Afropeza stuckenbergi, Sinclair & Shamshev, 2012

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, Afropeza, a new South African genus (Diptera: Empidoidea: Brachystomatidae), with description of three new species, African Invertebrates 53 (1), pp. 239-239 : 246-248

Afropeza stuckenbergi sp. n.

Fig. 10

(W\PRORJ\: 7KLV VSHFL¿F QDPH LV D SDWURQ\P LQ KRQRXU RI RXU HVWHHPHG FROOHDJXH, mentor, and KwaZulu-Natal Museum dipterist, Dr Brian Stuckenberg, who collected WKH ¿UVW VSHFLPHQ RI WKLV QHZ JHQXV.

Diagnosis: This species is characterised by the length of the postpedicel longer than width of eye; pleura clothed in pruinescence; males with an enlarged genital capsule rotated approx. 45° to the right and asymmetrical surstyli.

Description:

Male.

Head: Antenna with postpedicel slightly longer than width of eye; stylus comprising only spine-like apical mechanoreceptor.

Thorax: Scutum mostly shiny, except thin clothing of pruinescence on notopleuron, postalar callus and scutellum; anterior margin of scutum mostly shiny, except anterior face of postpronotal lobe; pleura mostly with pruinescence. Acrostichal setae on prescutellar depression biserial, erect and directed anteriorly.

Legs: Mostly pale yellow; tarsi gradually darkening towards apex.

Wing: Length 1.8–2.0 mm. Haltere knob and distal half of stem dark; proximal half of stem pale yellow.

Abdomen: Ventral setae pale, dorsal setae dark; tergite 8 asymmetrical, subrectangular, with darkly pigmented and thickened anterior margin, expanded on right lateral end; posterior margin unpigmented; sternite 8 asymmetrical, slightly prolonged on left lateral margin, closely associated with right edge of tergite 8. Male terminalia ( Fig. 10 ): Asymmetrical, rotated approx. 45° to the right. Cercus well sclerotised, cone-shaped, ZLWK QXPHURXV ORQJ VHWDH DORQJ PDUJLQV. (SDQGULXP URXQGHG, LQÀDWHG ODWHUDOO\. 6XUVW\OL asymmetrical comprising pair of lobes; anterior lobe comprising pair of sharply pointed divergent processes; posterior process directly medially; right anterior process more VWURQJO\ FXUYHG DSLFDOO\. 3RVWHULRU VXUVW\ODU OREH ÀDWWHQHG, FRQYROXWHG, ULGJH‒OLNH. Hypandrium greatly expanded ventrally, strongly tapered and arched apically; gonocoxal apodeme fan-shaped, broader than ejaculatory apodeme. Postgonite closely approximated with phallus; apex expanded into ventral shelf-like phallic guide. Phallus arched anteriorly, projecting through epandrial lamellae; apex bearing pair of rounded lobes; ejaculatory apodeme enlarged, greatly expanded apically and prolonged in horizontal plane, approximately half length of phallus.

Female. Similar to male, except abdominal setae paler, especially toward posterior segments.

Remarks: This species is presently known primarily from the Western Cape Province in humid to dry forests. Most paratypes were swept from grass vegetation in open roadside areas in a rather dense, dry forest (Danielssen pers. comm. 2011).

+RORW\SH: ƃ ³6üGDIULND, &DSH 3U., / 'LHSZDOOH)RUHVW> °ƽ7‵6 ƻ °Íθ‵(@ / 1(.Q\VQD / ƽ.;,.Í99Í +. Ulrich” (NMSA).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: ÍƂ 3RUW (OL]DEHWK 'LVWULFW,9DQ 6WDDGHQV 3DVV> °ƽ4‵6 ƻƽ°Íƻ‵(@, 30.x.1964, B. & P. Stuckenberg ( NMSA). Western Cape: Íƃ ƻƂ 7VLWVLNDPD 1.3., 6WRUPVULYHU 3DVV, °ƽ9‵6 23°55'E, 19.x.1994, loc. 26, R. Danielsson ( MZLU).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are indebted to the following curators and their respective institutions for the loan of specimens: L. Papp (HNHM), R. Danielsson (MZLU), M. Mostovski (NMSA), N. Dorchin (formerly ZFMK). Issac Winkler (North Carolina State University) kindly provided an additional specimen from a survey of South Africa. Adrian Plant and Patrick Grootaert kindly reviewed the manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 10. Afropeza stuckenbergi sp. n., male terminalia, dorsolateral view. Abbreviations: cerc – cercus, ej apod – ejaculatory apodeme, epand – epandrium, goncx apod – gonocoxal apodeme, hypd – hypandrium, ph – phallus, st – sternite,sur (a) – anterior surstylus, sur (p) – posterior surstylus, tg – tergite. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.