Gondwanodromia tongariro, Sinclair & Saigusa, 2022

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Saigusa, Toyohei, 2022, A New Aquatic Associated Genus of Trichopezinae from the Southern Hemisphere (Diptera: Empidoidea: Brachystomatidae), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 74 (3), pp. 75-98 : 92

Gondwanodromia tongariro sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8CFFAA13-50DB-44FF-9CCA-682EABD036C9

Figs 43 , 51

Holotype ♂, labelled: “ NEW ZEALAND: RI/ Tongariro NP, 15kN Ohakune / Mangaturutura Tr. [39°18'S 175°31'E]/ 19.ii.1995, alpine/ z/str. B.J. Sinclair ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Gondwanodromia / tongariro / Sinclair & Saigusa [red label]” ( NZAC).

Diagnosis. The species is readily distinguished by eyes with sparse ommatrichia, swollen mid femur and geniculate mid tibia, stylus slightly shorter than postpedicel, and male terminalia with epandrial lobe short, length subequal to width, separated from surstylus by distance longer than length of surstylus.

Description. Wing length 4.2 mm. Male. Head. Eye with sparse ommatrichia; face with bluish pruinescence, as wide as antennal sockets dorsally, divergent ventrally. Ocellar setae long and divergent, inserted anteromedial to lateral ocelli; 2 pairs of shorter posterior setae; 2 vertical setae, outer seta arched over margin of eye, slightly shorter than ocellar seta; occipital setae shorter and thinner than vertical setae. Antennae inserted above middle of head; scape slightly longer than globular pedicel; postpedicel with broad base, gradually curved and tapered; stylus slightly shorter than postpedicel, small basal segment, apical sensillum damaged. Palpus long and slender, half height of head, bearing pale setae; labrum greatly lengthened, longer than height of head, slightly incurved; labium longer than labrum.

Thorax. Pleura, coxae, postpronotal lobe and notopleuron with pale blue pruinescence. Scutum brown with faint vittae between rows of acrostichals and dorsocentrals. Antepronotum with several pairs of short setae. Acrostichals uniserial, slightly longer posteriorly, extending to prescutellar depression; 5–6 uniserial dorsocentral setae, intermixed with several long or short slender setae; 1 postpronotal seta, with 1 setula; 1 presutural supra-alar seta; 2 notopleural setae, lower slender and short; 1 postsutural supra-alar seta; 1 postalar seta; 2 pairs of scutellar setae, outer pair slender and shorter. Laterotergite with patch of pale brown setae. Wing. Broad, infuscate; basal costal seta long and slender; costa with erect dorsal setae beyond R 1; R 4 slightly sinuous; halter bright, pale brown. Legs. Coxae with pale golden setae; femora dark with bluish pruinescence, apex of femora slightly paler. Fore and mid femora broader than slender hind femur. Fore femur swollen, tapered apically, without ventral setae; white pile beneath; several thicker preapical anterior setae. Fore tibia subequal in length to femur, without outstanding setae. Mid femur strongly swollen, broader than fore femur, with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of stout, black setae, shorter than half width of femur. Mid tibia geniculate, one-fifth shorter than femur, curved along femur margin; short strong setae beneath. Hind femur slender, longer than mid femur, straight with long, erect dorsal setae on basal half; anteroventrally with row of strong setae, shorter than width of femur. Hind tibia with dorsal row of strong setae. Tarsomere 1 slender with dense ventral setae on all legs.

Abdomen. Brown with thin bluish pruinescence, sparsely setose with setae mostly confined to the posterior margins. Sternite 7 with short posterolateral extension. Terminalia [undissected] ( Fig. 43 ). Lying dorsally over segments 7 and 8. Phallus thickly sclerotized, long and tapered. Epandrium rounded, with short lobe near base of surstylus; width of lobe subequal to length. Surstylus digitiform, separated from epandrial lobe by distance longer than length of surstylus.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. This species is currently known from the type locality on North Island, New Zealand ( Fig. 51 ).

Figures

Figures 43–47. New Zealand species of Gondwanodromia: (43) G. tongariro sp. nov, holotype, male terminalia, scale bar = 0.25 mm; (44) G. femorata sp. nov., female midleg, scale bar = 0.5 mm (courtesy Canterbury Museum); (45) G. femorata sp. nov., female abdomen, scale bar = 0.5 mm (courtesy Canterbury Museum); (46) G. wardi sp. nov., holotype (abdomen dissected), lateral view, scale bar = 0.5 mm (courtesy Canterbury Museum); (47) G. wardi sp. nov., holotype (abdomen dissected), dorsal view, scale bar = 0.5 mm (courtesy Canterbury Museum). Abbreviations: epand lb – epandrial lobe; sur – surstylus.

Figures 50–52. Distribution of Gondwanodromia: (50) Australian species; (51) New Zealand species; (52) South American species.