Howickia truemani, Kuwahara & Marshall, 2022

Kuwahara, Gregory K. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2022, A revision of the Australian species of Howickia Richards (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae), Zootaxa 5192 (1), pp. 1-152 : 144-147

Howickia truemani sp. nov.

( Figs. 45.1–45.8 )

Description. Body length: Males 1.6–2.6 mm, females 1.9–2.8 mm.

Head: Yellow with two brown arches creating an M-shape around interfrontal plates, sections surrounding frontal vitta darkest; face yellow with brown medial stripe; gena yellow with ventral two-thirds brown; antenna orangebrown. Frontal width 1.3x interfrontal height, frontal vitta narrow. Three pairs of fine, medium-large interfrontal bristles; 2 lateroclinate orbital bristles, anterior bristle 0.5x length of posterior bristle. Gena with 3 strong but fine upcurved setae, finely and densely striate, shiny, lower quarter microtrichose; vibrissal angle with 2 very fine setae. Face with small flattened triangle along ventral margin; palpus clavate with 2 large apical setae. Eye height 3.2x genal height.

Thorax: Black; scutum shiny despite dense microtrichia, posterior edge reddish; upper half of mesepisternum with grey-brown microtrichia. One pair of dorsocentral bristles; 9–10 rows of short, fine acrostichal setulae. Prosternum broad, anteriorly acute. Scutellum shiny but heavily microtrichose, black, rectangular, its length 0.3x its width; 4 scutellar bristles long, basal pair 1.1x length of apical pair.

Legs: Dark brown, fore coxa orange, fore femur reddish-brown, other femora distally and tibiae proximally and distally lighter; fore basitarsus light brown, apical tarsomeres dirty white, mid and hind tarsi brown. Male mid tibia with a stout apicoventral bristle. Basal half of mid tibia with 2 dorsal bristles (1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal), distal half with 2 dorsal bristles (1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal).

Wing/halter: Halter absent.

Male abdomen: Black, heavily sclerotized, shiny, postabdomen black, cercus orange. T2–5 and S2–4 uniformly long-setose along entire surface. S5 broad but short (width 4.0x length), asymmetrical (right side 1.2x longer than left), uniformly long-setose along posterior two-thirds with smaller, stout setae within desclerotized posteromedial area, smallest setae along posterior edge sharp. Epandrium large, hemispherical, and uniformly long-setose; cercus large, slightly protruding, rounded with 4 large setae and several smaller setae. Hypandrium medially sinuate; ventral lobe stout, triangular; posterodorsal lobe elongate, tapered and gently sinuate. Surstylus inverse L-shaped (i.e. short along ventral edge of epandrium with a long posterior lobe), with a small, triangular, anteroventral lobe and a very long posterior lobe bearing many fine setulae, 2 larger anterior setae and a stout apical thorn-like seta. Postgonite elongate, gently sinuate, tapered and angled anteriorly in distal half. Phallapodeme slightly curved with large dorsal fin along anterior half; basiphallus elongate, arms slightly constricted basally. Distiphallus divided into two distinct sections: basal half with a large, saddle-like dorsal sclerite connected to a broad, triangular ventral sclerite; distal half with a V-shaped dorsal sclerite and 2 large, dorsally-emarginate lateral sclerites supporting a large membranous apex.

Female abdomen: Black, heavily sclerotized, shiny despite some microtrichia. T2–5 and S2–5 uniformly longsetose along entire surface. Preabdomen subequal in length to head + thorax. Postabdomen short, stout, 2.5x length of T5. T6 and T7 reduced to short, widely-spaced lateral plates, each bearing 3–4 apical setae. Epiproct subquadrate with an elongate posteromedial tab and dorsomedially bearing a pair of setae. Cercus short, subtriangular with 4 long sinuate setae (1 apical, 2 lateral and 1 dorsal) and several smaller setulae. S6 and S7 relatively well-developed, present as broad, rectangular, microtrichose plates bearing a posterior row of 7–8 setae. S8 reduced to a small, subquadrate, largely bare plate bearing a medial pair of setae surrounded by a patch of microtrichia. Hypoproct broad, shield-like, posteriorly microtrichose with a row of setae. Spermathecae stout, spherical and finely grooved; stem short (0.4x length of spermatheca) and cylindrical.

Material examined. Holotype: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: Peters Link Road , 41˚08’S 148˚07’E, Site B: #2.1, dry sclerophyll, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (♂, ANIC).

Paratypes: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #1.1, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, 1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #1.2, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #1.a litter, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #1.p pit, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #2.1, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #2.p pit, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #2.s pit, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #2.t pit, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚10’S 147˚08’E, Site A: #3.2, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’S 148˚07’E, Site B: #3.1, dry sclerophyll, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, 1 ♀, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’S 148˚07’E, Site B: #3.2, dry sclerophyll, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, 2 ♀, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’S 148˚07’E, Site B: #5.2, dry sclerophyll, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) .

Other material examined: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #1.2, Nothofagus forest, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #1.b litter, Nothofagus forest, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #2.1, Nothofagus forest, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #2.2, Nothofagus forest, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #2.a litter, Nothofagus forest, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, 1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #2.a litter, Nothofagus forest, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, 2 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #2.b litter, Nothofagus forest, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (2 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #2.b litter, Nothofagus forest, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (7 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #3.1, Nothofagus forest, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #4.1, Nothofagus forest, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (3 ♀, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #4.2, Nothofagus forest, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; near Weldborough , 41˚09’50”S 147˚53’51”E, Site A: #5.1, Nothofagus forest, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #1.1, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #1.2, dry sclerophyll, 22–27.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #1.b litter, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #2.1, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #2.b litter, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #3.1, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #3.2, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.v.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Peters Link Road , 41˚08’30”S 148˚07’24”E, Site B: #5.2, dry sclerophyll, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al. (1 ♂, ANIC) .

Etymology. This name is a patronym recognizing J.W.H. Trueman, the collector of the type series.

Comments. Howickia truemani is uniquely coloured and easily separated from all other wingless species of Howickia by the dark brown stripes between the interfrontal bristles, across the face, and along the lower half of the gena, and from other wingless Tasmanian species by the lack of outer vertical setae.

Figures

FIGURES 45.1–45.5. Howickia truemani sp. nov. 45.1, male habitus, lateral; 45.2, male head, anterolateral; 45.3, male S5–8, ventral; 45.4, male terminalia, lateral; 45.5, aedeagus and associated structures, lateral. Scale bars indicate 0.5 mm.