Philophylla lachung Singh & David, sp. nov.

(Figs 12–20)

Description. Male (Fig. 12). Body length 5.99 mm, wing length 6.94 mm

Head (Fig. 13): 1.3× higher than long. Frons light fuscous with 4 frontal setae and 2 orbital setae. Ocellar seta, lateral and medial vertical seta and postocellar seta present; post ocular row black. Antennal segments fuscous to brown, apex of first flagellomere rounded; arista short and plumose. Face vertical, devoid of any markings, gena, parafacial and occiput pale fuscous.

Thorax (Figs. 14 & 15): 2.75 mm long, 1.92 mm wide, scutum dark brown to black. Scapular setae minute in line with postpronotal seta. Thorax with well developed chaetotaxy; 1 postpronotal, 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 anterior notopleural, 1 posterior notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocentral, 1 postalar, and 1 prescutellar acrostichal seta. Scutellum shining black except for the lateral margins dark brown with setae. Anepisternum setulose with 2 setae posterior to anepisternal phragma, anepimeron and katepisternum with a single seta. Katepisternum, anatergite, katatergite and meron entirely black. Subscutellum and mediotergite dark brown to black. Haltere dark brown.

Legs: Coxa, trochanter, femur black, tarsomeres yellow; forefemur swollen with one row of posteroventral spines, mid and hindfemur setulose without spines. Midtibia dark brown to black with stout spines apically; hindtibia dark brown to black without any spines.

Wing (Fig. 16): Hyaline basally with dark markings medially, pterostigma dark brown, costal cells hyaline; two wedge shaped hyaline indentations separated by a faint brown transverse line in cell r1 ends at vein R4+5 which gives an appearance of W-shaped hyaline band; apex of cell r1 dark brown. Anterior apical band pale brown, posterior apical band narrowed distally, not reaching wing margin. Cell dm with a single hyaline spot just below crossvein R-M; hyaline band in cell cu1 not crossing vein Cu1 to reach cell dm. Vein R1 setulose throughout its entire length; vein R4+5 with setae extending just beyond crossvein R-M. Cell dm and cu1 with dark brown spots basally.

Abdomen (Fig. 17): 2.41 mm long, 2.13 mm wide, abdominal tergites shining black without any fulvous markings. Epandrial complex as in Fig. 18 and 19, lateral surstylus with anterior lobe flattened and posterior lobe elongated, prensisetae prominent; glans of phallus elongate, sclerotised, heavily sculptured; median sclerite with internal sculpture pattern of round granulation and dorsal sclerite with internal sculpture pattern of elongated granulation (Fig. 20).

Material examined. Holotype ♂, INDIA: Sikkim, Lachung, 08.xi.2012, Shakti K. Singh (NPC). Paratypes: 4 ♂, same data as holotype (NPC)

Discussion. This species is very similar to Philophylla diversa (Wang) from Sichuan, China (Wang, 1989) but can be differentiated by its black scutellum without yellow marking, wing with single hyaline spot in the cell dm, and discontinuous posterior apical band, broad at base narrowing distally. This species is unusual in having five pairs of frontal setae as most Philophylla have three pairs instead (Fig. 10).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition and refers to the type locality.