe ( Fig. 17 ) slightly shorter than hypandrial arm; pregonite membranous, with four setulae; postgonite weakly chitinized, with four setae. Phallapodeme 410 µm long; phallus ( Figs 17, 18 ) 280 µm long; mesophallus longer than basiphallus; distiphallus weakly chitinized along central line, curved ventrally, covered with microscopic scales on lateral side; paraphallus chitinized at base and membranous distally, curved dorsally, with microscopic spinules in two to four irregular rows.

Body length 3.0–3.6 (3.6) mm.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Distribution. Thailand.

Remarks. Although the type specimens are not in good condition (especially in the chaetotaxy), their thoracic markings and the structure of the male genitalia are distinctive. This new species differs from the known congeners in the characters stated in the key.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the bent-knee-like surstylus (Latin: geniculatus).

Sobarocephala hirsutiseta (Frey)

Allometopon hirsutiseta Frey, 1928: 107 .

Remarks. O. Lonsdale (pers. comm.) confirmed that Allometopon hirsutiseta belongs to Sobarocephala after examination of the holotype female deposited in Vienna (NHMW): that is, it has the characteristic cephalic and thoracic chaetotaxies and wing venation (cell bm and M1 ratio), and a plumose arista. This generic reassignment should be attributed to Lonsdale in Sasakawa (herein).

Distribution. Philippines.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 18. Male genitalia of Sobarocephala fuscifacies sp. nov. (12 – 14, holotype) and S. geniculata sp. nov. (15 – 18, holotype). See Figs 1 – 3 for explanation of parts; 14, phallus, ventral view; 18, distal part of phallus, ventral view. Scale = 0.1 mm.