Elaphropeza furcata Grootaert et Shamshev

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 27-29

Elaphropeza furcata Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov.

( Figs. 33–35 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC6); Holotype / Elaphropeza furcata / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPES: D.R. CONGO: 1 3, Yaekela , 2–7 May 2010, secondary forest, Malaise trap 1 (reg. 30025, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30032, leg. P. Grootaert). 11 3. Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert) + 1 3 specimen in tray Congo at AB31516115 extracted for DNA, COI sequence available at genbank ( RBINS).

Diagnosis. Species of the E. biuncinata -group; recognised by thorax blackish brown, hind femur blackish brown on apical half; wing with vein R2+3 evenly bowed, uniformly sclerotised.

Description. Male. Length: body 1.6 mm, wing 1.5 mm. Occiput entirely black, pollinose (including vertex); with brownish yellow to yellow setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals short. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars short. Frons shining, above antennae about 2.0 times as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna yellowish brown; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, nearly 2.0 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, nearly 4.0 times longer than postpedicel, about 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, bearing scattered setulae, subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax entirely blackish brown, largely shining, with yellowish setation. Prothoracic episterna with long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta hardly prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals, 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 minute postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with short setae, 1 pair of long prescutellars (nearly as long as notopleurals).

Legs quite robust, almost entirely yellow, hind femur blackish brown on apical half (usually paler near “knee”). Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur thickened, with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 2 long setae near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, with row of very short yellowish anteroventral and row of similar posteroventral spinule-like setae becoming longer basally, 1 long pale seta near base and 1 long subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules and prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur and tibia thickened. Hind femur with short anteroventrals and 3 short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent setae; apical projection small, rounded, brownish yellow. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, with unmodified setation.

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins mostly yellowish brown, basal section of M1+2 (including short area beyond crossvein bm-cu) and crossvein r-m pale; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 19/21/21. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 evenly bowed. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, both slightly bowed. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu slightly oblique. Crossvein r-m somewhat beyond middle of cell bm. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 represented by very narrow undivided brownish stripe; tergite 2 narrow, broadly concave dorsally, with unmodified short setae; tergite 3 broadest, with row of squamiform setae posteriorly; tergite 4 very narrow, with unmodified setation, subtriangular viewed laterally; tergite 5 broad, nearly as long as tergite 6, with unmodified setation, subrectangular viewed laterally; tergite 6 broad, subrectangular viewed laterally, with unmodified setation; tergite 7 nearly as long as tergite 6, with moderately long posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites 3–5 broadly divided medially, sternites 6 and 7 subrectangular, both with longer setae. Gland-like structure present between tergites 3–4, of complicated structure. Terminalia ( Figs. 33–35 ) rather large, brownish. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow and short, weakly sclerotised, digitiform, considerably shorter than left cercus, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus unbranched, long, digitiform, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct not prominent. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subtriangular ( Fig. 33 ), covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 4 short setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 35 ) narrow basally, bifurcated, with several unmodified setae of different lengths. Phallus long. One rodshaped apodeme.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the forked left surstylus.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. In having an entirely black thorax the new species could be compared with E. oribiensis and E. sinikorensis as it is discussed in Remarks to E. angulata sp. nov. Among species described from D.R. Congo, E. furcata sp. nov. is most similar to E. excavata sp. nov. The main differences between the new species and E. excavata sp. nov. have been given in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 33 – 35. Elaphropeza furcata sp. nov. 33. Right epandrial lamella; 34. Epandrium with cerci; 35. Left surstylus.