Elaphropeza malayensis, Published, 2007

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 94-96

Elaphropeza malayensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 153–156 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black, postpedicel 3.0 times longer than wide, style nearly 2.0 times longer than postpedicel; thorax yellow, acrostichals 2-serial, dorsocentrals 1–2-serial; tarsomere 5 of all legs brownish, hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle; only tergite 5 with squamiform setae.

Description. Male. Body length 2.1–2.2 mm, wing length 1.8–1.9 mm. Occiput entirely black, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones somewhat shorter. Frons subshining. Antenna ( Fig. 153 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel almost entirely brownish (paler in basal part). Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 3.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, about 2.0 times longer than postpedicel and somewhat longer than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer and darker subapical seta.

Thorax entirely yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 very short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle short. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals 2-serial, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals 2- serial in anterior part of scutum, 1-serial toward scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars longest.

Legs almost entirely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation; fore tibia (less distinct) and tarsomere 5 of all legs brownish. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles and 2 longer bristles near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 row of ventral spinules along whole length and 1 longer, stronger spinule at apex, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3– 4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle near middle; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish. Costal index: 39/34/35/15. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present as trace. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 pale yellow. Tergites 2–3 and 6–7 brownish yellow (in paler specimens yellowish); with unmodified setation. Tergites 2–3 broader laterally, deeply concave on anterior margin. Tergite 4 broadest, dark brown, with unmodified setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, dark brown, with squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. Gland-like structures present between tergites 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 154–156 ) large, brownish yellow. Cerci fused forming single lobe of complicated structure ( Fig. 154 ), bifurcate, with several long bristles, lacking spines. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella as in Fig. 155 , with 3 short black spines at apex. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, lacking bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, elongate oval, as in Fig. 156 . Hypandrium with 2 long bristles. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 2.1– 2 mm, wing length 1.8–1.9 mm. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules. Abdominal segment 8 rather short, bearing 3 long bristles posteriorly, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Cercus broad oval, yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Sungei Buloh , 23 December 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25471, leg. PG, E-26).

Paratypes: MALAYSIA, 1 ♀, Pulau Tioman , Salang, 13 July 2005, laguna, sweeping (reg. 25213, leg. PG) .

SINGAPORE, 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 15 July 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25258, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 9 December 2002, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 22057, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 18 May 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25161, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 6 July 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25197, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 19 August 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25302, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 26 August 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25319, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 7 September 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25336, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 7 September 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25337, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 14 October 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25394, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 14 October 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25393, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 9 November 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25417, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 9 November 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25418, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 4 January 2006, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 26007, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The name malayensis refers to its occurrence in the Malaysian region.

Distribution. Singapore, Malaysia. Mangrove, occasionally terrestrial forest.

Singapore. This is a rare species that although it is recorded 13 times at Sungei Buloh, these are based always upon single specimens. Only two males were found and 14 females in total .

Remarks. Elaphropeza malayensis sp. nov is a representative of the monophyletic lineage of Elaphropeza sharing completely fused cerci (see “Discussion” for details). Within this lineage the new species is closely related to four species having apical spines on the right epandrial lamella of the male terminalia. Otherwise, the relationships of E. malayensis sp. nov. have not been resolved.

Figures

FIGURES 153–156. Elaphropeza malayensis sp. nov. 153. antenna. 154. epandrium with cerci. 155. right epandrial lamella. 156. left surstylus.