Phortica (Phortica) machoruka, Prigent, Stéphane & Chen, Hong-Wei, 2008

Prigent, Stéphane & Chen, Hong-Wei, 2008, A survey of the genus Phortica Schiner from Kenya, Africa (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Zootaxa 1773, pp. 18-30 : 25-26

Phortica (Phortica) machoruka sp. nov.

( Figs 18–22 )

Type material. Holotype ɗ ( MNHN): KENYA - labeled “Kakamega equatorial forest, 11.x.2002, S. Prigent”. Paratypes: 7ɗ, same data as the holotype except for 11–23.x.2002 (2ɗ in MNHN; 2ɗ in NMK; 3ɗ in SCAU).

Etymology. A combination of the Swahili words: macho and ruka, meaning eye flies, referring to the fly habit that usually flying around human eyes.

Diagnosis. Aedeagal median rod deeply bifurcated from subbasally: ventral one longer, strongly sclerotized, curved apically ( Fig. 21 ); dorsal one slender, almost membranous, straight ( Fig. 21 ); vertical process of gonopods: right, lateral lobe submedially with a strong projection, left, lateral lobe submedially with a small triangular projection ( Figs 21, 22 ).

Description. Male: Eyes brown-red. Ocellar triangle black. Frons brown, with 2 rows of thick dense setae. Fronto-orbital plate yellow-brown. Pedicel and first flagellomere almost grey-yellow; arista plumose, expanded apically, without ventral branches ( Fig. 18 ). Face yellow-brown on upper 1/2, dark brown on lower 1/2. Clypeus medially white-yellow, laterally black. Gena and postgena brown to dark brown. Palpus brown basally, grey-yellow distally. Thorax and scutellum orange-brown, with black patches and pollinose pattern. Legs yellow except for fore femur brownish; fore tarsomere V with 1 long seta apically (slightly shorter in three paratypes). Abdominal tergites I+II yellow, the rest brown. Sternites III to VI slightly longer than respective width. Male terminalia: Epandrium mid-dorsally constricted, laterally broadened, triangularly protruded on ventral margin, with dense setae ( Fig. 19 ). Surstylus with numerous setae and approximately 11 prensisetae on ventral margin to inner surface ( Fig. 20 ). Paramere apically slightly pointed, not knobbed, basally with 7 sensilla ( Fig. 21 ). Vertical process of gonopods strongly sclerotized, deeply asymmetrically bifurcated to lateral lobes, which connected to base of gonopods by a pair of rod-like bridges; right and left, lateral lobe each with four projections ( Figs 21, 22 ).

Measurements. BL = 2.70 mm in the holotype (range in 4ɗ paratypes: 2.63–2.71 mm); ThL = 1.20 mm (1.15–1.20); WL = 2.47 mm (2.30–2.50); WW = 1.12 mm (1.00–1.13). Indices: arb = 3/0 (3–4/0), adf = 1.10 (1.10–1.20), flw = 1.20 (1.20–1.30), FW/HW = 0.40 (0.40–0.45), ch/o = 0.07 (0.06–0.07), prorb = 1.20 (1.10– 1.20), rcorb = 0.55 (0.50–0.60), vb = 0.40 (0.40–0.45), dcl = 0.50 (0.50–0.60), presctl = 0.90 (0.80–0.90), sctl = 1.15 (1.10–1.15), sterno = 1.00 (1.00–1.05), orbito = 1.70 (1.50–1.70), dcp = 0.25 (0.23–0.25), sctlp = 1.15 (1.15–1.20), C = 2.17 (2.08–2.24), 4c =1.44 (1.47–1.50), 4v = 2.56 (2.56–2.72), 5x = 0.82 (0.80–0.91), ac = 2.88 (2.75–3.00), M = 0.56 (0.57–0.62), C3F = 0.60 (0.58–0.63).

Distribution. Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 22. Phortica (Phortica) machoruka sp. nov. ♂: 18. arista; 19. epandrium, cercus and surstylus (lateral view); 20. surstylus (inner view); 21. hypandrium, gonopods, paramere, aedeagal median rod and aedeagal apodeme (lateral view); 22. left, lateral lobe on vertical process of gonopods (lateral view).