Limnophora diminuta, Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian C., 2014

Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian C., 2014, New species of Afrotropical Muscidae (Diptera: Muscoidea), Zootaxa 3852 (3), pp. 301-320 : 313-315

Limnophora diminuta sp. nov.

Figs 32–36 .

Type material. Holotype ♂, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal, Royal Natal N.P., Mahai campsite area at: 28°41.386′S, 28°56.288′E, Malaise trap (1), straddling Mahai River, 17–18.ii.2010 (A.H. Kirk-Spriggs), BMSA (D)20121 ( BMSA).

Paratype 1♂, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: same data as holotype, except: BMSA (D): 20147 ( MNRJ).

Diagnosis. A very small species with a broad male frons with 2 pairs of reclinate orbital setae, dark brown fronto-orbital plate, a short frontal triangle, light grey dusted postpronotal lobe and notopleuron, and a pair of light grey dusted presutural patches on notum.

Description. ♂. Measurements. Body length: 3.0 mm; wing length: 3.3 mm

General coloration. Ground-colour black. Head with frontal vitta dark brown, fronto-orbital plate with dark brown pruinosity; face and parafacial silvery pruinose, gena grey; antenna and arista dark brown; notum thinly dark brown dusted, with two presutural spots between the dorsocentral rows of setae and a light grey dusted band before scutellum that is narrowly divided medially by dark brown dust; postpronotal lobe and notopleuron light grey, pleura grey dusted. Scutellum wholly thinly dark brown dusted. Wing clear. Calypters white. Haltere dark brown. Legs dark brown. Abdomen brown with a light grey median dusted vitta on tergites 3 and 4 and similarly broad dusted patches in anterolateral areas of tergites 3–5

Head. Dichoptic, eye bare, frons at level of anterior ocellus ⅓ of head-width, margins parallel; 2 pairs of inclinate frontal setae, and 2 pairs of reclinate orbitals, and with a few short setulae outside the frontals; inner and outer vertical setae developed; ocellar seta long; antenna inserted a little above mid-level of eye, with postpedicel at least 3 × the length of pedicel, almost reaching mouth-margin; arista with very fine and short pubescence; palpus filiform, vibrissa long.

Thorax. Dorsocentrals 2 + 3; acrostichal setulae in 3–4 irregular rows, prescutellar pair poorly differentiated; 2 postpronotals, the outer one stronger; 1 presutural and 2 postsutural intra-alars, the posterior one weak; 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supra-alars; 2 postalars; prealar absent. Prosternum with 1-2 setulae. Notopleuron with two setae, the posterior one a little longer. Scutellum with one basal and one apical pair of setae, both long and similar in length, bare laterally and ventrally. Anepisternum with a series of 5 long setae with a few fine ones between them. Katepisternals 1 + 2. Lower calypter large, about twice the length of the upper.

Legs. Fore femur with complete rows of posteroventral, posterior and posterodorsal setae; fore tibia with a dorsal preapical seta and a ventral apical; mid femur with 3 fine anterior setae on median third and 1 posterior preapical; mid tibia with 1 posterodorsal, and an anterior and a ventral apical setae; hind femur with a complete row of anterodorsal setae, bare ventrally except for 1 anteroventral seta at apical quarter; hind tibia with one submedian anteroventral seta and one median anterodorsal, the former inserted a little lower than the latter; 1 dorsal preapical seta.

Wing. With one dorsal seta at the base of vein R 4+5; veins R4+5 and M parallel at wing-tip. Costal spine not developed.

Abdomen. Tergites 3–5 each with 2 lateral marginal setae, and tergite 5 also with a lateral discal pair. Sternite 1 bare. Sternite 5 as in Fig. 32 .

Terminalia . Cercal plate and surstylus as in Figs 33–34 . Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views as in Figs 35–36 .

♀ Unknown.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).

Etymology. The name refers to the small size of the species (Latin minutus, “tiny”) and is an adjective in agreement with the feminine noun Limnophora .

Remarks. The new species belongs to the group of Limnophora with a broad male frons and 2 orbital setae. L. quadristriata Emden, 1951 has the fronto-orbital plate silvery-grey pruinose. L. ephippium Emden, 1951 is larger and darker, without the two grey prescutellar patches. L. pluripila Emden, 1951 has dark dust on the postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and anepisternum. L. praeapicalis Emden, 1951 has fronto-orbital plate brownish-grey pruinose; frontal triangle velvety black and not reaching lunula; also scutum light grey dusted with a brown median vitta.

Figures

FIGURES 26 – 36. Limnophora antennalis sp. nov.: 26. sternite 5, dorsal view; 27. cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; 28. cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view; 29. aedeagus, dorsal view; 30. aedeagus, lateral view; 31. ovipositor, lateral view and spermathecae. Limnophora diminuta sp. nov.: 32. sternite 5, dorsal view; 33. cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; 34. cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view; 35. aedeagus, dorsal view; 36. aedeagus, lateral view.