Chelipoda atrocitas, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, The Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae) of New Zealand II. Chelipoda Macquart, Zootaxa 1537 (1), pp. 1-88 : 16-17

5. Chelipoda atrocitas sp. n.

[ Figs. 22 , 71 ]

Type material. Holotype ♂: New Zealand, South Is. , OL, East Matukituki valley, Malaise at forest edge, 1200`, 31/i–4/ii/1987, JWE [ NZAC] . Paratypes: 2♂, 1♀ same data as holotype [ NZAC, NMWC] ; 1♂, MB, 42° 32`S, 172°24`E , Glen Hope Station , site code ‘ Meat Safe’, FIT on ground in forest, 27/i–9/ii/2001, RKD [ NMWC] ; 1♀, MB, 42° 30`S, 172° 24`E , Glen Hope Station , site code ‘ St. James’, FIT in canopy, 31/i–13/ii/ 2001, RKD [ NMWC] .

Additional material: 2♀, NC , both very damaged from 42° 39`S, 172° 23`E, Glen Wye Station , Kakapo Brook Val., site code ‘ Bush Hut’, FIT in canopy, 19/xii/2000 – 1/i/2001, RKD [ NMWC] and NC , 42° 37`S, 172° 21`E, Glen Wye Station , Hope River Val., site code ‘ Front Dismal’, FIT on ground in forest, 1–17/xii/ 2000, RKD [ NMWC] .

Etymology: specific epithet derives from atrocitas (Latin) meaning fierceness.

Description. Male: Length 1.5–2.0mm (wet specimens).Very similar to C. tainuia but differing as follows.

Head: yellowish brown; antenna brown, postpedicel 3X as long as wide, arista 2.5X as long.

Thorax: ground colour brownish orange (possibly darker in life); setae black similar to C. tainuia (but some setae missing in types), unp conspicuously long and strong. Legs: yellow; C 1 0.8–0.9X as long as thorax; F 1 more strongly inflated than in tainuia , about 3.0–3.2X as long as wide. Femoral formula 4(4–4)/19(18–22)/ 13(11–15)/4(4–5) with av and pv spines yellowish and basal 5–6 denticles in pv series black and point-like, becoming yellowish and bristle-like distally; 2 strong yellowish bristles basally contiguous with line of av spines (but lacking any basal bristles contiguous with line of pv spines).

Abdomen: similarly coloured as thorax, tergite 5 with a fan of strong black setae on posterior margin. Hypopygium ( Fig. 22 ) strongly reflexed anteriorly with apex of epandrial lamellae reaching to tergite 5. Hypandrium broad, keel shaped, rather sparsely haired. Epandrial lobes bluntly trifid apically; the posterior lobe weakly developed but hairy throughout; median lobe more strongly developed, bare but for a cluster of short black rather flattened setae apically at margin; anterior lobe fused with cercus, folded inwardly at tip and bearing dense brush of black flattened bristles. Postgonite (?) with thick mat of blunt rod-like setae. Phallus rather abruptly curved halfway along exposed section, more gently sinuous distally.

Wing: similar to C. tainuia , veins yellowish. Halteres dirty white.

Description. Female: similar to the male. Femoral formula 4(4–4)/20.5(20–21)/14(12–15)/4(4–5). Pregenital sternite similar to C. tainuia but narrower apically ( Fig. 71 ).

Comments. This is an orange-yellow species of the C. modica -group, similar to C. tainuia but with epandrial lobes bluntly trifid and female pregenital sternite narrower apically. It is currently known only from forests of the South Island during December to March inclusive.

Figures

FIGURES 16–22. Male genitalia of Chelipoda spp. 16. C. digressa Collin, posterior view. 17. C. dominatrix sp. n. lateral view. 18. C. brevipennis sp. n. cercus. 19. C. ferocitrix sp. n cercus. 20. C. dominatrix sp. n. cercus. 21. C. ferocitrix sp. n. anterior view. 22. C. atrocitas sp. n. lateral view.

FIGURES 71–75. Female pregenital sternite of 71. C. atrocitas sp. n. 72. C. macrostigma sp. n. 73. C. tainuia sp. n. 74. C. modica Collin. 75. C. mediolinea sp. n. 76. head of ♂ C. aritarita sp. n. 77. C. ultraferox sp. n. ♂ scutum, lateral view. 78. C. consignata Collin, ♂ head. 79–80. thoracic profile. 79. C. rangopango sp. n. 80. C. cornigera sp. n. 81. C. gracilis sp. n. ♂ head & front of scutum, dorsal view. Abbreviations: see text.