Tipula (Vestiplex) auriculatalobata, Starkevich & Men & Saldaitis, 2019

Starkevich, Pavel, Men, Qiu-Lei & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2019, Four new crane fly species of subgenus Tipula (Vestiplex) (Diptera, Tipulidae) from China, Zootaxa 4679 (1), pp. 69-86 : 81-85

Tipula (Vestiplex) auriculatalobata sp. nov.

( Figs 28–36 )

Holotype: Male, China, NW Yunnan, Lijiang / Zhangdian , near Tuguancun , elev. 3200 m, N27°29.700’, E 99°53.700’, 24–25.v.2012, A. Saldaitis leg., genitalia slide No. PS 0418m, wing slide No. PS 0419m ( NRC).

Paratype: 1 male topotypic, wing slide No. PS 0420m ( NRC) .

Diagnosis. A medium-sized crane fly with yellowish-brown thorax, yellow base and brown tip of abdomen and yellowish-brown wing. Antenna, reaching before base of the abdomen if bent backward. Tergite 9 ventrally with a pair of large, heavily sclerotised ear-shaped lobes. Inner gonostylus in the shape of a rounded plate, terminated into dark upper beak, lower beak is surrounded by a roundly swollen area. Gonocoxite subrectangular in outline, unarmed. Sternite 9 with dorsal lobe of A9S short, finger-shaped.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 28 ), male (N=2). General body coloration yellowish-brown. Body length 13.0– 13.2 mm, wing length 15.5–15.7 mm.

Head. Yellowish-brown, vertex and occiput darker in coloration with dark brown median line. Rostrum yellow with ventral side darker, nasus yellow. Antenna 13-segmented, reaching before base of the abdomen if bent backward. Scape yellow, elongate, more than four times as long as pedicel, expanded apically. Pedicel yellow, very short. Flagellum brown, flagellar segments with basal enlargement. Verticils subequal to length of corresponding flagellomeres. Palpus with basal three segments yellowish-brown, apical segment black.

Thorax. Yellowish-brown. Pronotum yellowish-brown, slightly darker on ventral side. Mesonotal prescutum with three brown longitudinal stripes, median stripe very broad, expanded apically, lateral stripes elliptical, closely connected with median stripe, with many short and light setae situated between stripes. Stripes nearly cover entire prescutal dorsum. Scutum yellowish-brown with brown marking. Scutellum yellowish-brown, slightly darker medially. Postnotum entirely yellowish. Pleuron yellowish, dorsal side of anepisternum and ventral side of katepisternum suffused with brown. Leg slender, coxa and trochanter yellowish, femur brown with basal 2/5 yellowish-brown, with broad yellowish band before darkened apex, tibia and tarsal segments brown. Tarsal claw simple without tooth. Wing ( Fig. 29 ) yellowish-brown, semitransparent, pterostigma darker than ground color. Discal cell narrow, elongate, petiole of cell m 1 subequal in length to discal cell and distinctly shorter than cell m 1. Halter with stem yellowish, knob dark brown.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergites 1–4 yellow, lateral margins narrowly suffused with brown, tergites 5–7 brown with yellow margins, sternite 1–4 entirely yellow, sternites 5–7 brown with yellow margins, abdominal segment 8 and hypopygium totally brown.

Hypopygium. Brown. Tergite 9 basally confused with sternite 9 in lateral view, entirely divided into two parts in dorsal view. Dorsal portion of tergite 9 shallowly emarginated at hind margin, with long setae on slightly extended lateral corners.Ventral side of tergite 9 with pair of large, heavily sclerotised, densely dotted ear-shaped lobes ( Figs 30–32 ). Gonocoxite broad, subrectangular in outline, unarmed ( Fig. 30 ). Outer gonostylus nearly oval rounded apically ( Figs 30, 34 ). Inner gonostylus in the shape of rounded plate, terminating into dark upper beak, lower beak surrounded by roundly swollen area ( Fig. 33 ). Dorsal surface with many sharp spines arranged on back margin and scattered in median area and with swollen area at base. Adminiculum triangular in dorsal view, apex narrowed, median sclerite well developed ( Figs 35, 36 ). Sternite 9 with ventral lobe of A9S in the shape of roughly rounded sclerite provided with setae. Dorsal lobe of A9S short, finger-shaped, apically obtuse, provided with setae ( Fig. 36 ).

Biology and distribution. A total of 2 males were collected during a single cold night on 25 May, 2012 in south-western China, Yunnan province, in a remote area in the Hengduan Shan (mountains) near Lijiang – Zhongdian ( Fig. 39 ) on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. The new species was collected near a small river with valley meadows and dry rocky slopes surrounded by mixed forests and wetlands. The mixed forests were dominated by broad-leaved trees including oaks ( Quercus dentata , Q. glauca ), poplars ( Populus cathayana , P. simonii ), elms ( Ulmus parvifolia ), rhododendrons ( Rhododendron brachycarpum , R. dauricum ) and pines.

Discussion. T. (V.) auriculatalobata sp. nov. is assigned to the divisotergata group on the basis of a combination of characters including unarmed gonocoxite, shape of inner gonostylus and the presence of well-developed dorsal lobe of appendage of sternite 9. It can be separated from all known species in this group by large heavily sclerotised ear-shaped ventral lobes of tergite 9.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the Latin ‘ auriculata ’ with ‘ lobata ’, referring to the presence of ear-shaped plates on tergite 9.

Figures

FIGURE 39. Type locality of Tipula (Vestiplex) auriculatalobata sp. nov. China, NW Yunnan, Lijiang/Zhangdian, near Tuguancun, N27°29.700’, E 99°53.700’, altitude 3200 m.

FIGURES 28–29. Tipula (Vestiplex) auriculatalobata sp. nov. 28: adult male, general view of paratype; 29: wing, paratype.

FIGURES 30–36. Hypopygium of male Tipula (Vestiplex) auriculatalobata sp. nov. 30: hypopygium, lateral view; 31: hypopygium, dorsal view; 32: tergite 9, dorsal view; 33: left outer gonostylus; 34: left inner gonostylus, lateral view; 35: adminiculum, ventral view; 36: adminiculum and appendage of sternite 9, lateral view. Abbreviations: adm, adminiculum; vl, ventral lobe of appendage of sternite 9; dl, dorsal lobe of appendage of sternite 9; gcx, gonocoxite; ig, inner gonostylus; ms, median sclerite of adminiculum; og, outer gonostylus; tergite 9; vlt, ventral lobe of tergite 9.