Chelipoda fuscoptera, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, The Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae) of New Zealand II. Chelipoda Macquart, Zootaxa 1537 (1), pp. 1-88 : 14-15

3. Chelipoda fuscoptera sp. n.

[ Figs. 29, 30 ]

Type material. Holotype ♂: New Zealand, North Is. , WO, Raglan, Mt. Karioi, Malaise trap by Wainui Str., 7–14/ix/1986, HAO [ NZAC], dried from alcohol.

Etymology: the specific epithet refers to the darkened wing tips.

Description. Male: length 1.8mm.

Head: black, dusted grey, face with silvery dust; all setae black. Eyes very narrowly separated on face; outer verticals (vt2) diverging, strong, as strong as divergent ocl; inner verticals (vt1) more upright, more or less contiguous with line of upo; lpo only fine hairs, 2–3 serial, dark. Antenna blackish brown with basal segments distinctly paler, yellowish; postpedicel short, barely 2X as long as wide, arista 3X as long, brownish. Proboscis pale brown, palpi whitish with short pale hairs and a longer dark apical seta.

Thorax: ground colour yellowish brown dorsally, rather paler on pleura, a pair of paler almost yellowish stripes anteriorly on mesonotum just inside line of dc; rather uniformly whitish grey dusted, the contrast between dark dorsum and paler pleura greater than in wet specimens but the yellowish mesonotal stripes, while still evident, are less distinct. Chaetotaxy similar to C. modica , lnp weak, about as long and strong as ph and upcurved pprn; dc2 and dc3 similarly strong, sa very strong and long.

Legs: yellow, tarsi slightly darker on apical segments. C 1 slightly shorter than thorax, short-haired excepting anteroapical fan of short bristles and a single fine bristle on outer face apically. F 1 strongly inflated, slightly longer than C 1, pd ciliation of black hairs rather erect; 4 av and 5 pv spines between which lie about 10 av and 17 pv denticles; 1 strong and 1 weak ventral spine basally, rather yellowish black. Legs otherwise with only short hairs and bristles but F 3 rather strongly ciliated dorsally, the hairs fine and almost as long in basal 0.3 as F 3 is deep. at2 about as long as at3, pt1 slightly longer than pt2 + pt3 + pt4.

Wing: Clear with brownish veins but membrane in anterior half distinctly greyish and veins darker anteriorly; otherwise very similar to C. modica .

Abdomen: Yellowish brown, slightly paler than mesonotum; tergites with fine setae on posterior margins, more strongly developed on tergite 5; sternites with weaker hairs. Genitalia ( Figs. 29, 30 ) yellowish, a few distinct setae on hypandrium and near posterior margin of epandrial lamellae. Hypandrium large, rather keelshaped, rather less strongly sclerotized but not divided along mid line posteriorly. Epandrium divided, lobes rather broad, fused with cerci anteroapically where thickened and darkened at tip with a brush of minute black setae and a single larger seta directed posteriorly. Phallus in posterior view with minute lateral serrations. Postgonite (?) appearing as an inwardly folded process at posterior margin of epandrial lamella and bearing 4 short blunt rod-like setae. Subepandrial process large, strongly beaked apically.

Female. The female is unknown

Comments. A yellowish brown species with a pair of paler almost yellowish stripes anteriorly on mesonotum distinguished from others in the C. modica -group by a distinct darkening of the wing on its anterior half. Only the male is known but considering the incidence of secondary male characters in local Chelipoda , it is possible that females of C. fuscoptera may well not have darkened wings. The sole locality of C. fuscoptera is a lowland forest on the west coast of North Island.

Figures

FIGURES 29–33. Male genitalia of Chelipoda spp. 29–30. C. fuscoptera sp. n., 29. lateral view. 30. posterior view. 31. C. gracilis sp. n. posterior view. 32–33. C. inconspicua Collin. 32. anterior view. 33. posterior view.